Cocktail Hour With a New Twist

Definitely not lemon or lime, but not bad for a first time.
One down, 8 to go !!

Steve was by my side, as we learned the ropes of chemo treatment yesterday. Since I'm part of a clinical trial for this stage of treatment, the cocktail was Avastin only. No side affects other than sleepiness. The nasty stuff starts in 2 weeks.

I've named my tumor Igor. I picture Igor wearing a dark grey, boiled wool suit, with tall black boots, a thick black belt and big black furry hat. He has a big black mustache and dark eyes. At first he was smiling and dancing, arms folded over his huge stomach, legs kicking out, as he turned in a circle. I caught his attention with the biopsys. He's stopped dancing. The Avastin is making it hard for him to breathe. His smile is starting to fade, he's not quite sure what's happening to his perfect little world. He can't hear my shout, "Igor, you're coming DOWN". That is, he can't hear me YET.

I wouldn't be able to face this battle without your love and support. Thank you seems hardly adequate to convey my appreciation for all you have done to lift my spirits as I face the road ahead. You fill my days with hope. I must have done something right along the way, to be so blessed with friends and family like you. At this special time of Thanksgiving, know you mean the world to me.

I'd Like Some Cheese with that Port

My chemo session has been changed from Thursday to Friday of this week. I'm told I'll need a "port" for ease of treatment. The port people are booked on Wednesday, but have an opening on Thursday. Since chemo warrants a day all to itself, it gets Friday. I don't know about you, but when I think of PORT, I think of cyrstal glasses and chunks of cheese. How could I be so wrong about this ??
"Cheers", I say, I'll be toasting you all tonight, with the real thing.

My Heart Is Full

Some of you may find this hard to believe, but until Irene pointed out I could click on "comments" to see what everyone is saying, I didn't know. What would we do without friends.

That having been said, I LOVE my blog, I LOVE my comments, and I LOVE you.
My spirits are lifted, you are kind and generous with your prayers and well wishes.
I want Denise to know, Manny's apartment may be going on the market again soon. I'll have his agent call your agent. And Katie, it's a big apartment, you could be a busy girl.

The countdown is on. Just two more tests tomorrow, chemo on Thursday. Steve is going with me for the first session. Yikes. It really is happening. To me.

I'll be there on the wings of many angels, you are JUST the best. My heart IS full.

You Really Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

And that would be in the world of computer/blogging. (Irene and Sarah, remember our day in computer class ??!!)
Anyway, I THINK I'm ready to begin my story !!

No one expects to be diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in this day and age. Especially someone like me who religiously schedules annual mammograms and doctor appointments. And conducts self examinations in the shower, just like we were told to do ever since our breasts arrived on the scene. Mine happen to be dense and a little lumpy at best on any given day.

When I was a girl, I remember being kicked by our cat, in the chest, and it hurt a lot. My mom took me to the doctor, worried about my future breast development. We were told not to worry, at some point, later in my life, I would most likely have an inverted nipple. HOW EMBARASSING for a girl to hear. No thought of disease, or future complicatioins. Just OH NO, now I'll have THIS to look forward to, as if going through puberty wasn't enough.

Fast forward to 2007. My left nipple inverts. My thought, "guess my childhood doctor was right". I call Irene to tell her no matter HOW bad her day is going, I can top it. We laugh, the signs of ageing can be cruel and funny at the same time, just how cruel never crossed our minds.
I make the annual doctor appointment and he sees the inverted nipple. He feels a "thickening" in my left breast. We wait for the mammogram to see if anything is "picked up". The mammogram shows nothing abnormal. I'm good for the year.

2008. The mammogram for my left breast picked something up. The doctor felt the same "thickening". The follow-up mammogram lead to an ultra sound. Which lead to a core biopsy. Which lead to a fine needle aspiration. Suddenly my world was changing. The breast image was mine, the ultra sound imaging was mine, and I could see thick blobs of something the radiologist didn't like at all. These findings lead to cat scans, bone scans, blood tests, breast MRI, eco studies, and a team of techs with tears in their eyes telling me how sorry they were. I'm sure there are a few people at Mass General who haven't seen my left breast, but not many.

I have 2 more tests today. Wednesday I have a test and I will be radio-active once again. Good thing I'm not planning a trip, Sarah would be able to hear the security alarms up in Kittery.

Thursday I start chemo.

The good news: my cancer appears to be contained to the left breast and left lymph nodes. My course of treatment will be chemo first, followed by surgery, hormone therapy, and radiation. I'm eligible for participation in a clinical trial of the drug Avastin, thought to be THE cancer drug of the future. It will be administered during the chemo phase, stretching it to about 17 weeks.
I'll wait 2 to 4 weeks, then have a lumpectomy (plus removal of the lymph nodes). Hormone pills begin, followed by radiation (I'm not sure how long this lasts).

Enough for my first blog page !!
Except to tell each and every one of you how much I LOVE YOU. You ARE what will get me through the next 9 months.
I am blessed to have you in my life.

11/14/2008

Here we are at Kathy's blog. She has decided this would be a good way to keep her family and friends updated on the course of her newly diagnosed breast cancer. And, she will. Someday. Keep checking back. Honest. She will.