Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Let the Treatment Begin...
I met with my oncologist today. I will have chemotherapy as a part of my treatment plan. Here is how it will work. The first part of the treatment will consist of 2 different chemotherapy drugs - Cytoxan and Adriamycin (not sure if I am spelling this one correctly). I will go in for treatment once every 2 weeks for 4 cycles. Each of these treatments will last about 2 hours. I will then have to go in the next day for an injection to help boost my white blood cell count and IV fluids to stay hydrated. The next week I will have an appointment to have blood work done and see the doctor.
The side effects from these two drugs seem pretty standard. Nausea and vomitting are the 2 biggies along with lower white and red blood cell counts and fatigue. I will be taking many different anti-nausea medications to help with this. The doctor and nurse said that these medications work well and can be adjusted if I need them to be. The worst I will feel at each cycle will be 2-3 days after the treatment. The nurse kept stressing that everyone reacts differently to each medication and that I won't really know how I will react until I go through the first cycle. Hair loss is another side effect that can't be avoided and usually starts after the second treatment. Oh well. Maybe I can get the hair I have always wanted. I have also wondered what my bald head really looks like. Hopefully I won't look too much like an alien. I am going to get a wig just in case I want it. Who knows.
The other half of my treatment will be with the drug, Taxol. This will be given once every 3 weeks for 4 cycles. (Add up all of the cycles and we are looking at the end of July to wrap this part all up.) Taxol has fewer side effects but each appointment will last 5-6 hours. It takes 3 hours alone for the IV bag to infuse. Nausea isn't as bad but I could develop numbness in my fingers and toes and mouth sores. Fatigue will still be a factor though.
None of the side effects kick in until the first couple of days following the treatment day. I do not have to get a ride to each treatment but it might be nice to have company at each one. I am one of the youngest patients there. Jeff and I walked into the waiting room today and I was the youngest by about 25 years.
After the chemo is done (around the end of July if I don't have to postpone any treatments due to illness, etc.) and I will wait a month and then go into my radiation treatment. This will be everyday for 6 weeks. Add that on and we are now talking mid-October before all is said and done.
I can't look that far ahead or the treatments seem endless. I'll take them one at a time and check them off as I go.
My first cycle will start on Wednesday, February 28th.
Until next time...
~Anne
The side effects from these two drugs seem pretty standard. Nausea and vomitting are the 2 biggies along with lower white and red blood cell counts and fatigue. I will be taking many different anti-nausea medications to help with this. The doctor and nurse said that these medications work well and can be adjusted if I need them to be. The worst I will feel at each cycle will be 2-3 days after the treatment. The nurse kept stressing that everyone reacts differently to each medication and that I won't really know how I will react until I go through the first cycle. Hair loss is another side effect that can't be avoided and usually starts after the second treatment. Oh well. Maybe I can get the hair I have always wanted. I have also wondered what my bald head really looks like. Hopefully I won't look too much like an alien. I am going to get a wig just in case I want it. Who knows.
The other half of my treatment will be with the drug, Taxol. This will be given once every 3 weeks for 4 cycles. (Add up all of the cycles and we are looking at the end of July to wrap this part all up.) Taxol has fewer side effects but each appointment will last 5-6 hours. It takes 3 hours alone for the IV bag to infuse. Nausea isn't as bad but I could develop numbness in my fingers and toes and mouth sores. Fatigue will still be a factor though.
None of the side effects kick in until the first couple of days following the treatment day. I do not have to get a ride to each treatment but it might be nice to have company at each one. I am one of the youngest patients there. Jeff and I walked into the waiting room today and I was the youngest by about 25 years.
After the chemo is done (around the end of July if I don't have to postpone any treatments due to illness, etc.) and I will wait a month and then go into my radiation treatment. This will be everyday for 6 weeks. Add that on and we are now talking mid-October before all is said and done.
I can't look that far ahead or the treatments seem endless. I'll take them one at a time and check them off as I go.
My first cycle will start on Wednesday, February 28th.
Until next time...
~Anne
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Chemotherapy
I met with the Medical Oncologist yesterday. From the looks of it, I will need chemotherapy. He has ordered one more test to be done for the pathology report that should be available in 7 - 10 days. It tests for certain kind of receptor (HER2/neu) on the tumor cells that if it's there tells the cells to multiply faster. The preliminary testing for it is negative but he wants to be sure. If it's positive it just means that the tumor and those cells could reproduce faster. That would in turn mean some different types of drugs would be used in my chemo treatments.
This whole thing is fascinating and the more I read about it the more I am understanding the particulars of my type of tumor. They can learn so much from such a little sample of tissue. I wish I paid better attention in science class now...
The doctor did not really get into what drugs would be used and the schedule of the course of chemo. That will be determined at my next appointment in 2 weeks. I did ask for a rough idea so I can start to find babysitters, etc. He said most likely it would start in 2 - 4 weeks. I would have treatments every 2 weeks for 8 sessions (about 4 months). In between weeks I would have to go for blood tests. Radiation wouldn't start until chemo was over. Sounds like a lot but again, I will do what I have to do...
This whole thing is fascinating and the more I read about it the more I am understanding the particulars of my type of tumor. They can learn so much from such a little sample of tissue. I wish I paid better attention in science class now...
The doctor did not really get into what drugs would be used and the schedule of the course of chemo. That will be determined at my next appointment in 2 weeks. I did ask for a rough idea so I can start to find babysitters, etc. He said most likely it would start in 2 - 4 weeks. I would have treatments every 2 weeks for 8 sessions (about 4 months). In between weeks I would have to go for blood tests. Radiation wouldn't start until chemo was over. Sounds like a lot but again, I will do what I have to do...
Friday, February 2, 2007
Good News!
Well, I met with my surgeon this morning. The pathology report came back with no evidence of any cancer in the lymph nodes!!! That is the best news and the part I was most nervous about. The final report is still not complete from the tissue surrounding the tumor they removed. They sent the tissue samples off to Mass General again to have more complex slides made. The Newton-Wellesley pathologist is still leaning towards the tissue being a type of metaplasia versus a sarcoma (a bad type of cancer that originates in bone, fat, or connective tissue) like the original pathology a few weeks back suspected. The tumor removed was the Ductal Carcinoma In Situ that became invasive. No surprises there. So my cancer is a Stage I which is the best place to be other than cancer-free.
My next step is to meet with the radiation oncologist (next Wednesday morning) and the medical oncologist (sometime next week) to go over the plan. Radiation is a definite but chemotherapy is a question mark still. It depends again on the finalized pathology report. Nothing will start for at least a month because I need to be totally healed from the surgery first. I am also awaiting the results of the genetic testing. Those results may further add pieces to my plan.
That is all for now. A BIG THANK YOU to all who contributed to my fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society's Daffodil Days. I told my surgeon that in three days, we have raised almost $1,000!!! He was very impressed about how I wanted to take this negative experience and turn it into a positive one.
Hope to talk to you all soon!
Take care,
Anne
My next step is to meet with the radiation oncologist (next Wednesday morning) and the medical oncologist (sometime next week) to go over the plan. Radiation is a definite but chemotherapy is a question mark still. It depends again on the finalized pathology report. Nothing will start for at least a month because I need to be totally healed from the surgery first. I am also awaiting the results of the genetic testing. Those results may further add pieces to my plan.
That is all for now. A BIG THANK YOU to all who contributed to my fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society's Daffodil Days. I told my surgeon that in three days, we have raised almost $1,000!!! He was very impressed about how I wanted to take this negative experience and turn it into a positive one.
Hope to talk to you all soon!
Take care,
Anne
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