7/25/16 Phase 6 - Radiation Begins

We are in the last major phase of treatment - Radiation!  Today, 7/25/16 we begin 6 weeks of radiation treatment.  I'll be going to the Radiation Center here in Nashua, NH which is great because it's close by, especially since I have to go EVERYDAY - Monday - Friday.

Part of getting treatment started involves getting "marked" in the location of where radiation will be administered, by doing this it helps them line me up properly to ensure the radiation is targeted to ONLY the area they are radiating.  They had to "mark" me with 4 tiny tattoos, you can barely see them as they look like tiny little dots.

Why does my overall treatment involve radiation?  Well, the advantage in doing radiation decreases my local breast recurrence by 70% and provides a 17% better prognosis.  Based on all the treatment I've done so far, this is a continuation of the advanced treatment I've received to help kill off any potential cancerous cells remaining and reduced the chances of future recurrence.

And it begins... 6 weeks, everyday (M-F) of this.  There are lots of side effects with radiation but the most common are fatigue and skin issues.  In my case, since I have implants, there is a concern that the right side implant may get affected (get hard or shrink).  I knew that going in, but the alternative was to do expanders first and my doctors advised me NOT to go that route and to do reconstruction during the original surgery as it is harder to reconstruct radiated skin.  After much research, I agreed. So, we will see how it goes.  Treating the skin cracks me up as they suggested to use "Aquaphor".  This is the same stuff I used on my girls when they were babies to heal their bottoms if they had diaper rash.  Who would have thought that it's used to treat skin that is radiated?  Amazing!  Keeping my fingers crossed and hopeful that all will go well.  As I've said many times before, "One Day At A time". 

 

 

Another Lump - Ultrasound!!

I'm still trying to figure out what feels normal with these new boobs!  As each week passes, I'm getting more and more comfortable with them.  However, I started to feel a little lump on my right side.  ARE YOU SERIOUS????  I'm freaking out a bit! 

I saw my oncologist and she felt it too.  She said it doesn't feel abnormal and that it's not part of the implant.  She said it's most likely scar tissue, but to be sure, she's sending me for an ultrasound! 

I'm not worried at all - YEAH RIGHT!  On 7/25/16, I went for the ultrasound and ironically the same radiologist that confirmed my original 5 cm lump was the radiologist doing this ultrasound.  I told him, "I don't know if you know this or not, but you completely changed my life".  He totally remembered me and we had a good talk.  He paid extra attention to the area I described and he stated that there is nothing abnormal feeling or looking on the ultrasound that would make him concerned.  I asked to see the screen as I now know what a cancer looks like on the ultrasound and it looked normal.  I took a major deep breath and said a prayer!  Thank God it was nothing!  I can't even imagine! 

7/20/16 Phase 5 - Surgery #2 Day - Hysterectomy & Oophorectomy

Here we are surgery day 7/20/16 - this will be Surgery #2.  I will be getting a Hysterectomy (removal of Uterus) and Oophorectomy (removal of Ovaries & Fallopian Tubes). Why you may ask?  Well, when someone is BRCA1+, they have a higher percentage of developing ovarian cancer.  The recommendation is to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes to prevent this from happening.  In my case, I pushed for a Hysterectomy as I have also had some major bleeding along the way.  Since I already have a 15% chance of recurrence, I don't want to take any chances. I have mixed emotions about this surgery mainly because it's removing ALL my female reproductive organs.  I'm fortunate that I've had my children with no problems and I'm totally done having children, but there's still that emotional part of me that knows that the organs that allowed me to become a mother, are now being removed.  All this messes with your mind!  So here we are!  This is a major surgery all done laparoscopically, with a 6-8 week recovery, no lifting anything over 5 pounds, no exercise, no bending down, no abdominal pressure etc.

The surgery will be taking place at Mass General.  What a machine this place is!  All went well, Dr. Clark got everything out with no issues - thank GOD!  I stayed over 1 night and got discharged on 7/21/16. 

Pain management is key with surgery.  I have 4 main cuts around my abdominal area with tons of abdominal pain - HOLY MOLY!!  Beyond that, my stomach is so bloated, it looks like I am 6 months pregnant which is normal for this type of surgery, none of my pants zip up and it's hard to walk, sit up, stand up and plainly, just move period!  Ugh, trying to find the silver lining here???  Let the healing begin.

7/19/16 Phase 4 - Leading up to the Re-Start of Herceptin

It's been a few weeks since my last chemo treatment and so much has taken place.  Based on a recommendation from Dr. Browne, I started seeing a psychologist to help with my anxiety about the future and how to deal and put all that has transpired so far and will continue into perspective.  I've done a great  job of staying positive etc, but it's catching up to me mentally and emotionally.  Dr. Browne suggested I start to see someone to not allow myself to spiral.  So, I started going and it's helped center my thoughts and emotions - Dr. Janet Brown comes very highly recommended - I really like her!  Go figure, I now have 2 Dr. Brown's!

I've also finished all my appointments leading up to the start of Radiation.  Dr. Ping Zhou will be my Oncology Radiologist.  We determined that based on my case, I will be doing 6 weeks of radiation, everyday.  The treatment will be targeted to the right chest wall area.  This will start at the end of July. 

I've also completed all my appointments leading up to Surgery #2 which will be the Hysterectomy & Oophorectomy with Dr. Rachel Clark.  Long story short, 4 days before surgery, I got a call from her office - her nurse so kindly informed me that my insurance wasn't going to cover the cost for the procedure.  I flipped out!  Seriously, I have another major surgery to get my head around and 4 days before they call me to tell me that?  Well, needlesstosay, after lots of last minute calls and running around, the procedure got approved the day before the surgery. Dr. Clark really advocated for me and I'm very thankful - talk about stress!

All that brings us current to where I am now.   I so wish I could get the chest port out of my chest, but it's staying in due to my continued treatment of Herceptin. As of July 19, 2016, we re-start Herceptin for up to a year.  The reason we are continuing this is due to the fact that I am HER2+, it is a targeted treatment that along with the chemo I've gotten helps reduce the chances of recurrence, by acting as a HER2+ blocker.  Before we could re-start Herceptin, I had to go get another Echocardiogram to ensure my heart is strong enough as Herceptin can have effects on the heart.  Luckily mine was perfect!

There was some discrepancies in my pathology reports AFTER surgery.  Initially I was diagnosed as HER2+, after surgery, the pathology reflected that parts of the remaining cancerous tumor was HER2-.  This totally made me nervous and concerned.  Dr. Browne and Dr. Coopey weren't convinced so they reached out for another review with Mass General.  Ultimately, it came back HER2+.  So, my treatment doesn't change going forward, hence why we are continuing with Herceptin every 3 weeks for up to a year.  All this continues and we continue with it, staying as positive as possible.

Physical Transformation

I knew from the start that hair loss was going to be in my future - but honestly, no one can prepare you for it when it happens.  The emotional effects it has on ones self esteem is beyond words.  I usually care very much how I present myself, not to a "diva" degree, but in a "making a good impression" degree.  Well, I have chosen to NOT look in the mirror these past few months because every time I do, I find myself asking myself... "how the hell did I get like this" or "who is this person"?  It's taken me a long time to accept my "new" look - I don't think I ever will - but I have 2 choices, never leave the house (which is quite frankly impossible due to the girls & their activities and all my darn doctor appointments) or put on my big girl panties and embrace my baldness.  I've chosen the latter.  Below is the transformation from the start all the way thru the end of chemo where the hair or lack thereof was at it's worst. God, the transformation is incredible, it's like 2 entirely different people! Truly amazing how a person changes because of this God awful cancer.