I decided it was time to graduate from stuffing a sock in the bra to using an actual breast prosthesis, so I got on-line. Gee! Something new to shop for! And good heavens! How many different things you need to consider - size, nipple or no nipple, color, tear drop shape or round shape, silicone or fabric, full weight or light weight. I had no idea there was so much involved. I should just have my daughter help me out. She has been running around stuffing balls of rolled up toilet paper under her shirt and displaying a C cup! Oh boy. I am just not ready for that yet. Back to shopping.
I finally picked a fabric prosthesis as they advertised they were sooo much more comfortable. However, I have already realized that I won't be able to swim with it, so that means getting another prosthetic for that purpose. Gee, a fashion statement. A boob for regular wear, for swimming and probably need one special for when I work out. How about for that night out on the town?
The good news is that my hair is growing back! Everywhere! Sob. I am going to have to shave my underarms and legs pretty soon. I had my brows waxed just the other day to give them some shape. I am able to wear mascara once again even though my lashes are still pretty stubby. I have eyes! And I have short stubble on my head! The kids and Paul like to rub my head as they walk by. Make a wish!
Radiation treatments will be starting this Monday. I am supposed to go in every day except for weekends to get zapped, for a total of 6 1/2 weeks. I have heard that everyone seems to have a different response to this treatment. Aloe Vera 100% lotion is recommended to be used during this time and hopefully the area will not get too sunburned and painful. Some people have said that they didn't have too much trouble, the lotion helped, and others found that they still got sunburned towards the end and it was quite painful. I may have purchased my prosthetic a little too soon as it might just aggravate the area even more.
And then there is the tiredness that you start having about halfway through the 6 1/2 weeks. This is due to the fact that the radiation treatment is destroying cells, both good and bad. The cancer cells can't replicate their DNA and make new cells, but our good cells can. So it is understandable that one would be getting pretty tired if their body is constantly having to rebuild for this length of time.
These next 6 1/2 weeks are supposed to be the final stage of treatment to fighting the cancer. It is supposed to be the easiest compared to the chemotherapy and surgery. Okay, I'm ready. Bring it on!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Sigh of relief
I went in to have the preliminary work done to prepare for radiation treatment. They informed me that they would be utilizing the CT scanner and would be inducing dye along with it. I said, funny, I just had that done on Friday. This was after I had undressed, put on one of those lovely hospital gowns and was lying on their table by the CT scanner. One of the techs came back to say that as I had just had the CT scan with dye just a few days ago, that they needed to have a blood test first to make sure that the creatinine was at a normal level. So off the table I went, got dressed and went to have the blood work done. The appointment was then rescheduled for Thursday, in two more days. I was informed to make sure that I had no more CT scans in the meantime. Hmmmmm. Since this office had scheduled both of these CT scans, I had to bite my tongue. Good thing they don't offer CT scans with dye in alleyways as I am obviously addicted and don't know whether I could hold myself back for the next 2 days! Okay, be nice, Shelley!
So off I went to do some quick grocery shopping and then head home, disappointed that I hadn't heard the results of the CT scan performed on Friday. While at the grocery store I received a call from Dr. Warner, the radiologist. She was at a different location today, but wanted to let me know that she was sorry for the scheduling problem we had with the CT scans. What a pleasant surprise for her to call me so quickly. I asked her when the radiation treatments might actually begin and she thought that September 22nd was a probable start date.
Dr. Warner then told me that she had gotten the results of the CT scan and that the nodules on my lungs had remained stable and so were most likely scar tissue and not metastatic cancer from the breast tumor!!! Whew! So far the cancer has remained contained in the breast and lymph nodes, and the radiation treatment should kill off any last remaining cancer cells.
Unfortunately this good news is shadowed by bad news of a friend who has just been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. I am hoping that her treatment will be as successful as mine appears to be. It is amazing how quickly the thoughts of fear and denial jumped up when I heard her news. I know exactly what she is going through and can only hope the best for her.
So off I went to do some quick grocery shopping and then head home, disappointed that I hadn't heard the results of the CT scan performed on Friday. While at the grocery store I received a call from Dr. Warner, the radiologist. She was at a different location today, but wanted to let me know that she was sorry for the scheduling problem we had with the CT scans. What a pleasant surprise for her to call me so quickly. I asked her when the radiation treatments might actually begin and she thought that September 22nd was a probable start date.
Dr. Warner then told me that she had gotten the results of the CT scan and that the nodules on my lungs had remained stable and so were most likely scar tissue and not metastatic cancer from the breast tumor!!! Whew! So far the cancer has remained contained in the breast and lymph nodes, and the radiation treatment should kill off any last remaining cancer cells.
Unfortunately this good news is shadowed by bad news of a friend who has just been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. I am hoping that her treatment will be as successful as mine appears to be. It is amazing how quickly the thoughts of fear and denial jumped up when I heard her news. I know exactly what she is going through and can only hope the best for her.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
To radiate or not radiate
I met with the radiologist, Dr. Warner, yesterday. She was very informative and went over everything that I had been through. She had the pathology report which she went over with us to make sure that we understood the findings. While I had been diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, no invasive cancer was found in the breast tissue from the mastectomy, only non-invasive ductal carcinoma. And that cancer had been removed with clean margins around it, showing that they had gotten all of it. So the chemotherapy did its job and killed the invasive cancer tumor.
Now the only worries that we have are the lymph nodes, one of which did show cancer and could have been in other lymph nodes that weren't removed. There were only 3 lymph nodes removed (one positive for cancer, one 'dead' due to the chemotherapy, which had probably been cancerous, and one normal lymph node). Dr. Warner said that they like to see more removed, around 10 lymph nodes so that they have a better idea of whether there was spreading of the cancer or not. She felt it was in my best interest to receive radiation therapy in two sections to cover the lymph nodes along the arm pit area and up above the clavicle where there are more lymph nodes, as well as the lymph nodes along the sternum. One of these lymph nodes along the sternum had shown uptake of sugar on the PET/CT scan that I had received back in March which could possibly mean cancer as well. The radiation destroys the DNA of cells, but while our normal cells can remake the DNA and repair itself, cancer cells cannot repair their DNA so they are destroyed.
The only confusing part to me is the numbers for 'survival'. The radiologist was saying that by receiving this radiation therapy I would be increasing my chances of not having the cancer return by another 10%. Okay, that isn't that big of a number to me. But the way she was saying it, she made it sound like a significant amount. Also by receiving the radiation therapy my right lung will be affected in a couple of areas with some scarring that could give me some trouble in the future, but she said this was a very small percentage. If I wanted to become a marathon runner after all of this, the scarring would not prevent me from doing so. My thyroid might also be affected and there is a chance that I might have to take some medication in the future for a hypo-thyroid problem. And there is also the chance of some rib fractures the first 1-3 years after the treatment, but also a small percentage.
I was told that I could receive reconstruction surgery on my breast, but as I am receiving radiation therapy which tightens the skin and 'sunburns it', they recommend waiting about a year before having this surgery performed.
Tomorrow, Friday, I will be receiving a CT scan with dye to the chest to see if the small nodules in the lungs have changed or not. I believe there had been about 5 nodules found in my lungs before chemotherapy had been started. They felt that at least 4 of them were due to scarring from infection, dust, etc, but they weren't sure about the 5th one. They had said that if any of these disappear after chemotherapy then there was a good chance that the cancer had metastasized to the lungs. Next week, on Tuesday, I go in to see the radiologist to begin the preliminary preparations for radiaton treatment which will probably start within a couple of weeks. I should hear the results of the CT scan at that time.
Now the only worries that we have are the lymph nodes, one of which did show cancer and could have been in other lymph nodes that weren't removed. There were only 3 lymph nodes removed (one positive for cancer, one 'dead' due to the chemotherapy, which had probably been cancerous, and one normal lymph node). Dr. Warner said that they like to see more removed, around 10 lymph nodes so that they have a better idea of whether there was spreading of the cancer or not. She felt it was in my best interest to receive radiation therapy in two sections to cover the lymph nodes along the arm pit area and up above the clavicle where there are more lymph nodes, as well as the lymph nodes along the sternum. One of these lymph nodes along the sternum had shown uptake of sugar on the PET/CT scan that I had received back in March which could possibly mean cancer as well. The radiation destroys the DNA of cells, but while our normal cells can remake the DNA and repair itself, cancer cells cannot repair their DNA so they are destroyed.
The only confusing part to me is the numbers for 'survival'. The radiologist was saying that by receiving this radiation therapy I would be increasing my chances of not having the cancer return by another 10%. Okay, that isn't that big of a number to me. But the way she was saying it, she made it sound like a significant amount. Also by receiving the radiation therapy my right lung will be affected in a couple of areas with some scarring that could give me some trouble in the future, but she said this was a very small percentage. If I wanted to become a marathon runner after all of this, the scarring would not prevent me from doing so. My thyroid might also be affected and there is a chance that I might have to take some medication in the future for a hypo-thyroid problem. And there is also the chance of some rib fractures the first 1-3 years after the treatment, but also a small percentage.
I was told that I could receive reconstruction surgery on my breast, but as I am receiving radiation therapy which tightens the skin and 'sunburns it', they recommend waiting about a year before having this surgery performed.
Tomorrow, Friday, I will be receiving a CT scan with dye to the chest to see if the small nodules in the lungs have changed or not. I believe there had been about 5 nodules found in my lungs before chemotherapy had been started. They felt that at least 4 of them were due to scarring from infection, dust, etc, but they weren't sure about the 5th one. They had said that if any of these disappear after chemotherapy then there was a good chance that the cancer had metastasized to the lungs. Next week, on Tuesday, I go in to see the radiologist to begin the preliminary preparations for radiaton treatment which will probably start within a couple of weeks. I should hear the results of the CT scan at that time.
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