9/27/2011 I FEEL FINE!!!!

The first week after chemo has always been my toughest...NOT THIS TIME!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4SezG4nlIE

THANKS, DREW!!!

4/29/2011 The Email

Hiyah,

Time to let everyone in on what’s been going on with me medically for the month of April…and why I’ve been off the radar (and the map) for a month...  I’m telling you all via email, cause it’s a lot of info and easier to type once (yeah, I know) and answer questions based on the “same story” I’ll have to tell repeatedly.

 On Sat. 4/9, I went for my annual mammo at the local Morristown Rippel Breast Ctr .(a GREAT place to start what happens next).   On Monday the 11^th, I got a call to go back in for follow-up mammos.  I’ve never been called back, so I immediately got worried.

On Tuesday the 12^th, I got 50 gagillion (that mean s a LOT) mammos on my left breast only and was then sent for an ultrasound.  It was then I was told they found “a mass” that “looked cancerous” so they wanted to do an immediate biopsy.  It was a small mass, but big enough to do an ultrasound biopsy that afternoon. So we did.  Bruising, uncomfortable for a few days (and smelly after the 3-day no shower!), but relieved it’s done.

Thurs the 14^th I got a call telling me something no one wants to hear, “We’re sorry to tell you, your biopsy came back positive for cancer and is malignant.” It’s called Invasive Lobular Cancer or ILC. Only 10% of women get this kind and it can very serious. So, I keep my cool on the phone and take their advice to call my OBGYN for a Breast surgeon referral. They give me a couple “specs” on the cancer too. OK, reality sets in, I get choked up, say Thank You, and hang up.  Chris was away in DC and Kurt was in school, so I was all alone with my “news.”  I could cry massively alone or continue on by making the OBGYN call.  So, I do.  My Dr. is off for the day, but I ask who they usually recommend then call that office next.  I get the appt. & ask if they will want an MRI as well & am told yes.  So I ask who to schedule that with so I can get it all over with the following week.  It’s then I get upset again and call Nancy – who comes to my rescue with the hug I so desperately needed. Thank you, Nancy. J

Following week:  Weds., 4/20, I meet with the surgeon, Dr.  Leah Gendler.  Long story short…Right breast is GOOD & Dr. said that I “have the best behaved breast cancer” I could get.  Yeah, weird, but excellent!  Here are the good things:  It’s Estrogen Receptor + 100%, Progesterone Receptor + 100% (both mean I can skip chemo), Her-2 negative (meaning non-aggressive), <1cm in size, VERY slow replicating (Ki67=<8%) & has not spread to anywhere else (like my lymph nodes). It’s stage 1A (non-lymph node) grade 2 (moderate cell growth).  So it’s operable (lumpectomy) and can be radiated afterward.

Never a dull moment…The Thurs. 4/21 MRI found 2 more spots in the left breast – smaller than the first.  One is a “satellite” of the first (<2mm), so they’ll grab that with the first lumpectomy.  The 2^nd spot (<3mm) we did an MRI core biopsy on Weds. 4/27 cause they can’t see it very well with ultrasound.  That biopsy is more invasive and took much longer.  I slept the rest of the day after I was put in what I called a “Quaker binding and bra”.  I haven’t looked this small in the chest in 16 years!  So now I await these biopsy results (hopefully next week).  Chris goes to Jacksonville next week, so once again I’ll be getting results on my own. L  This time, I’m prepared and not as bummed cause I know everything’s gonna be fine.

So, lumpectomy(s) scheduled for 5/16, followed by healing, Ireland (6/13-7/6), then radiation for 6 weeks when I get back.  NO CHEMO!!!  I will also be taking a tamoxifen regiment (hormone therapy) to decrease the estrogen levels and keep any cancer from coming back.  It’s a 5-yr program and some side effects include menopause symptoms (like I wasn’t gonna get them anyway).  Lovely, but I’ll take it!!!  So, keep POSITIVE WAVES coming my way (smiles, love, prayers) and feel free to pass along my insights below!

LOVE YOU ALL!!  Will let you know the MRI biopsy & any other test results when I get them!!!!

9/28/2012 -- Gifts & Losses

I went to my 3^rd breast cancer symposium today.  I find them very informative and therapeutic.  I also get to meet new people, converse with other survivors, get tips from them and even some recipes!  Today, one of the speakers, Debbie Woodbury (founder of WhereDoWeGoNow.com), gave her personal experiences and how she would list her Gifts and Losses as a result of her experience with cancer and treatments.  She encouraged us to do the same, so here are some of mine (not in any order of importance):

 

GIFTS

LOSSES

·        My support group ·        Remission! ·        GREAT surgeon, oncologist & radiation Dr’s ·        Great insurance plan (coverage/PT…) ·        Knowing who loves & supports me ·        I wanna give back ·        Caught cancer before it got worse ·        Meeting new people & not caring who I know or what I wear ·        Blogging my experiences ·        Got closer to my mother-in-law, Breda ·        Loss of hair humbled me ·        More “us” time with my hubby, Chris ·        I take better care of myself

·        2011 lost in a sea of drugs ·        Times I yelled at my son & husband (see above) ·        My Dad still thinks I have cancer – he’s stuck in 2011 ·        Mourning my sister ·        My Norm (stamina) & physical self ·        Loss of patience for others ·        Natural menopause ·        Burden I put on family, especially after Mo’s death ·        Inability to see my Uncle before his death ·        Loss of hair & self-esteem ·        “exercise” partners ·        Understanding from others

 

 

8/10/2012 LISTEN to me!!

So, we’re 6 weeks our from the gallbladder removal.  Pretty much all the symptoms are GONE!  Now my liver’s just adjusting to distributing bile on its’ own.  Pathology came back…another 1-2 years and it would’ve burst, so I’m VERY GLAD I listened to my body and got it removed!  So, when your body starts telling you something....LISTEN!

I’m enjoying the summer heat (having missed it completely last year) and going away on little trips to further help me make-up for lost time.

I still get frustrated at what I can’t do yet, but know it’ll come in time.

6/29/12 Pain in the A$$!!

Gallbladder removal today – another casualty of my chemo treatments:

As my faithful blog-readers know…Last year I was having horrible pain, bloating, GI issues, pain in my back, etc…we just thought it was a chemo/treatment reaction.  So, when the problems persisted then got worse in March/April I looked all the symptoms up then put them together.  They all pointed to gallbladder!  So, I went to my oncologist & surgeon with this info and they both concurred and said it was common for women in my age group (35-50) to have their gallbladder removed within a year of chemo.  LUCKY ME!

So, after an ultrasound (to prove no stones or tumors, etc.), upper/lower GI scopes (to prove no tumors or problems), and then a HIDA-scan (to prove my gallbladder isn’t functioning properly – which it AIN’T), I am now insurance-approved to have my nasty little pain in the ass taken out!

So, a year later here I am about to go under the knife again.  I’m bummed, but happy that these pains and problems will go away within a month!!!!  Can you say lower than my already low-fat diet?

with the extended Doherty clan in Tucson AZ

6/21/12 Graduation!!!

Kurt graduated high school today!!!  I felt so responsible for his derailment last year and was ever so stressed about him graduating that I sent my blood pressure up for a year!  Thank you God for this beautiful feeling.

6/23/12 -- Two days later, I’m back to normal BP.  Yes, I’ll say it again…the mind does terrible things to our health sometimes!

6/10/12 Happy & Healthy

Today was Braelyn’s 2^nd birthday party!  It was a scorcher of a day, but we all had a great time.  When I got home I had a text message from my older sister, Kathy.  She said, “Joe & I both just said how you look like your old self – happy & healthier.”  That made me feel soooo good!  I called her right away...

She then said they no longer see the “pain” in my face.  Funny, how we don’t register the physical pain anymore because it becomes a part of our life at the time.  I’m glad it no longer registers on my face!

Like I said, it was SUNNY!!!