My Cancer Journey

Friday, February 9, the surgeon placed a magseed next to the largest tumor. It is helpful for tumors like mine, that you cannot feel when palpating the breast. It is 5mm (less than .2 inches) and made of surgical grade stainless steel. The doctor places it with a needle after he numbs the area where he will insert the needle. When it is time for the lumpectomy, the surgeon then uses a special probe that makes different sounds depending on how close the surgeon is to the magseed. He uses this together with a sonogram machine to make sure he can also see where the tumor is.   Wednesday, February 14, I was not allowed to eat any solid foods after 9:30pm as I was going to be completely under for this surgery. No liquids after 7:30am on Thursday. I had to be at the hospital two hours prior to the surgery. Sitting around doing nothing is not easy for me, but Craig was there to entertain me :)   The nurse was able to access my port so that I did not need a needle in my arm when they ...

Friday, February 2, I had a pre surgery check to make sure I was healthy enough for the upcoming surgery. They take your vitals and blood. The port-a-cath is very convenient in that the person drawing your blood does not need to find a good vein. That day I found out that phlebotomists are not trained to access a vein through a port, so she needed to draw my blood through a vein in my arm. All the tests looked good, so I got the okay for the lumpectomy (partial mastectomy).   The following day I was able to start using adult toothpaste. My mouth was no longer sensitive! More news - I was excited to have hair growing on my head again, but that was not the only place it had started growing. There was still no hair on my legs or armpits. That was fantastic! However, a few hairs that had been growing in a couple of moles on my face were back. Even though I had the moles removed many years ago :( I would have preferred my eyelashes and brows were back instead :/   Thursday, Februar...

On Thursday, January 10, I had two tests, an echocardiogram to make sure my heart had not been affected adversely by the Herceptin, and an MRI to see how well the tumors had reacted to the chemotherapy.    My heart looked good. It did not seem it was affected at all. Great news! I was, however, concerned about the MRI. The contrast (color) they put into my system to get a better picture, made me nauseous last time. Not to the point where I vomited, but I did not want to take a chance that would happen.    First, I thought to put Vick’s Mentholatum in my nostrils as the nausea was brought on by a chemical “smell,” but the smell did not enter through the nose, but from inside my body. Therefore, I did not think it would be possible to block the smell. Instead, I brought one of my anti-nausea pills, the sublingual (melt-in-your-mouth) Zofran. I took that right before the MRI and it worked great. No nausea!   The other concern was that the tumors had not shrunk enou...

I brought my list of side effects when I saw the doctor the week after my first infusion on September 22. That was very helpful as now we had a better idea of what my particular side effects looked like. For example, where some get diarrhea, I was constipated, so needed different treatment. It took a while to figure things out, but this is what worked for me -  Chemo belly (bloated and gassy) -  Every morning with my supplements - the maximum amount of stool softeners With each meal - TUMS (I used Equate brand Antacid Chews) and Gas-X (I used Equate brand Gas Relief) Heartburn / GERD -  With lunch and after dinner / before bedtime - Acid Controller Constipation -  Every morning - MiraLax (I used Equate brand ClearLax) in 6-8 ounces of pineapple juice as it tastes better than putting it in water, and pineapple juice is also helpful for constipation Drink as much water as my body could handle. This also helps flush the chemo drugs out of your system more quickly s...

The first week after the first infusion was the worst one overall. Your body has a difficult time figuring out what to do with the drugs in your system. The nausea lasted less than one week for me, but the fatigue, although worst the first week after each treatment, was always there. It was a workout just to take a shower. I was huffing and puffing and not physically able to squeegee the glass shower door. During weeks two and three, while I was able to clean the shower door after showering, I moved very slowly. It might seem counterintuitive, but going for walks helps you not feel as exhausted; especially when combined with sunshine. I took many short walks outside. Usually very slow ones as they took a lot out of me. The pre-med steroids make your face round and ruddy. It is not a pretty look, but there is not much you can do about it. I also gained about 20 pounds, which I did not need, but it is better than losing weight. You need your strength so you can fight. I am very slowly lo...