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!