I have had a time out…as in trying to catch up with treatments, give good accounting, I got waylaid by other parts of my life.

Below is what I began:

This is going to be a long few months. June 24 will be last ‘chemo blast’ then onto just the striaght Herceptin! Then I will only be in the chair for a 1/2 hour vs. six hours. I am glad I have some travel , though mostly business, to look forward too! Florida, Amelia Island for board meetings at the Ritz. Santa Monica Lowe’s for a speaking engagement. Milwaukee for another non-profit group and board meetings…and in the middle (May) 10 days in in Hawaii on the Big Island! I don’t think I have a life anymore. I am finding it harder to plan anything but doctor visits; chemo visit; blood work; and those five to six hours in the chair during the chemo blasts, a very long day. I still have someone drive me to and from as I also have to take some benedryl in case of reactions (I have seen a few but haven’t experienced any). Then, too, I have to worry about dog care for the day, as she can’t stay home alone for that length of time.

My blood values are staying stable. I will not have to go through the Epogen or Neupogen blood additives. I have the two terrific days post chemo, then I begin three horrible days of excruciating bone pain. I will be taking two days of extra steroids for the bone pain and it will decrease it some, but not eliminate it. The ringing in my ears is becoming most annoying, and the hand and foot numbness is increasing.

Now I am going to end this piece and move onto the other issues post the last chemo blast.

To connect with Linda, call her at 310-831-4400 or email at  Linda@theidentityadvocate.com

When my surgeon said, the surgery was the easy part, he wasn’t kidding! I feel like I am always going to the doctors.

So I see the radiation oncologist first. Nice interview, lots of information, brought a friend for that second pair of ears. We had  discussions on the length of time in treatment– everyday! One of my questions included what if I need to miss a day. They will add it on at the end. They want to do the bulk of treatments back to back to get the desired effect. They did a physical exam of my breast. Doctor said it is still swollen but that won’t make a difference yet. They will ‘map’ me as I get closer to the time of treatment. The ‘mapping’ process will include CT of breast/chest, original tumor location, so they know density and relationship to rib cage. He did say I would get to update him once I visited the medical oncologist, as it looked like, in addition to estrogen/progesterone positive, I was Hers2 but that was simply injections every three weeks of Herceptin. Ok, well that no big deal! Let me go do more research on that Hers2 receptor site!!

Medical Oncologist visit. Well, now here is the surprise. We discussed factors used to determine the Hers2 and I am 3+ Oh my gosh! So this not only means Herceptin – IV, not a ‘shot’ as I was originally told, but six chemo blasts to improve the outcome and decrease chances of more cancer someplace else in my body. I need to have a ‘port’ surgically implanted. This will prevent all my veins being blown with all the IV chemo, pre-meds and such. Plus, I need an echo-cardiogram, (every three months) as the Herceptin has a chance of causing heart failure. Really ??? I guess I am buying quite the ‘insurance’ plan to make sure I come away as clean as my surgery had been. I know I am not looking forward to this.

The port is placed two weeks later. Pretty easy in and out surgery. Sets along top of ribcage. Lots of swelling and some redness. My fear, infection. But there was nothing present. However, first chemo, nurses couldn’t access port. Too swollen. SO, burned through three veins that day. Plus, I was there over six hours. Thank goodness I don’t have to return for 3 week. In between, I go to see the oncologist, to make sure I am doing okay.

Next chemo/Herceptin boost, the port is accessed. This makes life so much easier! Everyone should do this if you are getting more than a couple treatments. The Herceptin will continue until end of next February. Here I have really not been sick in my life, now doctors, nurses, infusions, blood draws, something all the time.

First two days post chemo, due to steroids I am in great form. Lots of energy, getting many of things done. However, day three, not only do I  crash down in energy but the bone pain in all my joints is excruciating! The post op lumpectomy pain didn’t hurt like this. Plus, I have numbness and tingling and burning in my feet and some of my fingers. When I call on Monday, they said, oh, gee, this is a little early for that kind of reaction. That usually happens at the end. Well, isn’t that special.

Next oncologist visit, he changes some of pre-meds (steroids) to also be post chemo too to help with bone pain. The we will ‘watch’ the numbness in hand and feet. What has happened. Surgery was so simple. And this will take me through June. I will be traveling around my infusion schedule, for board meetings and speaking engagements. I will do all best efforts to stay healthy!

Next, the ongoing saga of how things change with each chemo blast.

Question, thoughts, conversation, call Linda at 310-831-4400

If you read the first blog and thought it might be interesting to follow us, here we go!

So it started over a year before I did something about ‘it’. I was getting ready in the morning, and looked at my boob in the mirror and wondered how I got a bruise on my right breast. I felt it, and it was sore. It also felt like it was a small piece of rope in there, not a lump. I have had dense breasts all my life and even had to have an ultrasound one year, as they were not sure what they ‘saw’ in the mammogram. Well, there is no cancer in my family, just heart disease, so what was there to worry about? A couple weeks go by, the bruise and the rope-like lumpy thing went away.

I was due for my annual mammogram, didn’t say anything looked or felt amiss. I figured lets just see what the mammogram shows! Smart, huh? Well, in the end, not really. I didn’t do anything about checking it out further, but keep my eye on when it would show up and when it would disappear.

In the meantime, my friend, and dentist whose breast cancer was in remission, sadly  moved to her bones. Thus began her long battle to rid the bone/breast cancer. I became involved in her last 4 months of life, going to every doctors appointment; asking those nurse type questions; being that other set of ears. After her death in May, I finally decided to see my NP (nurse practitioner) and check out my ‘funny boob bruise’. Now we are really taking  the time for diagnosis!

She said there appeared to be something in there. She order the mammogram. I went next to a breast cancer surgeon, who determined in addition to the mammogram, to do the ultrasound. More reasons now to be scared? Still, no cancer in my family. Again, it didn’t ‘act’ like a lump…

Next installment: The office visit with the Surgical oncologist

Got questions? Want to connect with Linda? Call her at 310-831-4400 or email her at linda@theidentityadvocate.com