Up, Down, AND All Around

Emotions.... that is.

Maybe it was the fact I got up early to do some "homework" and read the info on line and in my books about "Triple Negative" breast cancer, and began to focus in on the negative part of Triple Negative, or maybe it is because chemo is now on the calendar. Perhaps it is because today and tomorrow are full of tests and procedures, or that next week is already booked for the same. Or maybe it is just a blue day amidst all the gorgeous sunshine in Glen Ellen and Santa Rosa tocay. BUT today was a down day for me.

I had a full schedule of activities today, most of which were spent at my latest new Home Away From Home, Redwood Regional Medical Group offices, Sotoyome Campus. There is something about this word "campus" that feels a bit strange. I'm not really learning here, but I do seem to be spending a bit of time here! 

On today's agenda is an injection for the bone scan, CT scan, then a break when I hope to purchase a juicer. Then I'll return back here for the actual bone scan. Oh, and don't forget a trip somewhere in the day to the "Fountaingrove Campus", aka Cancer Center, to pick up a packet for my chemo teaching appointment on Monday. Are we having fun yet? I think I need to make a visit to see Mom sometime real soon. By that I mean a long-overdue visit to the cemetery. I want to bring her one of those silk Hawaiian leis I have stored somewhere and leave it draped around the angel we seven kids chose for her headstone. It's about time she and I had a good talk about what is going on in my life right now. Not that she isn't fully aware.... but I think I need it most.

My latest Home Away From Home

10:45 AM     Injection (Radioactive Tracer) for Bone Scan. Am I glowing yet?

It is starting to feel like Connie and Bill and I are good friends now. This is my third visit with Connie, as she was the one to receive me for the MRI Breast Scan last week. (Was it only last week ? -- feels like much longer ago already.) This was pretty uneventful.

11:15 AM     CT Scan

Connie walked me a short distance over to the brand-spankin-new CT Scan room. It even had clouds on the ceiling. This was a nice change although it didn't help much when the actual Scan was taking place, since the machine obstructed the view. 

A tall, pleasant young gentleman greeted me, and introduced himself. I don't remember his name, but I remember him saying he was new, or a student, or some such thing.  It is not that the CT Scan was a bad thing, it was that I didn't realize I would be getting another injection, and that the authorization/release form I had to sign for it was frightening to say the least. I mean, did they already have the MUGA scan results to know if my heart would survive this test that they were doing to help check my heart. HELLO! Is this making any sense right now????? 

Yes, the scan was quick, yes the other, experienced female technician was very nice and considerate of my tears at the end. Yes, this injection gave me a warm, but weird, feeling all over my body and made me (as it does most women) feel like I would urinate (but thankfully that doesn't really happen!!!!). And then I felt light headed when I got up to leave, but was quickly told to sit down for a bit. WHY DO I GET MYSELF ALL WORKED UP OVER THESE THINGS??? 

So, the CT Scan was over and I went out to my car to cry for a bit and call Mark. Yep.... silly me! I told him I didn't need him today, that he he should stay home and take care of things he needed to do rather than sit around in doctor's offices. Dumb idea on my part, for sure!!!

The fun part of the day was when I drove over to Macy's between appointments to shop for a juicer. The sale did not apply to electronics, but they had it marked down anyway. I picked up some cute little Fiesta bowls in turquoise and also in the new celadon green color. Then later in the day I returned to Macys to pick up our new Breville Ikon Juice Fountain. I've been fasting all morning for these tests so by now I want much more than juice. But I am anxious to get started doing some juicing.

1:00 PM     Bone Scan     I'm back! :-)

Other than this procedure taking a full hour. And considering the injection occurred earlier in the day (injections of radioactive material into my veins seem to be the thing that gets me going.) This procedure was actually restful, as long as I kept my eyes closed so as not to see the camera that was about 2" above my head at the start of the the first 27 minute "photo shoot". Of course it was kind of comical when, during one of the breaks between shots, Bill stopped to ask if I had ever had any trauma on my right side. He was pretty amazed at how all the broken ribs were still evident after the 15 years since I was struck by the SUV while crossing in the cross walk. He asked if they still give me trouble. I replied, "Only to ache intensely when the weather changes." Is that barometric pressure changes?

So now I am off to the Fountaingrove campus to pick up my packet from The Infusion Room!!! (Dun, dun.... dun, dun).

And I finish off the day picking up my new juicer and shopping for lovely fresh greens and fruits at the fabulous new Whole Foods in Santa Rosa. So see, there is a silver lining to my day. :-)

Now.... to head to home sweet home, and my sweetie. Then to start fasting again tonight for the Port procedure tomorrow. Just another day in a soon yet to be breast cancer survivor's life. BETTER WATCH OUT.... HERE I COME.

What is a CT Scan?  ~  Courtesy of www.radiologyinfo.org

CT scanning is a noninvasive medical test to help physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions. It uses special x-ray equipment and computers to produce pictures of the inside of the body. The cross-sectional pictures can then be examined on the computer, or printed.
CT scans provide images of internal organs, bones, soft tissue and blood vessels; and reveal more details than regular x-ray exams. The CT Scan assists doctors to more easily diagnose cancers, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, appendicitis, trauma and musculoskeletal disorders.


This exam only lasted a few moments after the injection of the contrast dye. My experience today with this scan was pretty uneventful. Once I got past the weird warm feeling that moved through my body with the contrast material injected right before the scan, and the bit of weakness I felt after the exam, I was fine. The worst part of the experience was reding the authorization form, and learning ll the horrible side effects possible from the contest dye. I wondered what was worse, cancer or reding and signing this form.

 What is a Bone Scan?  ~  Courtesy of www.webmd.com

 A bone scan is a nuclear scanning test that identifies new areas of bone growth or breakdown. It can be done to evaluate damage to the bones, find cancer that has spread (metastasized) to the bones, and monitor conditions that can affect the bones (including infection and trauma). A bone scan can often find a problem days to months earlier than a regular X-ray test.

For a bone scan, a radioactive tracer substance is injected into a vein in the arm. The tracer then travels through the bloodstream and into the bones. This process may take several hours. A special camera (gamma) takes pictures of the tracer in the bones. This helps show cell activity and function in the bones. Areas that absorb little or no amount of tracer appear as dark or "cold" spots, which may indicate a lack of blood supply to the bone (bone infarction) or the presence of certain types of cancer. Areas of rapid bone growth or repair absorb increased amounts of the tracer and show up as bright or "hot" spots in the pictures. Hot spots may indicate problems such as arthritis, the presence of a tumor, a fracture, or an infection.
A bone scan may be done on the entire body or just a part of it.

A bone scan is done to:

• Find bone cancer or determine whether a cancer from another area, such as the breast, lung, kidney, thyroid gland, or prostate gland, has spread (metastasized) to the bone. See a picture of a bone scan showing the spread of cancer .
• Help diagnose the cause or location of unexplained bone pain, such as ongoing low back pain. A bone scan may be done first to help determine the location of an abnormal bone in complex bone structures such as the foot or spine. Follow-up evaluation then may be done with a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• Help diagnose broken bones, such as a hip fracture or a stress fracture, not clearly seen on X-ray.
• Find damage to the bones caused by infection or other conditions, such as Paget's disease.

Hugs, Debbie... aka the cancer warrior, and soon to be survivor!

LIVESTRONG: 

I AM STRONG. I AM LOVED. I AM HEALTHY. WE WILL WIN!

To Port or Not to Port

Beam me up, Scotty!

So, you may have read the entry where I mention the Infusion Room. Sounds pretty luxurious, doesn't it? :-) Will I be infusing my hair in a lovely bath to make it dark and silky, or will I be infusing my body into a warm, steamy bath of oils and hydrating luxury. Nope, Nada, Absolutely NOT!

The Infusion Room is where I will have my veins and body infused with chemotherapy drugs. I think I'll stop with that description there so as not to scare you and me both at this moment.

The latest update is things have ramped up this week, as I suspected they might. I have all my pre-chemo tests set up and it will be a busy week. I finish up the week with the outpatient surgery to install/insert the port, which is about a 4 hour experience between prep, light sedation, and recovery.

These tests are to make sure "everything" is operating properly and I am ready for chemo, which will then tear it all back down. The side effects are so very scary, but what choice do I have? We just watched Crazy Sexy Cancer the other day and it has empowered me to bring some better health  practices back into my life. I can't believe where I was 30 some years ago when the girls were young, to where I am now. I mean, we are somewhat cautious about food and such, but I remember the food coop days that we were involved in here in Glen Ellen/Kenwood, using carob instead of chocolate, a sugar-less household, making my own whole wheat bread, and making so many other good (and sometimes not so well-received) dishes for the family. What the _ _ _ _  (heck) happened?

I guess it was just a busy, hectic lifestyle. So, I am on the hunt for a juicer and may try some yoga and meditation again. Can't hurt right???

This week is comprised of three days of different tests, which includes the port. I'm not sure when chemo starts, but it will be a 16 week ordeal, with one week on, one week off. I'll start with two drugs for 8 of those weeks, then they'll switch it to a different drug. Apparently there is all sorts of other stuff I'll be doing, like blood draws before each session to see if I've recovered enough. Then chemo is followed the day after with an injection or pill to bring the blood counts back up, hopefully, or the next chemo treatment may be delayed. Amongst all that, a slew of anti-nauseau stuff, etc. I'm still reading and learning, and a "chemo teaching" session will be scheduled for me before treatment. Can't wait.

I'm hopeful that the chemo treatment will start up next week or sometime soon thereafter. I'd like to get on with it and get IT all over with so I can get back to life as a survivor.

So what the heck is a "Port", you may ask.

Here is some info on the port: 

What is a Port Infusion?
A port infusion uses an under-the-skin (subcutaneous) port that has been implanted by a surgeon. The port is located either in your arm or your chest, (mine will be in my chest) and is connected by a soft, slim catheter tube that goes through your vein all the way to your heart. This catheter protects your vein during treatment. The port is an entry point that your infusion nurse can find each time you come for a treatment, and it can be used for a blood draw, as well as infusion of drugs. Your chemotherapy nurse will use a special type of needle to access your port, and won't have to hunt for a good vein to use. The needle will be taped into place to prevent it moving around during your infusion.

http://breastcancer.about.com/od/lifeduringtreatment/f/port_vs_iv.htm

http://www.breastcancer.org/pictures/treatment/chemo_port.jsp

One reason for the port is this: The chemo drugs are so caustic that if the IV were to leak,  the damage to the skin from the drugs would require surgery, and perhaps even plastic surgery. Ummm, order up a Port for me pronto, please!!!

Hugs, Debbie... aka the cancer warrior

LIVESTRONG:

I AM STRONG. I AM LOVED. I AM HEALTHY. WE WILL WIN!

Ready, Set, Go ~ Treatment Plan In Place

We have a plan! Which is a huge relief.

 I'm in the Que, and it feels good.

First off, I am pleased to say that the 7.9 cm tumor size reported to me yesterday after the MRI was a bit inflated. Actually, I probably misunderstood. The overall length of the tumor area is 7.9 cm, rather than the actual diameter. The number the doctor says we should refer to is actually 3-6 cm. While this sounds huge. It is not as "huge" as the 7.9 cm number I received yesterday. So I guess this is good.

So... Mark and Alura and I met with Oncologist Dr. Ian Anderson, of Redwood Regional Medical Group, for a good 2 hours. He reviewed my patient history form, asked some questions, then performed a physical exam. He returns after I dress to tell us about the MRI results, which I've summarized above. One thing I did not know is the MRI scanned the lymph nodes and they look clear. YIPPEE!!!!!

The appointment with Dr. Anderson was very positive. He talked and walked us through all the options, the pros and cons, what he felt was the best for me now considering the tumor size, fact that my cancer is estrogen negative, Lymph nodes do not er to be involved, etc. After about an hour or so, it is apparent that Mark and I are kind of overloaded with information. Alura takes up the note taking and we all continue to ask questions. 

After two hours of consultation with Dr. Anderson, I have decided that chemotherapy is my next step . In a nut shell, there is a 30% chance that my tumor could disappear altogether with chemotherapy, shrink somewhat, or stay the same. Chemotherapy will also tell us if my cancer is responding to the treatment. Chemotherapy will last 16 weeks and  be followed with surgery. Depending on how the cancer responds to chemotherapy, surgery will involve a lumpectomy or mastectomy. Once chemotherapy begins, I will be monitored. If at any time, the tumor size increases, chemotherapy will be stopped and surgery will take place. Surgery will most likely be followed by radiation.

All things considered, they will do some diagnostic tests, blood work, CT scan and bone scan, check my heart strength. Then a port will be inserted into my chest for chemotherapy treatment to begin soon thereafter.

I'm not sure yet when my chemotherapy will start, but it will involve 4 rounds of treatment with one med, for every other week. for 8 weeks. Then a new med is used for another 4 rounds for 8 more weeks. This means a 16 week period of chemotherapy. Each treatment is preceded by blood work to see if my blood counts are as is expected and needed for the treatment. The next day I go through a 3-4 hour chemotherapy treatment. The third day I will return for a drug to be administered that helps to bring my blood count back up to normal. The rest of that week I have off to recover, as well as the following week. The third week I return and start all over again. Doesn't sound all that bad, does it. :-) There are many side affects of course, but the alternative is one I can't consider. So I'm prepared for nausea, baldness, and exhaustion. I'm confident that everything will fall into place as far as scheduling within the next few days.

A funny story is that Dr. Anderson took us into the chemo treatment room so a nurse could check my veins to see if a port would be better for me. Both Mark and Alura looked around and said, "Wow what a great view." You would have thought we were in a spa or restaurant. Common guys, I'll be spending 3-4 hours here for chemotherapy. This ain't no spa. But YES, the view is very nice! :-) Besides, I have some knitting projects all lined up so don't expect to be gazing out the window all the time I'm there.

One new tidbit that the MRI showed is that my tumor is close to, or may be attached to, my chest wall. As Alura puts it, "That is why they are doing chemo, Mom". So logical and to the point. I love her to death. She makes it all sound so perfectly expected and "okay". 

When we three arrive home, we find Sarah here with lunch prepared for us. It was nice to spend the rest of the afternoon with our girls, talk about "things" and snuggle on the couch.

I AM BLESSED AND LOVED! 

I'M READY. BRING IT ON. I have my warrior suit all pressed and ready to go into battle. And Basooka Bear is ready at my side.

My hope is that everything will move quickly from here.

Hugs, Debbie... aka the cancer warrior

LIVESTRONG:

I AM STRONG. I AM LOVED. I AM HEALTHY. WE WILL WIN!