My healing journey: May 2012

Tuesday 29 May 2012

May 28th, 2012
I had an appointment with my medical oncologist today. It was a video conference (like skype) at our local hospital, so I didn't have to travel to Victoria to see him. He gave me the results from my 3rd heart test (1 echocardiogram and 2 MUGA'S). It still hasn't improved enough to get the drug Herceptin. He made it sound like, if I insisted, I could get it, but it would be risky since my heart is only at 45-50% and if it got worse (a side effect of Herceptin), I could have heart failure, so we decided to wait. In 2 to 3 months I can have my heart tested again, so I will be working harder at exercising and eating well. I also asked him about a clinical trial for the drug, metformin, so I'm waiting to hear back from him, to see if I'm eligible. I haven't talked to the radiation oncologist yet, but I told the medical oncologist that I've decided against radiation.

At this point, unless I get into the clinical trial or get the drug Herceptin, I am back to living a normal life, with the exception of seeing my family doctor twice a year, having mammograms once a year and having plastic surgery. There is no other testing; no blood work, no bone scans, no MRI's, nothing, unless I have symptoms like headaches or bone pain, which could indicate a recurrence or a new cancer from the chemotherapy.

So, back to my family doctor to get another referral to the plastic surgeon. (It takes a few months to get an appointment, and another few to coordinate the surgeon and plastic surgeon, so hopefully I'll have my surgery this fall or winter.) I wanted to wait until at least October, to make sure the inflammation has been healed for a while. Constant inflammation isn't good, it feeds cancer. I may also ask to be referred to a different cardiologist, for a second opinion.

Then 2 more follow up appointments, one with the herbalist and one with the doctor from Inspire Health, to see what they suggest, now that I'm finished chemo.

My hair is still short and really soft, but it's getting thicker. It's so nice and cool when the weather is hot! My eyebrows are starting to come back too, it makes it easier to draw them on, but I was getting good at it. The only thing I really have trouble with, is the eyeliner, it's so much harder to put on when you don't have eyelashes! Hopefully they come back soon too!

Saturday 12 May 2012

May 12, 2012
I had my heart xrays (MUGA scan) done a week ago and I'm crossing my fingers that it's improved. To get the drug Herceptin, my heart has to be above 50%, which I'm hoping for, but I won't be surprised if it isn't. My last MUGA scan was done just before chemo, and I'm only now, 6 weeks after chemo, starting to feel stronger with sprinting and dragon boating. My next appointment with the oncologist is at the end of this month. That's when I get my test results and see what happens next. I emailed him about my port-a-cath and he said the surgeon should take it out now, but I remember one of the nurses in the hospital saying, don't rush to take it out, so I will have to ask him if there's a chance I might need it again, otherwise I'm scheduled to take it out in June. In the meantime, the surgeon wants it flushed every 4 weeks, so I have to make an appointment with the hospital to do that again, hopefully it doesn't matter that it's been 6 weeks! LOL I guess I should have asked the oncologist about it sooner.

I have more energy now, so I started my spring cleaning. It was so hot out today (while I was washing the deck), that I got to wear my new bathing suit! I also went dragon boating 3 times this week. On Friday morning we did a memorial paddle for someone that passed away. It was a perfect day!!! The water was calm, the sky was clear and blue, and it was nice and warm. After we paddled to a spot where we could see Mt. Klitsa, Mt. Arrowsmith and the water bombers, everyone from both boats tossed flowers into the water, it was beautiful!

I'm having to be careful with the warmer weather. I don't have any eyebrows left, so I've been drawing them on, but if I get sweaty or hot, I have to be careful not to rub them off!!! LOL My hair is slowly growing back, it looks and feels like "peach fuzz", it's so soft. I don't know what colour it will be yet, some of it looks like it doesn't have colour, but that may come back, we'll see. I'm also starting to tan my head, that way it won't burn when I don't wear a hat. I guess I'll have a nice short haircut for summer!

I'm still shopping for clothes and loving it... they fit me now!!!

Review of events before chemo

Here's a review of events (up until I started chemo) for anyone that I've missed and haven't kept up to date. Sorry for that, it's not that I don't care, I just can't remember who I've told what to! Please continue with your phone calls, emails and Facebook messages, they're uplifting and I look forward to them very much! It's easy to return messages!

It all started Sat. July 2, 2011 when I noticed a large lump on my breast. I had a feeling it was cancer, so I went to the doctor first thing Monday morning and he scheduled a mammogram for the following Monday. The next day he called me at work to inform me that I needed a biopsy. I had my biopsy done on July 15th and was told by the radiologist that it was probably malignant. I was so upset, I went straight to my doctor for more information. The worst part was, not that I could die, but I had to tell my kids! They had been through so much loss and I felt bad that I might leave them too. That was my worst weekend!

I was too stressed to work, so I took some time off to gather information, attend appointments and make decisions. I began to look forward to having more time between appointments, as this allowed me to forget about the cancer for a while. I was so glad that Gary and Darcy had already planned their holidays to come home at that time, it was so good to see them!

On July 22nd I saw the local surgeon, Dr. Ferguson. He gave me the options of lumpectomy or mastectomy and I was asked to decide by the following Monday. I decided to ask for a second opinion and on Aug. 2nd I saw Dr. Hayashi in Victoria. We went over the options and I decided to have a lumpectomy and sentinel node dissection first. If the pathology report showed there was cancer in the the first lymph nodes (sentinel nodes), I would need another surgery to remove the next set of lymph nodes (an axillary dissection) anyways. So, if I had to have a mastectomy, it could be done at the same time.

Then I was referred to a herbalist by my cousin's wife. It was perfect timing, I needed more information and she was able to offer it as well as a diet and supplement plan to control the cancer.

Dr. Hayashi performed the surgery on Aug. 12th in Victoria and everything went well. I was happy with the results and glad that I chose him. Two weeks later I went to my doctor for a post op check and again the next week for the pathology results. That's when I found out the sentinel nodes were positive and there was a bit more DCIS (pre-cancerous cells) in the breast. I was dissapointed, I would need a another surgery! My doctor had suggested a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, so I saw the surgeon on Sept. 9th to discuss the options and get a referral to a plastic surgeon, but he said he wanted to wait until he consulted with the Cancer Agency, because sometimes they want to do chemo or radiation first.

So, on Sept. 19th & 20th I saw the radiation and medical oncologists. They decided it was best to have the surgery first, (a mastectomy along with the axillary node dissection) followed by chemo and radiation. To make sure that I didn't already have metastasis, they arranged for a bone scan which was done on Sept. 22nd in Nanaimo. They also wanted an echocardiogram to see if my heart was strong enough for the type of chemo they wanted to use.

On Sept. 29th I saw my herbalist again to go over the surgery results and review my supplements. The following Monday I went to my doctor for my yearly check-up and he suggested a pelvic ultrasound to check the ovaries and uterus as well. That week I was feeling good, so I went back to work for a few days.

On Oct. 6th I had an appointment with the plastic surgeon, Chris Taylor. We discussed reconstruction, but because of the urgency for surgery, we had to delay the reconstruction. At the time I was disappointed, but now I'm happy because I've lost 35 lbs and it's probably better that I'm waiting until after I'm finished with chemo and radiation!

My second surgery was on Oct. 13th for an axillary dissection, mastectomy and placement of a chemo port. I didn't have any pain, but I did need help getting up and down because it was uncomfortable when the drain tube moved. Ches, Chel & Evan spoiled me rotten :) so did (the dog) Rocky! (Thank you Barb, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have him, and he's been such a blessing!!!) On Oct. 25th I saw the surgeon in Vic. and he removed the drain. Everything was healing, but there was still quite a bit of fluid and swelling. This time the pathology report showed there was no more cancer in the breast, but 3 out of the 10 lymph nodes were involved. Later that afternoon I met with the oncologist to get the results of the echocardiogram. He said my heart wasn't strong enough for the type of chemo they wanted to do and I wasn't able to get the Herceptin that would target my cancer. I was disappointed again. The good news was that the bone scan was clear!

On Oct. 27th I reviewed my supplements with the herbalist to help improve the heart and I saw my doctor for a referral to a heart specialist. On Oct. 28th I had a phone conversation with the oncologist, and he ordered more ultrasounds of my internal organs in conjunction with the ones that my doctor had ordered.

On Mon. Oct. 31st I saw the heart specialist, Malcolm Williams, in Victoria. I had a stress test on the treadmill and was 15% above average, I was pretty happy, it was only 2 weeks after my surgery too. At this point he didn't know why my heart was weak and set up a MUGA scan for January, to check it in 3 months. He said it was possible that a virus had attacked my heart, about the same time I developed asthma.

Fri. Nov. 4th was my ultrasounds. The next week I was at the hospital twice to drain some fluid, once to get my chemo port flushed and another time for antibiotics, I had an infection. The infection was limiting my arm movement, so I went back to the doctor for a referral to the physiotherapist. The results came back from my ultrasounds and everything looked good.

By the 3rd physio appointment the tightness in my arm had disappeared and I was regaining full movement.

During my visits to the doctor, surgeon and oncologists, I was trying to push for further testing of my blood and tissue, but it's not easy to get that in Canada, so I signed up for a program in British Columbia called "Inspire Health". They were just opening a branch in Victoria, so I was able to book an appointment with Dr. Puhky there. He reviewed my diet and supplements, and ordered some blood tests. They also offered a 2 day workshop, but it wasn't available in Victoria yet, so Ches and I had to attend the one in Vancouver. They were so informative! They went over the importance of supplements, especially vitamin D and omega 3's and how we need to meditate to control our stress so that our immune system can work. They taught us that excercise boosts our immune system as well and how to cook vegetables with olive oil, a bit of water and low heat to retain the most nutrients. They suggested a diet of mostly organic or fresh vegetables, especially the cancer fighting cruciferous ones, as well as quinoa, sprouted brown rice and fermented foods. They explained how cancer feeds off inflammation and how we should avoid sugar and refined foods that promote it. I look forward to attending more of their programs!

After another trip to the hospital to flush my chemo port, and I was ready to return to work, but my boss sold the practice while I was on medical leave and I was temporarily unemployed. With a 2 week break over Christmas, I was ready to start the appointments again. The first one was on Jan. 5th in Nanaimo for lymphatic drainage (to prevent lymphedema) and later that day in Victoria for the MUGA scan of my heart. On Jan.6th, another chemo port flush in the morning, followed by accupuncture (suggested by Inspire Health) in the afternoon. I get good news from the new bosses at work, I'm going back part-time!

On Jan. 10th I spoke with the herbalist to review the changes in my supplements during chemo. Another accupuncture appointment on the 12th and back to Victoria to see the oncologist on the 13th. The results from my MUGA scan show improvement, but not enough to get Herceptin yet.

This week I was lucky to work 4 days, it sure felt great! On Jan. 20th I went to the Nanaimo Cancer Clinic to meet Dr. Marback. He will be in in charge of my chemo in Nanaimo. The next day I filled my prescriptions and began to read the info I was given. I started to panic, they had given me the info for a different chemo. Thankfully my sister-in-law reminded me to check my medical records and I could see that it was still the same, but now I was thinking they may have made a mistake in Nanaimo and I might be given the wrong chemo on Monday. I quickly emailed my oncologist in Victoria to double check and he responded that day. The chemo didn't change, they just gave me the wrong pamphlet! This brings us to Monday, the first day of chemo. The morning started off well... I went to my aunts house to pick up a beautiful blanket that she was giving me to keep me warm during chemo and let me know that she's thinking about me. Now I'm off to Nanaimo for the next phase of my healing journey...