Skip to main content

Original Treatment Plan

Because the tumor showed to be less than 2 cm (.78 inches) and the lymph nodes did not look to be affected, my oncologist suggested weekly Taxol IV chemotherapy after the lumpectomy. It is a drug that attacks everything in your body. It kills the cancer cells, but also that which helps your body stay healthy. This is why many lose their hair while on this regimen. 


Losing your hair does not sound like fun, but getting Taxol treatments will also lower your immune system because it kills your white blood cells as well. The white blood cells attack viruses that enter your body. They help you fight viruses and other illnesses. This is the scariest of the side effects because it can lower your immune system to the point where even something simple like a cold can be serious. This is why it is important to stay away from those who are sick while going through chemo.


Taxol is administered once per week and builds up in your body during the twelve weeks it is given. This should kill whatever cancer cells are left in your body after the surgery. Because my tumor is positive for the HER2 protein, my oncologist wanted to add Herceptin to the infusions. It provides an extra insurance that the cancer cells will get killed.


Herceptin is administered every three weeks for a full year. Treating cancer is not something that is quick. It takes a long time. The hope is that the Taxol and Herceptin will get rid of all the cancer cells left after the lumpectomy, even the minuscule ones. In case that does not happen, I have chosen to follow my doctor’s suggestion and have radiation on the right breast, where the tumor is. 


Radiation therapy uses high energy beams (usually X-ray) pointed directly at the part of your body where the cancer cells are. This will kill whatever is left of the nasty cells. Today these machines are very precise. It may still kill some of the good cells the energy beams have to go through to reach the tumor, as well as the healthy cells that are near the tumor, but most of your healthy tissue is today protected from the harmful rays. 


In my case, the radiation will be given Monday through Friday for six weeks after the lumpectomy. It is suggested that someone like me, whose tumor tested positive for estrogen and progesterone, take hormone blockers for five to ten years after the surgery, chemo infusions, and radiation. This ensures there is less chance for the hormone positive cancer to return. This is the hope!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Third Post-Treatment Checkup

March, 2026 Had my third post treatment checkup. We needed to fly to Bangkok again as many oncology tests are not available in Lao PDR. This is 15 months after my last treatment, 2 years and one month since the partial mastectomy and I was considered NED (No Evidence of Disease), and 2 years and 7 months after diagnosis.  One month or so leading up to the appointments are nerve-racking, and I get increasingly stressed the closer it gets. Here is a fairly comprehensive list of my feelings/difficulties - Waiting Preparing  Nerves  Brain fog Headaches - has it metastasized to my brain? Moody Weepy Noticing Jittery  Chills Stomach problems Nausea Anxiety Hyperventilating  No focus  Stressed Short Edgy Angry Worry Snappy Difficulty concentrating  Agitated Sad Exhausted  Self absorbed  Scheduled tests - Blood tests Mammogram Ultrasound of abdomen Ultrasound of breasts Bone density test Follow-up visit with oncologist - The doctor is kind and thorou...
2 comments
Read more

The Second Post-Treatment Checkup - still NED!

My last cancer treatment was December 17, 2024. It was a relief to be finished and not have to go to the cancer center every three weeks. Three months later, March 17, 2025, I had my first post-treatment appointment with the oncologist. At that point it had not been enough time for me to process everything yet, and my brain was not back to functioning completely (it is still not fully normal), so I was happy to see my wonderful doctor and have my blood drawn without having to stay for an infusion. The tests all looked good. Craig retired in February and we had been thinking about what to do. Our children are grown and have their own families. They all live a few hours from us. We love them enormously and love spending time with them, but felt we needed some time to ease into retirement. We had been talking about serving a mission for our church and thought this would be a perfect time. My oncologist gave her approval, so in the beginning of May we got off an airplane in Vientiane, Lao ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Joint Pain Update 1 & 2 / Acupuncture

Update 2: A couple of months after I had the acupuncture treatments my knees got worse again. They were very painful and I had edema on both knees. The swelling made them twice the size they normally are, and it was difficult to bend them. I did not like to sit down as that meant I would have to stand back up later, and getting seated and standing up from a seated position was difficult. I needed support to do both. It was worse than it was before the acupuncture, and I was miserable. I did not get a chance to go back to the acupuncturist, because after about one and a half month the edema as well as the pain started going away, and now the edema is completely gone, and the pain is manageable.  I am wondering if these kinds of issues just come and go without intervention. It will be interesting to see what will happen, although I hope it will not get worse than what it is now. I can deal with this kind of pain as well as the knees popping almost every other time I bend them. I...
2 comments
Read more