The Diary of the Bald Woman
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Changes
I am in process of figuring out why, but as of yesterday the word is that I do not have "triple" negative breast cancer. I now am 96% estrogen positive. Which gives me a "double negative" What does that mean??? Still working on it but it is way better for me. Will update you soon when I sort through all of this confusion.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Self Exams
Please don't forget to do a self exam at the same week of every month. I can't even stress how important that is. I randomly found this the day before Thanksgiving and I don't think it was there before but without a monthly exam who knows if this thing would have been caught earlier??? Please please don't brush them off like I did!!!
Third time's the charm
I forgot to mention yesterday that I have one more surgery to go next week. This is minor but still surgery. I will be getting a port put in so the chemo will be administered a bit easier. I am so excited to go back to the hospital that I hope my parking spot with my name on it is available this time!!! :)
Monday, January 25, 2010
Wow
It has only been a month and 3 days since I heard those words.........seems much longer! Overall attitude.... Great, I actually feel fine! A few days in there that I was glad to see over. My motto however from now is...
"KEEP MOVING FORWARD" (I think it was Walt Disney's quote).
Love it and will live it each day. I am thankful I get to open my eyes every morning and think about what I will do to make an impact today! Wish everyone could know what that feels like!
"KEEP MOVING FORWARD" (I think it was Walt Disney's quote).
Love it and will live it each day. I am thankful I get to open my eyes every morning and think about what I will do to make an impact today! Wish everyone could know what that feels like!
Recap
I am going to run down the last few months quickly for those who haven't been updated.
Dec 22,2009- "YOU HAVE CANCER"
Dec 31, 2009- MRI
Jan 4,2010- The cancer you have is triple negative and it is very aggressive and fast growing. It was almost 3cm. It is grade 3 (the worst) and 9/9 something (still worst). The MRI that you had last week also showed another tumor directly under where the first one was. There was a recommendation for surgery because it was 2cm and the aggressiveness level of my cancer (still weird to say MY CANCER). The lymph nodes will also be biopsied at this surgery. This is actually cool. they inject blue dye into your nodes to check them. Then when you are done you pee blue for a few days and your boob looks like a Monet painting! Good times.
Jan 12, 2010-Meet Dr Rado, the oncologist. He was great! He makes chemo sound OK. He has a very calming attitude and really trys to put things into terms I can understand. He also agrees with the surgery recommendations and wants to do chemo about a month after surgery. The chemo will run 2 drugs once every 3 weeks for 4 cycles and then 2 other drugs for the same length. This makes a whopping 6 months of good times for holly. In reality though this is only 6 months of my long life I have to give, and if that means I get to keep waking up everyday....I am in! I will make an apt with him 3 weeks after surgery to discuss results of second tumor and biopsy results. Then we will go from there!
Jan 14, 2010-Surgery day 6:45 am. Radioactive dye...check. Big fat incision under my arm.....check. Tumor removed successfully......check. Tumor fast test shows no cancer, so cross your fingers that the longer test says the same thing! Pain....check. Morphine sucks!! My armpit hurts worse than my boob! Go figure.
Jan 21, 2010-Meet with Dr Evans, the surgeon, she checks out the scars....looking good! she told Josh and I that the tumor was.........NOT CANCER (like my pause for effect)!! My lymph nodes are.........FREE and CLEAR (there is that pause again)! Finally some good news. This news was so good she called Dr Rado while I was there just to share. What does this mean you might be wondering???? That the tumor was not cancer!! (That's really it sorry) I am still going to have 6 months of chemo and maybe even some radiation, but I get to keep my boob for now! (I have to say though the thought of having boobs constructed from my tummy tucked stomach was sounding appealing-----Just kidding, or am I??)The chemo and possible radiation are looking like insurance policies to make sure it hasn't moved anywhere else in my body. Small price to pay for an increased sense of hope of no return!!
Dec 22,2009- "YOU HAVE CANCER"
Dec 31, 2009- MRI
Jan 4,2010- The cancer you have is triple negative and it is very aggressive and fast growing. It was almost 3cm. It is grade 3 (the worst) and 9/9 something (still worst). The MRI that you had last week also showed another tumor directly under where the first one was. There was a recommendation for surgery because it was 2cm and the aggressiveness level of my cancer (still weird to say MY CANCER). The lymph nodes will also be biopsied at this surgery. This is actually cool. they inject blue dye into your nodes to check them. Then when you are done you pee blue for a few days and your boob looks like a Monet painting! Good times.
Jan 12, 2010-Meet Dr Rado, the oncologist. He was great! He makes chemo sound OK. He has a very calming attitude and really trys to put things into terms I can understand. He also agrees with the surgery recommendations and wants to do chemo about a month after surgery. The chemo will run 2 drugs once every 3 weeks for 4 cycles and then 2 other drugs for the same length. This makes a whopping 6 months of good times for holly. In reality though this is only 6 months of my long life I have to give, and if that means I get to keep waking up everyday....I am in! I will make an apt with him 3 weeks after surgery to discuss results of second tumor and biopsy results. Then we will go from there!
Jan 14, 2010-Surgery day 6:45 am. Radioactive dye...check. Big fat incision under my arm.....check. Tumor removed successfully......check. Tumor fast test shows no cancer, so cross your fingers that the longer test says the same thing! Pain....check. Morphine sucks!! My armpit hurts worse than my boob! Go figure.
Jan 21, 2010-Meet with Dr Evans, the surgeon, she checks out the scars....looking good! she told Josh and I that the tumor was.........NOT CANCER (like my pause for effect)!! My lymph nodes are.........FREE and CLEAR (there is that pause again)! Finally some good news. This news was so good she called Dr Rado while I was there just to share. What does this mean you might be wondering???? That the tumor was not cancer!! (That's really it sorry) I am still going to have 6 months of chemo and maybe even some radiation, but I get to keep my boob for now! (I have to say though the thought of having boobs constructed from my tummy tucked stomach was sounding appealing-----Just kidding, or am I??)The chemo and possible radiation are looking like insurance policies to make sure it hasn't moved anywhere else in my body. Small price to pay for an increased sense of hope of no return!!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The day time stood still
As most of you know on Dec. 22, 2009 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was a shock to everyone including myself. It was definitely a day that will stand out for me amongst some others. I look at it more as a chapter change not an ending. As all great books have many chapters with ups and downs, so do I in the story of my life. There has been great good, bad, and ugly times. Nobody ever says that life is going to be an easy ride so we just have to sit back and enjoy what we see!
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