Double Update--Trip to the Surgeon's Office & Chemotheraphy Round 5

First, I hope everyone had as nice of a Christmas as we did. It was extra nice due to the fact that the treatment center was not open long enough on Christmas Eve to complete everything for Mom, moving her treatment to the day after Christmas. This also put off the potential for post-chemo nausea that had accompanied the previous treatments, and allowed her to enjoy a couple of good meals. This, along with everything we have gone through this year, made Christmas even more special.

Mom and Jill met with Dr. Jalovec on December 18th. This was just a progress check for her treatments. Dr. Jalovec noted that her progress could not be better. She also confirmed the massive shrinkage of the tumor as well as the fact that she could no longer detect swelling in her lymph node. Mom let the doctor know about Aunt Kathy's diagnosis, and asked her if she felt that this other diagnosis in a relative should effect the decisions that she should make regarding her procedure. Doctor Jalovec confirmed that due to this other case of cancer in such a close relative, as well as the fact that it had spread to both of Aunt Kathy's breasts, that a double mastectomy for mom would be the best solution for preventing the cancer from returning. This had been weighing on Mom heavily lately, and it was reassuring to have the doctor confirm that she also felt that this was the best decision for her. Mom was very excited to set a tentative surgery date for March 3, 2008. It is nice to have something to work towards. This date will become a reality if she continues to have no problems with chemotherapy.

Mom had her fifth chemotherapy session yesterday. This last set of four treatments uses a different combination of drugs than the previous four. The new drug cocktail includes Taxol (click on the linked word for the interesting story on how this medicine was discovered--this page also has an interesting story on it's discovery and evolution) as it's main ingredient. Unlike the others, this drug is much less likely to cause nausea. The most common side effect is joint pain and muscle ache. Fortunately she has experienced neither of these problems. The only thing that she noticed was that she became very tired directly following the treatment. This was likely due to the large amount of Benadryl that is included in the pre-meds to decrease the chances of an allergic reactions. Other than that, she says she has felt better today than she ever has after a chemotherapy session. If this is any indication, we can hope that treatments go as smoothly and she can build up her strength for her upcoming surgery and the radiation treatments that are to follow.

For those following my Aunt Kathy's path to becoming a survivor there is some news on that front as well. She is scheduled for a double mastectomy on January 2nd. She is also very eager to have this chapter of her life behind her. She is also happy to now have a tentative date to be up here with my Mom. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers these coming weeks as continues on her path to becoming a survivor. For those of you who would like to send well wishes, her email address is: kshamrock1@hotmail.com .

In closing I wanted to share a picture of Mom with and without her "hair." This is a very difficult thing for many cancer patients to deal with, and especially tough for female patients as some much of their own perceived beauty is tied to their hair. Mom, however, has taken it in stride. She only occasionally put her new "hair" on when she goes places. Although they have come a long way with wig technology, making them virtually undetectable, "It still feels like I have a cat sitting on my head." It just saves a little extra unwanted attention, or the thought that someone who doesn't know how strong she is from feeling sorry for her.

Thank you again for all of your support. We truly couldn't get through this without the immense support circle surrounding our family. I will update you all when we have some more news to share.

Chemotherapy: Round 4

I just wanted to update everyone on Mom's progress this week. She had her fourth round of chemotherapy on Monday. This was the last of the "bad" treatments. Granted, the last four treatments are no walk in the park, but the side effects are much less severe for the remaining treatments. The most common side effect for the next round of treatments is muscle and joint ache, a reasonable trade-off for the nausea caused by the other treatments.

Monday and Tuesday were a little rougher than the past treatments, but this evening she is feeling much better. She felt well enough to have a little macaroni and cheese for dinner, and finished up the evening with some Ben & Jerry's ice cream that a friend brought by. It is always a good sign that she is beginning to feel better when she starts to get her appetite back. I know she feels fortunate that something actually sounds good to eat after having no appetite for several days. She is lucky in this regard, as it takes some chemo patients much longer to regain their appetite after treatments.

Her next treatment was originally scheduled for Christmas Eve, but was postponed until the day after Christmas, as this treatment will take at least 4 1/2 hours, and the clinic is only open from eight until noon. This will mean that she should be feeling good for Christmas.

We also got some good news from the nurse practitioner during the physical exam. She felt that the tumor had shrunk by at least 80%. We were very happy to hear that the chemotherapy is continuing to work and her immune system is staying strong.

For those of you following my Aunt Kathy's fight down in Texas, we have some news on that front as well. After looking at the tissue that they removed from one breast they determined that they did not achieve clear margins. In other words, although they removed both tumors in addition to extra tissue surrounding them, they did not feel, based on laboratory analysis of the tissue, that they had removed enough. After further consultation with her surgeon, and the knowledge that if she had another lumpectomy the surgeon estimated that there could be a 50% chance that it may return, therefore she has decided to have a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery on January 2nd. This will eliminate the need for chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She is eager to get this last surgery behind her and get up here to see Uncle Bill and take care of my Mother during her surgery next spring. Please keep Aunt Kathy in your prayers as she continues on her path to becoming a survivor.

I have added a few links on the right side of the blog for those of you seeking more information on breast cancer. There is a wealth of information on the web, and I would suggest you try to digest it in small pieces as it can be very overwhelming to look at it all at once. As always, thank you all for your support. Merry Christmas!

Chemotherapy: Round 3 -- Quick Update

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on Mom's third round of chemotherapy. She had her third round of chemo on Monday, and is three-quarters of the way through the "bad" treatments. The good news is that the "bad" treatments are having fewer and fewer side-effects on her. She was a little tired on Tuesday and Wednesday after the treatment, however, by my estimation, took them a lot better than the first treatment. She has been up and around the house a lot more after this treatment. Her next treatment is scheduled for Monday, December 10th. This is the last of the bad ones.

We got another good piece of news when the doctor did Mom's physical exam this week. Two weeks before she had felt that the tumor was softening, but this time she said that it was definitely shrinking. She guessed that it had perhaps even shrunk by half.

The last piece of good news we got this week came from Dallas. Mom's sister, my Aunt Kathy, had surgery to treat her breast cancer on Wednesday. She was diagnosed three weeks to the hour after Mom's diagnosis came. She had a double lumpectomy and is resting comfortably at home. The doctor was very happy with how the procedure went and gave her a very good prognosis. In three weeks she will begin a series of radiation treatments. Our thoughts and prayers are with her too as she recovers. She is very happy to have this behind her and is eager to get up here to see Mom.

Chemotherapy: Round 2

Well, round two of chemotherapy has come and gone. The effects on Mom came earlier this time, but were much milder than the last round. We hope that the first round, although it was the same treatment, just shocked her body. Moving forward, we are hoping that the following treatments have as mild of consequences.

The great thing about this second treatment is the fact that we are half way through the worst part. The first four arms of the chemo are, by all accounts, the hardest. One of the drugs that they use is nicknamed "the red devil." If that's not something to be nervous about, I'm not quite sure what is.

The next two to four arms (the number for the last stage depends on her progress) are said to be much easier. At 4 1/2 hours they take a lot longer, but are said to have fewer after effects.

It was very nice that Mom was feeling better on her birthday. We were a little nervous, based on last time, that Wednesday would be her worst day. That couldn't have been further from the truth. The sun even came out for a while. Her day was truly brightened by all of the calls, cards, flowers and gift baskets which arrived throughout the day. To all her friends and family: you really know how to make someone's day! It was nice to see her smiling all day. I will post more when we have more news. Remember, no news is good news. Thank you for all of your support.

Chemotherapy: Round 1

Mom finished her first round of chemotherapy Monday October 29th. It made everything seem pretty real. Not that we expected a phone call letting us know that they had made a mistake, but to this point everything seemed pretty normal. We would walk the dogs a couple of time a day and even take a long bike ride. The treatment went pretty quickly. We were overloaded with information by the nurse, the American Cancer Society representative, and all of the chemotherapy procedures. The support network that is in place for cancer patients in unbelievable.

I bet some of you are wondering about the picture of the dogs. About an hour after the first treatment we took the dogs to Springdale Cemetary to run. We walked around for at least an hour, and the dogs had a blast. It may sound crazy, but the dogs are actually part of our support system as well. They are always excited to see you, and can always make a bad day seem a little bit better.

On Tuesday, Mom went with a friend to go see some of the museums in Chicago. An awfully long day for anyone, but she seemed just fine. It seemed like nothing out of the ordinary.

Wednesday was a bit of a different story. I spent part of the day grocery shopping for things that I thought my taste good to her (my homemade chili was not one of them.) I then set my sights on nearly all of the pump-top anti-bacterial soap and sanitizer that our local CVS had. Mom was just beat. She was completely worn out, and had to spend much of the day in bed because of fatigue and nausea. We are told that this is a fairly typical response to chemo, but obviously it can affect every person differently. This was pretty tough to watch, especially because I've always looked at her as somewhat invincible. She can outrun me, ride a bike further, and work out in the yard all day without showing any signs of fatigue. It was tough to see something knock her down like this, but we had to keep focused on the fact that it was all part or the path to getting better.

Thursday was a better day. Mom had a lot more energy and was up for longer periods of time. She still needed a lot of rest, but seemed more like herself for the better part of the day.

Today was a really good day. Mom has been up almost all day taking care of some bills and replying to some e-mail that she had not had the chance to get to in the past several days. She is starting to get her appetite back and is staying hydrated. Aside from the total assault on germs to prevent potential illness, everything is getting back to normal. She meets with the nurse practitioner on Monday the 5th, and then begins another round of chemo the following Monday the 12th of November.

Thank you again for all of your support via this website, cards, and phone calls. It is truly overwhelming to know there are that many people out there thinking about us.

Good News!

After a week of testing we finally met with the oncologist today. Mom's oncologist will be Dr. Le-Lindqwister. She seemed like a great doctor. We got some great news early on in the visit. According to the PET scan the cancer had not spread anywhere else in her body. The breast and a single lymph node were the only areas that tested positive. This came as a great relief to everyone after we had heard earlier in the week that the one lymph node had been malignant.

The next step in the treatment will be chemotherapy. Treatment will start Monday with her first round. She will be on a schedule to receive chemo every two weeks. It will be a total of six treatments. The first four stages will last about 90 minutes, and last two will be about 4 1/2 hours each. They have a very comfortable facility and patients are encouraged to watch a movie, read a book, or even take a nap during the treatments.

Words can not express what a relief we felt today. There is still a long road ahead, but it's a lot easier to handle when you know exactly what you're up against, and the plan to beat it. This was very good news to start what will certainly be a very good weekend.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and continued support.

Late Appointment = Late Update

Mom had a pretty long day of appointments today, but answers helped ease some wandering minds.

The day started off with the aspiration of a lymph node under Mom's arm. This occurred because it became an area of concern on the MRI. The doctor let her know that while it was possible that the node lit up because it is cancerous, the possibility also exists that it lit up because it was inflamed due to all of the invasive procedures the week before. Results should come in the next couple of days. The procedure was noted as "much less painful."

At 4:00PM she had an appointment with Dr. Lynne Jalovec. Dr. Jalovec was tied up with a surgery that went much longer than expected. Her staff told us to come back around 5:15 and that the doctor would meet with us shortly thereafter. 5:15 turned into a little before 7:00PM, but we all understand that things happen, and it was awfully nice of her to meet with us that late in the evening. We met with her from a little before 7:00PM until a little past 9:00PM. We never once felt rushed, and she took plenty of time to answer all of our questions.

She described the cancer as "locally advanced breast cancer." She explained that it was "invasive ductile carcinoma." As a breast specialist she says that she only sees a cancer like this 2-3 times a month. This is no way related to the severity or survivability, merely a statement as to it's relative rarity. She rated it as a stage 2B or stage 3A cancer. Her guess was that it probably had been growing, unable to be detected, for about 5 years. The stage of classification is dependent upon whether the lymph node has been affected. At this stage Dr. Jalovec is assuming that it has been affected.

The part that most surprised all of us, mostly based on everything we had heard from other survivors and other doctors about the standard course of action, was that the doctor did not want to proceed with surgery first. Instead she would like to proceed as though the cancer has potentially spread to other areas of the body. As she said, "It's not the cancer in the breast that will kill you at this point, it's the potential that if we don't attack it proactively with chemotherapy it will end up in other parts of your body." The chemo will serve two purposes. The first purpose will be to treat the cancer, proactively, as though it may have potentially spread to other places in the body. The second purpose is it to shrink the tumor. A smaller tumor makes the surgery easier, and decreases the amount of affected breast tissue that needs to be removed.

Next week quite a few standard tests will occur including an EKG, PET Scan, and blood work. It will be a very busy week for Mom. If all goes as planned with scheduling, chemotherapy will begin as early as the end of next week. After about sixteen weeks of chemotherapy (2 drugs, every two weeks for 4 weeks, then 1 drug every two weeks for 4 weeks), Dr. Jalovec will proceed with surgery (modified radical mastectomy), followed by radiation. The potential also exists for some hormone therapy, a sort of anti-estrogen, at some point in the process, to reduce the potential of the cancer spreading to the other breast. At this point the potential is a slim 7%, but if she is a candidate for the hormone therapy the chances drop to 3%.

Lots of info to digest today, but knowing more has really helped us wrap our minds around this, and we feel like we have a plan of attack. Once again thank you to everyone for all of your support.

Update: Wednesday, October 17th, 4:00 PM

Mom has a couple of procedures scheduled for tomorrow that I thought I would let everyone know about. At 10:00 AM they will be taking a small sample of a lymph node that they suspect might be malignant. This an outpatient procedure and we all hope (especially Mom!) that it will not be nearly as painful as the initial biopsies last Wednesday.

She will then meet with Dr. Jalovec in the afternoon for a pre-surgery consultation. We are hoping that she has an opening soon to schedule the surgery. This consultation should shed a lot more light on the extent of the procedure that she would like to perform.

Again, hopefully we will have more answers tomorrow afternoon. Thank you again for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

Day 1: Diagnosis

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer on Thursday, October 11th, 2007. My sister Jill and I were in the consultation room when the doctor came in and gave us the news. While we were prepared for the worst, it did not lessen our shock when the doctor used the "C" word. It was like someone had knocked the wind out of our chests.

Jill was probably the most upset. My mother (whom I am probably the most alike) and I just kind of sat there in silence. We do not usually wear our hearts on our sleeves, preferring instead to calmly approach things and let them sink in. I will never forget the car ride home that day. You can never prepare for something like this. We tried to think of everyone that we needed to call, and Mom thought of everything that needed to be done around the house before the surgery. Luckily, since my "retirement" from the wine & spirits industry, we have been getting a lot of projects done around the house.

They say you never really know how many friends you have until something bad happens to you. In my Mother's case this is not necessarily true. She has always been very blessed with many caring neighbors, friends from work, her running crew, and her family. However, one could never anticipate the outpouring of support, encouragement, and and well-wishes that we have received in the past week. It is truly overwhelming. Perhaps the best spoken advice came from two of my Mother's friends who are both survivors. They have both been through this and have been a tremendous resource for compassion and support. It is very reassuring to speak to someone who has fought this and beat it! Thank you all for you continued support.

In the coming days and weeks we will update this blog as much as possible to keep everyone informed about my Mother's fight. We have very few details at this point as some tests are still ongoing. She had an MRI on Monday to get a better idea where the cancer was, and most importantly where it was not. The good news it that they believe that it has not spread to her other breast. They have identified the area of concern, and will forward on the results of the MRI to the surgeon. At this point she is just waiting to meet with the surgeon for a pre-surgery consultation. After the consultation it could be just a matter of days to a week or so until the surgery. There was a lymph node that was an area of concern that will be tested tomorrow. Again, it is our goal to update everyone as more details become available.

Please feel free to reach out to her or myself via e-mail with any questions or well-wishes. Our addresses are : wanarunow@yahoo.com & grant@macro-hard.com .
Jill's address is: skibunny162000@yahoo.com . Again thank you for all of the support, it has truly been overwhelming.

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