Appointments, appointments....and more appointments! Poor Jason is missing that much work, they are probably wondering if he still actually works there! He has been great and I am so thankful to have him by my side.
Tuesday's appointment with my Medical Oncologist, Dr. Rajagopal, was good. She is very friendly and compassionate. She explained to me the results from my surgery and the reason for needing Chemo. My cancer is HER2 positive which basically means that a protein is being produced that promotes the growth of cancer cells...making my type of breast cancer aggressive. A good thing is that my breast cancer is also positive for Progesterone and Estrogen receptors which means the cancer will respond well to treatment. So, the regimen that Dr. Rajagopal suggests is aggressive and will include....six rounds of Chemo, with treatments being every three weeks. On the fourth treatment, she will introduce a drug called Herceptin that will be given every three weeks for a year. She calls this a maintenance drug.
They are going to insert a Port-A-Cath under my skin on September 20th. They will use that for taking blood and administering my Chemo. This device will help save my veins from the toxins of Chemo. They will leave it in for a year and continue to administer the Herceptin through it. The Herceptin has a side effect that could cause problems with the heart, so they have scheduled me for a heart scan next week and will monitor my heart every 2-3 months (while on the drug).
My bone scan came back negative for cancer and my liver looked good but Dr. Rajagopal wants to double check things just to make sure the cancer didn't spread to any organs. So, she has scheduled me for a CT scan next Thursday. It will be a scan of my torso so that she can check everything.
Wednesday's appointment with my Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Yuen was good. He basically said that I would require 5 weeks of radiation, one month after I finish my 6th Chemo treatment. No serious side effects other than a sunburn (which can be eased with cream) and fatigue. I will meet with him again closer to the end of my Chemo to get my tattoos and discuss the procedure again.
Today, I met with my surgeon, Dr. Niaz. It was an appointment that I thought would be pretty routine...check my incision, check the healing, check my mobility....etc. All that was done but then he told me something that I have a problem with. Because I am having Radiation, I will not be able to get implants for my reconstruction. I am quite upset by this and some of you may think I am being foolish. You see, implants were the solution that was best for me because I don't have enough fat around my middle to create a new breast. (that's where they take the skin and muscle for reconstruction...from your waist) So that wasn't really an option for me. Plus if I did have enough fat, it is a really invasive surgery. Not the news I wanted to hear. I realize it is a long time down the road but it was something I was looking forward to.
...after all this rant, my Chemo will start on September 18th. It's going to be a long road, a hard road but hopefully a smooth road!
Please stay positive, be strong and continue to pray for me!
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