I am Superwoman!

MUGA Scan...ever hear of it? Me either. It is a test where radioactive material is injected into the blood stream and they record the actions of the heart. It's pretty simple. After the first injection you wait about 15 minutes and then receive the radioactive agent. You lay on a table and then the actions of the heart are monitored. Naturally I wanted to watch but had to lay still. However, when it was over she let me watch the videos. It was AWESOME. I have an honest-to-God human heart. It is made of flesh and blood not ice and stone. It appears to be perfectly healthy. If it isn't I am sure I will hear about it very soon. One of the chemo drugs can cause heart failure/damage therefore they need to make sure it is healthy before they damage it. So for the remainder of the day I am ever so slightly radioactive...just enough to allow me to be 'Super Woman' for Halloween.  Happy Halloween!

Cheers
Jeannie

What God Hath Promised

WHAT GOD HATH PROMISED

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.

Bald is Beautiful????

They say that bald is beautiful. We will see about that. I'm not sure how beautiful I am going to feel with no hair and puke down the front of my t- shirt. Since the surgeon who will be sawing me open again is away I have to have chemotherapy immediately. After I pulled a face and dropped the lip Dr. K. finally agreed to let me go to Toronto this week instead of starting treatment. I will buy him something nice when I am away...cheap but nice.

Tuesday, November 1st is my chemo information session

Friday, November 4th is my first chemo treatment

While Dr. M. is away Dr. K. will pump the magic elixir into me every three weeks.  When Dr. M. returns he will either do the surgery between chemo appointments or wait until they are finished. I am torn about which would be better: being kicked while you are down or being kicked when you finally drag yourself back up to a standing position. Neither sounds appealing to me but it's going to happen whether I like it or not.

On a positive note I will not have to wash or colour my hair, shave my legs, tweeze my eye brows or pull any stray eye brows from my chin for four months :o)

Also, the violent barfing and shitting means what?  You said it - natural weight loss.

And finally, Leah promised to make me vodka popsicles to help my sore mouth.

So it's all good...life is good too but short so make the best of it.  Finally, book your mammograms!

Hugs to you all...Cheers
Jeannie

No news does not mean good news

Today I met with Dr. MacMullin. I missed my original appointment because I thought it was tomorrow. Oops...oh well, I still got in. Thank you Dr. MacMullin!

Well, he had a new piece of information for me today. The margins were extremely close to the intraductal cancer so he wants to reopen my incision and cut out an additional centimeter all around the perimeter. Then that tissue goes through the same testing to see if there are cancer cells in it. The positive side of this news is that it was not the infiltrating cancer that was perched on the margin.

My option is this: chemo, radiation and an additional radiation boost to nuke the f#@k out of that area of the breast. Follow all that up with Tomixifan. I have three weeks to make my decision about this. If I don't develop an ulcer from all these decisions I never will!

Cheers
Jeannie

PS. Yes I am cranky today...

Well...that was a little more than I asked for

Yesterday, October 17, 2011 I had my first appointment at the Cape Breton Cancer Center.  Deborah's mother Anita came with me.  I met with a very nice receptionist first then spent a bit of time with an oncology nurse named Beth.  We went over my entire life...again....and I gave her every piece of information that I gave to my surgeon and the pre-admission clinic...again.  Everything was going very well.  I was actually a bit nervous.  I felt like I had too much caffeine in my system.  All I knew at this time was the doctors name.  Dr. Kian Khodadad is his name.  Guess what we did when he came in?  You'll  never guess so I will tell you.  We went over my life history...again.  Then he examined and me, and God bless him, he warmed his hands first.  Anyhow, I will cut to the chase.  I have decisions to make. Here are the options:

• Chemotherapy:  administered every three weeks over a 15 week period
• Radiation:  administered five days a week over a 4 - 5 week period
• Hormone Therapy:  one pill a day for five years
• Combination Therapy:  all three

Here is a stat breakdown

• Women who choose no therapy: 25 will relapse and 75 will be alive and cancer free in 10 years
• Out of the 25 that can relapse here is the advantage of treatment
• Hormone Therapy alone  16-18 women will relapse; 7-9 alive and cancer free in 10 years
• Chemotherapy alone  17-19 relapse; 6-8 alive and cancer free in 10 years
• Combined therapy  10-14 women will relapse; 11-15 alive and cancer free in 10 years

Now, we need to remember that these stats are based on the 25% of woman that relapse, of which I may not even fall into.  However, due to my age and my family history he suggests that I remain aware that this number exists.  I am unsure if radiation is a factor in those stats.  I will ask him Friday. 

Also, my HER2 test came back inconclusive.  It was sent to Halifax for retesting.  If that comes back positive it will require additional therapy.  Apparently two years worth administered once a week via the vein at the hospital.  Pray that comes back negative for f*#k sake.  I hate needles.

So, I have until Friday to decide on my fate.  He wouldn't wait until I come back from Toronto at the end of the month.  They are always in a hurry.  Apparently there are other people who need to use the cancer center too - pffft....whatever.   

Anyhow, I may need a wig and a shitload of Imodium and diapers so gather them up if you see any floating around. As a germaphobe I am also looking for a large hampster ball so I can avoid touching or breathing others germs but still continue to mingle.  Just throwing that out for all you folks who want to do nice things for me but don't know what to do.  So with that, I'm getting back to work before I'm fired :o)  LOL - good luck with that Chris.

Cheers everyone
Jeannie

SAVE THE HOOTERS!

The Smallest Cup I ever Wore :o)

Under that cup is a wire that was shoved into the tumor.  It gave the surgeon directions where to cut.  I had to stay still for hours with that on.  Well, I was supposed to but didn't and it didn't make any difference.