I know that many of you have been wondering where we're at in the treatment plan so
I wanted to take a moment before I go for treatment this week and give a quick update on how things are going.
First of all, I can't say enough about the outpouring of love and support that everyone has given us. I know that we have been covered in prayer, and I know that God has been with me during my treatments and recovery. I feel very blessed that I've had minimal issues/reactions during my chemo treatments and my recovery has been eased greatly.
This week marks my 4th round of chemo. My visit to CTCA is still 3 days. During the course of my stay I see my oncologist, Dr. Neelam. I also see my Naturopath, Nutritionist, and Accupuncturist. I also schedule Reiki and massage as well. I believe Dr. Neelam is pleased with what is going on thus far in my treatment, but she is reserved in her demeanor.
Is treatment working?
What I know for sure is the tumor is shrinking and is barely palpable. In fact, during my last visit Dr. Neelam mentioned we may just be feeling scar tissue at this point. There is a little concern about a couple of bumps behind my ear that we are watching to see if they are possible tumors. It's difficult to say, because I do get bumps all over my head after chemo, and we're not sure if these were there previously, if they've grown since treatment, etc, but they haven't gone away as of yet.
What happens next?
Well, this round is same as before. I'll go in, get all my alternative treatments, sit 6-7 hours for my chemo/biological treatments, get my Neulasta shot, and then Mom and I will be on our respective ways home.
My 6th, and hopefully final, treatment will be a bigger deal. This is the visit where we will see if I need to continue with more aggressive chemo or if my tumor is dead. I'll have a whole round of scans before chemo to determine if it's spread anywhere, etc. If tumor is dead, then this will be my final round of chemo, huzzah! Pray that we hear good news, especially about these little bumps behind my ear!!
When does surgery happen?
If tumor is dead, then it will be on to surgery at some point, typically about 6 weeks after this final round of chemo. If it's not, well I'm not focusing on that... only sunshine, lollypops, and rainbows allowed in this camp.
Surgery options haven't really been discussed as of yet in any kind of detail. It depends on what we see in the scans. I've been praying for wisdom in deciding which way to go. Basically there's two options, mastectomy or lumpectomy. The good news is that I am BRCA negative (the high risk genetic markers for breast cancer) so my options are a little less cut and dry, no pun intended.
Depending on which surgery I need and lymph node involvement, radiation may be required as well. If I have a lumpectomy radiation is a definite, mastectomy not necessarily. There's research out there that looks at outcomes long term and outcomes/recurrence rates are very similar.
What other treatments will I need this year?
Firstly, my biological treatments will continue until May 2016. Which means that I will be getting Herceptin and possibly Perjeta every 3 weeks via my port. These biological therapies which are given in conjunction with my chemo treatments block HER2 receptors in the tumor and stops the cells from dividing and growing. They need to be administered for a full year for the best outcome.
Along with these two HER2 therapies, I will also need targeted hormone therapies as well. These therapies will block the estrogen/progesterone receptors as well as decrease the amount of hormones I have floating around in body. Tamoxifen is the therapy that is most commonly prescribed, especially because of my age, however Tamoxifen has some pretty heavy potential side effects. There are other alternatives, sadly no herbal treatments, but there are some that are less damaging to the body. I've been discussing options with my oncologist, including an Oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) in order to decrease the amount of estrogen and progesterone my body makes, thus giving me other treatment options.
Whatever medication I am on, I will be taking it for at least 5 years, maybe more. I'm not happy about it, but there isn't another option.
How are we doing?
We're doing ok for the most part. The past 2 treatments have been much better side effect wise. I'm usually down for a full week after I get home, breathless and weak for most of that time, but other than that not bad. I have begun retaining fluid and have to spend some time with my legs elevated during the weeks in between treatments, but all in all I'll take that any day over the first 2 treatments. I was scared that it was a sign of heart damage (a possibility of my chemo treatments), but after speaking with CTCA they believe that it's just a side effect of my chemo. We'll know more after tomorrow.
I would say currently the challenging thing is maintaining a positive attitude and outlook at times and not allow worry,concern, doubt, fear, to control our thoughts. For Joe, the spirit of depression has also been a challenge, sometimes in the background and sometimes in the forefront depending on the day. It's painful to watch him go through that and not be able to "fix it." It's something he has struggled with off and on during his life. We're looking at options to help and continue to pray against it.
So that's it, basically. We pray and wait, hopeful for a happy outcome. Again, thank you for your comments, prayers, cards, gifts, hugs, and time. We feel so loved and blessed by you all.
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" ~ Romans 12:12
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