Moving on to the next phase of treatment.

With chemo well behind me I am moving on to the next phase. This is a picture from my last day of chemo. The t-shirt says "Yes, they're fake! (The real ones tried to kill me!) It was a big hit in the chemo room and at the plastic surgeon's office.

If you remember back to the original surgery I had, I developed an infection on the left side. After a subsequent surgery and antibiotics the plastic surgeon  decided to take the tissue expander out on the left side so I could get started on chemotherapy treatment.

With chemotherapy completed, I had surgery last Thursday to put the tissue expander back in to continue on with the reconstruction. The surgery was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. It went well and I was home around lunchtime. My friend Linda drove me to the out patient facility and back home again. She stayed with me and spoiled Shadow with treats. Linda is an animal lover too and carries dog treats in her pocket!

With the tissue expander back in place I can continue with the reconstruction process and be a little more "balanced". I've heard all of the jokes about being a unicorn, leaning to one side, and going in circles with only one breast being expanded. In a couple of months I will be expanded and ready for the next step.

In the meantime, I have an appointment Wednesday with the radiation oncologist. She will do measurements, etc. in preparation for my radiation treatments. I need to have 33 radiation treatments. The treatments will happen everyday Monday-Friday until I've had all of the treatments. My plan is to get all of the treatment out of the way in 2012. I want 2013 to be a fresh start!

Today's my last chemo!!

I was up early today - 4 a.m. - as I often am the day of chemo but this day is special - it's my last chemo treatment!! You would think it was Christmas morning! I see today as being one step closer to having all of this behind me. I want to get back to what will be my new normal. I want my energy back.

They say cancer changes you life. I think that's true. For me it's changing my life for the better. I have better clarity into my future and what I want to do with my life. They always say "there's no time like the present". That saying becomes a lot more meaningful post-cancer. My family has always been important to me but they are even more important now. Their unwaivering support and always being just a phone call away can't be measured.

Today and tomorrow are supposed to be rainy in San Diego so it will be a good time for me to go through my normal chemo side-effects: sleep, watch Lifetime movies; sleep some more; get caught up on Grey's Anatomy; and of course, sleep some more. This time will be different though because it's the last time I'll have to go through it!

The next set - get the port removed from my chest. Get a new tissue expander put in to continue on the reconstruction path. Meet with the radiation oncologist to get set up to start radiation. Radiation should start in early November. I've heard it can make you tired but it's nothing like chemo. I'm really hoping to get all of the treatment out of the way by Christmas. It will make for a great New Year's Eve!

Chemo update.

I am far overdue in sending out an update on the latest so I'll give you a snapshot of the past couple of weeks.

Last weekend, Sept 24th and 25th I spent a wonderful weekend in Minneapolis where my really good-looking nephew Andrew and the lovely Emily got married. It was really nice fall-like weather with lots of warm sunshine on their outdoor wedding. It was great for me to get to see so many of my family members. I haven't seen most of them in a couple of years. With everything that's gone on this past year I really needed to see them. I realized when I was there how much they all needed to see me as well. You know that feeling of seeing someone who hasn't been well and how once you see them and "put your eyes on them" you know they are going to be OK. That's how it felt. Courtney also made the drive from Chicago to Minneapolis so I was able to see her as well. She hadn't had the opportunity to see her mom's bald head or fashionable wigs!

All of this wonderfulness did come at a price. I caught a cold when I got back to San Diego. Because I had a cold the chemo nurses wouldn't let me get my final chemo treatment last week! I tried to convince them that I would be fine. It turns out they weren't worried about me they were worried about me making the other chemo patients sick! Believe me, I called and begged for chemo. I'm sure they don't get that call everyday.

Anyway, chemo has been re-scheduled for this week Wednesday, October 5th. I CAN'T WAIT! I am so excited about getting this phase of treatment out of the way. As it turned out, I was home in bed part of last week trying to get over my cold. I was feeling pretty miserable and couldn't imagine dealing with the chemo issues as well. Darn those nurses - they are always right!

Right after my very last chemo this week is our Peregrine Breast Cancer Bake Sale. We started this event three years ago as a way of raising money for my friend Jessie who does the Breast Cancer 3-Day here in San Diego every year. Little did I every imagine three years ago that I too would be benefiting from this Bake Sale. This isn't just any bake sale. We usually raise about $1,200-$1,500. You see, there are a lot of men at my company and they all LOVE to eat. Our bake sale is not only bake goods but soups, sandwiches, lasagna, and other Asian dishes. The bake sale will be on Monday, October 10th. So many of the people I work with have commented to me how I put a face with the realities of breast cancer. I have to agree. I didn't in my wildest dreams ever think I would be dealing with breast cancer in my lifetime.

More updates to come AFTER MY LAST CHEMO!  Next it's surgery to put me back together again then radiation treatments.

Counting Down the Chemotherapy

Chemo # 4 is now completed with only two treatments left to go!! August 11th was my fourth treatment which I am sooo happy to get behind me. Being able to say I was halfway through was one thing but now I can actually count DOWN!

In an odd way, this treatment seemed to go better than most. I think it was more "mind over matter" that made me feel that way but I felt like I bounce back faster this time. The queasiness seems to be the hardest thing to get over. It's difficult sometime to know if I'm queasy from the chemo or if I'm hungry. If I think I might be hungry then I have to think about what sounds good and what won't make the heartburn start. As I've said before, it's a lot like having the flu.

This time during chemo I fell asleep in the big, leather, comfy recliner. They give me something to take the edge off before they start chemo. For some reason, this time it made me really tired. With about 30-45 minutes left in the treatment, I put my head back and I was out. When the nurse (Barb) woke me, she assured me there was no snoring!

As we left the chemo room, Jessie and I did a "high five" in the hallway! Four down and two to go!

Halfway Through Chemo!!!

I have another round of chemo done and I'm halfway through! I have 6 rounds to do and 3 behind me. I can't really say they have been easier or harder they've just been more chemo. :(

I learned something interesting this time. I usually get bad bone pain in the form of a nasty headache two days after chemo. The nurse told me to take Claritin for the bone pain. She couldn't explain why it worked only that she had heard it worked. She was right! I took Claritin Friday night and Saturday morning I work up with no headache. I still had the queasiness that goes along with chemo but the actual pain was greatly reduced.

I did have a moment of "can I go through this for three more treatments?" The nausea and generally feeling poorly had all caught up with me but then I don't like having a cold for more than 3 days! I decided I needed a nap and (as Jessie says) "a do over". That nap made all the difference. Never underestimate the power of a nap.

In summary, chemo on Thursday, queasy and achy Friday, Saturday, and Sunday then back to work on Monday. It doesn't get easier but it doesn't seem to get any worse either. It's just chemo!

Next chem (#4) will be August 11th.

Latest Update

I haven't done any updating recently because I've been back at work! After my first chemo I was out for the next 7 days. Following the last chemo treatment I was able to go back after 6 days. I've found that going back to work gets helps me to recover faster. I think it's having a routine and physically moving more helps me get my strength back sooner.

My next chemo will be on Thursday, July 21st and I'm ready. This one will get me to the halfway point - three down and three to go! I know now when I will have good and bad days and I can plan accordingly. Oddly enough, the day after chemo I usually feel pretty good, tired but good. It's two days after treatment that the side effects start in. Three and four days after chemo are usually the hardest. I would describe it as having a bad case of the flu for two days. Someone asked me the other day if I was just not telling her how bad I really feel! It's true, I really only have a couple of days of feel poorly and two to three days of being tired and worn out. I think chemotherapy treatment has come a long way!

I was in Las Vegas from June 24-29 for the National HR Convention. I had been planning to go to that conference for months and NOTHING was going to stop me! It was a great convention and my energy level was very good. We had some late nights so there were a few mornings where I wasn't up too early but don't think I had any chemo effects the entire time I was there.

I have lost all of my hair now. Once it started coming out it all came out. I have a few areas of hair stubble but it's pretty limited! I picked up my second wig last weekend. I like it more than the first, shorter wig! The new one looks very much like my old hair. Many people have been fooled by the wig and think it's my own hair - that's how good it is! Again, I'm very grateful to my co-workers at Peregrine who provided the funds for me to buy these two wonderful wigs. Being able to wear a wig helps me to feel a little more "normal".

I'll provide another update after my next chemo!

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Chemo - 2 Down / 4 To Go!

I've gotten a little behind on my blog but I do appreciate all of you who called to get updates on how I am doing!

I had my first chemo on June 6th. Because I have drug allergies I was instructed to take steroids the day before chemo to prevent any negative reaction. The morning of chemo I woke up at 3 a.m. and was ready to take on the world! I had an overwhelming urge to clean the kitchen floor, the mirrors in the bathrooms, and vacuum. Wow! Steroids are amazing! Once I got to chemo my energy turned to nervous anxiety.

I had a nice comfortable recliner to relax in while getting the chemo cocktail. My friend Jessie came along for entertainment AND she gives a great foot massage. The chemo treatment took about 4 hours.

After the first treatment I got terrible heartburn. Every attempt to sleep was met with more heartburn. I've since learned that Zantac and Maalox will calm the heartburn. Following treatment number 2 I was ready for the heartburn and took care of it very quickly. The biggest problem last time was not drinking enough water. About 2-3 days after treatment everything tastes bad including water. I've tried a little lemon or lime juice but I have to be careful with that or the heartburn comes back.

The next chemotherapy is July 21st. I'll work on perfecting my treatment of the side effects.