Radiation to Come

I met with a Radiation Oncologist today for a consult. I will be having radiation due to these risk factors:
   1. Being a young Breast Cancer patient
   2. Having 3 positive lymph nodes

I learned the type of radiation I would be having done & also where and why. I assumed that I'd have it done in my axilla due to the node removal, but since my surgeon removed such a small area and the cancer cells in the 1 lymph node in the axilla was minimal, I won't need radiation or boosts in my armpit. This is good news, because it won't put me at risk for lymphedema & that my cancer barely spread beyond the breast.

I learned that I will need 28 daily sessions 5 days a week of radiation to my clavicle and chest wall. I will be having it done to the chest wall post-reconstruction surgery. The radiation oncologist prefers to work after reconstruction & has a history of working with reconstructed breasts. (yay!) She said that the risk of Capsular Contracture (hardening of the implant) is low (1 in 1,000 patients) with the type of radiation I will be doing. The reason I will be having the radiation to the chest wall is that microscopic breast tissue cells could linger post-mastectomy & radiation will "kill" them. Also, I will be having radiation done to my clavicle, because those lymph nodes are the highest risk of reoccurrence & cannot be treated surgically due to being intertwined with neuro-skeletal arm muscles and tissues.

So, starting in June (around June 20th) I will be going to radiation daily for 5.5 weeks. This brings me to finishing my breast cancer treatment to approximately one year after I found the original lump. I cannot wait to put this behind me & have my 27th year be a much better one.

All in all, I was satisfied by this appointment. I plan to go to Virtua, but I was going to get a second opinion from Sloan & I am still waiting for Sloan to call me back with their recommendations for radiation. So far, no call & it has been a week. I feel like they are really slacking on their follow-through.

More Taxol Changes

As of yesterday I went back to my original plan with my Taxol treatments. I did more thinking & I realized that condensing my treatments against my doctor's original recommendations was rash. I really just wanted treatment to be over with and to have my exchange. I need to take things with stride and realize why 12 weeks of Taxol is actually the best option for me. I feel like such a spaz switching my treatment so much, but this is such a hard decision for me. I like to take control on my life, but I also need to trust in other professionals too. 

Here are the reasons why I switched from Biweekly Dose Dense to Weekly Dose Dense Taxol: 

  1. Less side-effects i.e. allergic reaction, bone pain and fatigue

  2. No need to take 5 days of oral steroids after infusion

  3. No need to take the Neulasta (aka causes bone pain also) shot after treatment

  4. Works on the cancer cells more frequently as not only a chemotherapy but as a Targeted Therapy

  5. Infusion is shorter

  6. I won't get bone pain, which won't inhibit me from running or functioning at work

  7. I won't gain weight from excessive Steroids.

The only downside is that they do give me a lot of Benadryl and Ativan to help cope with the Taxol infusion & I cannot drive home from my appointments. This requires me to recruit people from NJ who can help me. If anyone can drive me, please email me. I will let you know if the slot is taken. Kyle is checking to see if he can take any days off in March or April. So far these are the slots taken:

2/28/11 - Kerry
3/7/11 - Juanita
3/14/11 - Juanita

3/21/11 -
3/28/11 -
4/4/11 - Candace
4/11/11 -

4/18/11 - Cindy

4/25/11-Tony C

5/2/11 - Juanita
5/9/11 - Juanita 

5/16/11 - Juanita 

Thanks everyone! Now it is time to reschedule my surgery & re-notify work of more changes. 

Chemo Brain

What is Chemo Brain?  For us Cancer people, we know what it feels like. At 26, it just sucks. For the past three weeks I have been forgetting things and having memory lapses. I stopped reading, when I usually read 1 book a week. I have trouble concentrating on the words, then I find myself spacing out & staring at a wall. I can't multitask, if I do I forget one of the two things I am doing. It takes me twice as long to finish things, my thinking is slow and I can't process things the same. I feel like I am going crazy. You ever see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? I feel like Jim Carey in that movie, except I remember people. I just forget what the heck I am supposed to be doing. I have learned to cope by not reading. I watch movies, TV shows, and exercise. I have taken it with stride that I have the attention of a dried pea.

O well, at least I am not working now. Problem is I am returning to work in a month. My job requires me to write, read and focus on what people are saying. I am a therapist. I can't even focus on directions to microwave a hot pocket right now nor do I remember where my To-Do list is or that I even have one. That adjustment will be interesting. I will be more brain dead, I guess that is okay. Maybe my notes can all read, "Client is good. The End."

I also have class tomorrow. This is my last make-up class for my next license. I usually can't focus in these classes. Tomorrow will be interesting. I must bring myself lots of things to mindlessly entertain myself with..colorful notebook, crayons. You know the stuff a doodler can dream of. All I really need to do is show up & get the certificate and leave. I think that will be easy. I might even learn how to sleep with my eyes open. Now, that is something I have gotten good at focusing in on...sleep.

Taxol

I have switched my chemotherapy plan to the 4 rounds of dose-dense Taxol. My oncologist prefers the 12 weeks due to less side-effects. I would rather be done quicker, side-effects or not. My oncologist must think I am high maintenance, but this is seriously my treatment and my life. I feel much better knowing that my chemotherapy will be densified & that I will be starting radiation much sooner.

I had my third round of EC yesterday, luckily I am not experiencing the same crappy side-effects from the last treatment. I feel mild nausea as my physician added Pepcid to my pre-medications. It seems to have helped a lot. Today, I am experiencing fatigue, which has been alleviated by mild exercise. I also am having metallic taste in my mouth, it seems to go away with lemon-lime gatorade. Strange, side-effect I might add.

I am also planning on adding massages into my treatment plans. I get mild knee and lower back pain from the Neulasta shots, I hear massage helps. I plan on trying to get a massage the day after chemo or at least the day after I get my Neulasta shots. I hope this helps. I will get my first post-treatment massage tomorrow & I am throwing a pedicure in there for good measure. Yes, this is expensive, but I need to treat myself for once. I guess my doctor is kinda right that I am low maintenance compared to his "elder clients".

I have updated all my new, educational pages.... hope they help someone.