Half way there on a very high note!
Today I woke up feeling strangely excited about my treatment tomorrow. It’s the last of the shitty chemo and for that I am very very thankful! But I also just knew today was going to be an awesome day. And voila!! Good news!
I had my oncologist appt today, and got the results of my MRI. We’re winning!!!! Results showed significant diminishing of the tumours, with FULL resolution of all but one, which is almost too small to see. So this last round should finish it off! I am over the moon. Yay for good news!
As we launch into a new school year and a new hockey season, and before we all say “whew, glad that’s over,” I feel like I need to provide a bit of a recap as to where I am in this process. Here’s the timeline of what has happened so far:
Jan 6 – mobile mammogram clinic at UVic – went on a whim on my coffee break.
Jan 19 – called back for more scans. Biopsy of a small 8mm mass on my left breast.
Jan 28 – got the call, while in the car with the boys, that I have breast cancer
Feb 24 – last day of work
Feb 25 – Surgery day! Lumpectomy and sentinel node excision. Basically they removed the lump and a few lymph nodes to see if the cancer had spread to the lymphatic system. In my case, it had not.
Some time mid March – got the pathology back on my tumour and found out that it’s triple positive, so a highly recurrent and aggressive little bitch. So suddenly we went from “back to work in 6 weeks” to full chemo and a years worth of treatments.
April 16 – first round of 8 chemo’s – every third Thursday.
April 19 – post op MRI showed 4 more spots in my breast. Radiation now back on the table, as well as mastectomy planned for after that.
April – September – chemo every three weeks. Last one September 11th – tomorrow!!!
Looking ahead:
After Thanksgiving I will start 6 weeks of daily radiation.
Continue on Herceptin chemo every three weeks until June.
Start Tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen therapy drug, for 5-10 years.
After Christmas I will have a double mastectomy (one is my current cancerous side, the other is preventative) and reconstruction using my excess abdominal tissue. Word from the doctor: DO NOT LOSE WEIGHT – we need as much as we can. So bring on Cristmas feasting! It’s a big surgery – 9 hours on the table, 5 days in hospital, 4-5 months recovery time. So that won’t be much fun… But I have plenty of help around here.
So, in looking ahead, I plan to be fully me and cancer free by July 1st. So 18 months from start to finish. Divide that in half and right now we’re half way there. I think that’s cause to celebrate!
Well, maybe after the effects wear off of tomorrow’s treatment.
In the meantime, I’m doing the happy dance. Every victory, no matter how big or how small, is cause for celebration. Life is good! And I am so blessed.
If you aren’t getting the moral of my story, please go get a mammogram!