Look Good Feel Better

Today I had the amazing opportunity to attend a free cancer event called "Look Good Feel Better" put on by the American Cancer Society and sponsored by the Professional Beauty Assoc and Personal Care Products Council Foundation.  If anyone is going through breast cancer, I highly recommend this program, it was awesome!  It was 2 hours long, and about 10 women attended of all ages, and stages of treatment.  Nearly all of the women had little to no hair and were wearing wigs.  There were oncology and radiation nurses from the hospital there to help out, but it was led by an ACS Cosmotology Consultant.  We were each given a cosmetic bag full of brand new, name brand make-up ($200-$250 worth), and the consultant took us step by step through each process of make-up application.  Then she went through different ways to wear scarves and head wraps, and proper care of wigs.  I can't speak highly enough about this program.  It is in all 50 states, and in most hospitals near you.  Just go here to check it out and find a location near you.

During the class

All the make-up that came in the cosmetic bag

The Shave!!

   I was told that my hair would start falling out in clumps 10-14 days after my first chemo treatment.  Several survivors as well as my nurse told me that it is better to just shave your head ahead of time, rather than to experience the clumps of long hair on your pillow and in the shower.  So exactly 10 days after chemo, I had it all planned.  My wonderful friend/stylist/childhood classmate volunteered to come over to my parents' house (close by) to shave my head.  This was nice because I didn't have to go into the salon where I was afraid people would be staring at me and making a big deal about it.  I also did not own sheers to just do it myself.
   So, Jessica started by cutting off my hair with scissors, then buzzing it short.  After each step I looked in the mirror so I wouldn't be totally shocked at the end result.  Originally I was excited to get it done, but then when the actual time came, I was super nervous.  When I looked in the mirror after the first step I got really scared!  I had to hide my face when I looked after the final step.  I never did cry (and still haven't), but I was definitely shocked at the final result.  I hate the way it looks, especially with no glasses and no make-up, but it's definitely quicker to get ready in the morning.
   I do have a wig, and wore it to dinner last night.  I used a skull cap under the wig, which turned out to be too tight and uncomfortable.  My Dad was not present when I got my head shaved, and only saw me right afterward with the wig on.  So, when I went to dinner with my parents and decided on the drive home I needed to take my wig off because it was hurting my head, I warned them I was taking it off, so my dad would not be shocked seeing my bald head for the first time. I was sitting in the front seat next to him.  I made sure he heard me and knew I was taking the wig off, but apparently he didn't know I was going to take it off right when I did, because he turned to look at me right after I took it off and screamed out and turned his head the other way and hid his eyes.  It was sooooo funny!  We all started laughing, but I think it was more of a laugh-so-we-don't-cry type of laughing. :)  My Dad was totally freaked out!

                                             My original hair (with my mom)
                                                                                                      

During the first stage (cut)

During the second stage (buzz)

After the shave with Jess

 

My Wig
 

First Chemo

So my usual upbeat and strong personality is now out the window!  My first chemo treatment was Tuesday May 7th, and my parents went with me.  It took 7 hours, because it was my first treatment and also because they were really busy.  They have a pharmacy/pharmacist on site in the office who mixes up all the chemo drugs just before they are needed.  The office was very busy, so I had to wait a while in between medicines.  I am taking Taxotere, and Carboplatin, plus Herceptin.  Two of the drugs take 1 hour through IV, the other takes 30 min., plus they pump me full of fluids before and after.  I did really well on Tuesday and even felt fine on Wednesday, but it hit me hard starting early Thursday morning.  I went in to the Dr's office on Wednesday to get a WBC booster shot called Neulasta.  So, by Thursday I was in a full blown chemo nightmare.  I was having severe bone pain in my hips, neck and back (from the Neulasta), along with severe nausea from the chemo.  Today is Saturday and I'm just now starting to feel better. I am not looking forward to going through this THREE more times!  Today is my first time out of the house in four days. :(

Crap!

   Well, I have received some more test results and am progressing along in my treatment.  My breast MRI results came back and showed "two areas of enhancement" on my left breast (other side).  My surgeon wanted to do an ultrasound to try and verify what those areas were, hoping they were fibrous tissue or cysts.  Fortunately, but unfortunately the ultrasound was clear and showed nothing...nothing to explain those enhancements.  Therefore, I had to go back in for another MRI to see if those areas showed up again, and if they did I was told they would biopsy those areas.  So, I went in last Thursday scared to death that I would have to get TWO MORE BIOPSIES!  If you remember, I had an initial biopsy through ultrasound on my right breast that diagnosed my original breast cancer, and it hurt like HELL!!  So they did the "second look" MRI and sure enough those same areas showed up.  I immediately panicked (still face down on the MRI table).  So, the radiologist prepped me for the biopsies and proceeded to do two MRI guided biopsies.  Thank the Lord, although it did hurt, these biopsies were not as painful as the first one.  They use a different method for the MRI biopsies, so it wasn't as painful.  I didn't even bruise.
   So, the next day on Friday I received a call from my surgeon letting me know the results of the MRI biopsy.  Praise God both sites were benign!!!!  So he told me that was the last piece of the puzzle and he is now releasing me into my oncologist's care.  I am suppose to start chemo in about a week.  I should find out the beginning of next week what kind of chemo and for how long/often I'll be given it. 
  I did also find out that I am HER2 positive.  Therefore, I am hormone receptor positive, which means my treatment will be extended.  I will be given an IV of Herceptin every 3 weeks for a year, in addition to the chemo.

There's a link

  I was diagnosed with stage 1A melanoma on my left arm in mid-January and had surgery to remove it on February 5th.  Skin cancer runs highly in my family, although I am the only immediate family member to get melanoma.  About 3-4 weeks after I was cleared from the melanoma diagnosis, I discovered a lump in my breast and started the journey of breast cancer.  Of course, the first question my family and I kept asking the doctors was "are the two cancers related?".  First, my breast surgeon said it was "unlikely".  Then my oncologist said "no".  After posting on facebook about my diagnosis, a friend informed me that her mother had melanoma and breast cancer within the same year.  I found this to be very interesting and immediately started research online.  Apparently, there is a correlation!  A study was done in the UK and published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science a few years ago, which proves that there is a link.  This other article is interesting too: "they concluded that survivors had a 28 percent increased risk of a second cancer, mostly due to their 9-times greater likelihood of developing another melanoma than the general population. The most common second cancers after melanoma were breast, prostate, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma."
 
  After I learned about this information, I started finding more people/professionals who were aware of this study and believed there to be a link.  I also found out a family member of mine has also had both cancers.  So upon learning this new information, my family and I demanded a PET Scan, which scans your entire body looking for cancers.  Praise the Lord, my PET Scan was clear.
  So if you or anyone you know has ever had breast cancer or melanoma, please be aware of this study and regularly check your body for abnormalities, and immediately seek a doctor if you see or feel anything unusual.

Waiting Game

   Well the streak of luck has ended.  I received some not so good news from my breast surgeon this morning.  Some more test results have come in and they are not negative.  The breast MRI I had the day after my surgery showed that the mass is not 1.7cm like they had originally thought (from the ultrasound), it is actually 2.9cm.  The MRI also showed two areas of enhancement on my other (left) breast.  The surgeon said this could be just a cyst, but I will need another ultrasound (and possibly biopsy) on this side now to be sure.  He also informed me of the pathology results from my lymph nodes that were taken out during surgery.  They removed 3 lymph nodes and 1 of the lymph nodes showed cancer.  Apparently though the cancer is super small (0.02mm).  In fact, it is soo small, the surgeon is not sure how to proceed with it.  He said normally they would go in and take out more lymph nodes, but he may just treat it with radiation since it's so small.  My nurse said they would had to have really been looking for it to have even seen it.
  So, right now they have postponed my chemo until they figure out what is going on, if anything, with my left breast.  I have the ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday).  Also, every Tues morning at CHN the cancer doctors get together and discuss between 3-6 patients in a "conference".  There are about 10-15 doctors including breast surgeons, radiologists, and oncologists. My surgeon said he is going to present my case in the morning to the doctors.  This is good news, because many specialists will all be discussing my case and figuring out the best treatment and plan for me.  I am excited to hear what they decide!

UPDATE:  My surgeon met with the other doctors on the panel and they decided that since the "cancer" was soooo minute in my one lymph  node, that they are not even going to really consider it.  Apparently, it is only considered "cancer" if it is over 0.02mm, and mine was exactly 0.015mm in size.  So it's really too small to even deal with.  My surgeon said that because it's so small, he's considering me lymph node negative.  He will not remove anymore lymph nodes (YEAH!!), and the chemo and radiation should take care of small amount that is in there.  Plus he said that the "cancer" was encased within the lymph node.

Initial surgery

  On April 17th I went into surgery for a port placement and sentinel node biopsy.  I had to arrive at 10:30a.  I was scheduled to be at Nuclear Medicine at 11:30a and my surgery was scheduled for 12:30p.  As I mentioned before, my veins are very hard to thread.  After my nurse tried to insert my IV and couldn't, she requested an anesthesiologist to come in and try.  He was successful and said that he got THE ONLY vein that was left!  By the time they prepped me and inserted my IV, it was about 11:35a.  So they walked me down to Radiology where the Nuc Med Tech inserted radioactive dye into my breast.  It took all of 2 minutes, but it stung pretty bad as it went in.  The dye they injected is suppose to tell the surgeon if any of my lymph nodes are feeding off of the cancer.  Apparently, the surgery took about 2 hours and 15 minutes.  I was told that it took me about an hour to wake up from the anesthesia and I was SUPER groggy.  I did NOT want to wake up. Once they moved me from the bed to the chair, I got nauseous and started vomiting.  I also vomited on the way home in the car ;) We didn't end up leaving the surgery center until 6pm!  So of course I slept the rest of the night, and most of the next day.
  Apparently, three of my lymph nodes lit up with the dye, so they removed those and sent them off for pathology to make sure the cancer isn't in those nodes.  I am pretty sore in both arms....the port was put in my left chest, and the nodes were taken from my right armpit.  The first two days my wonderful mom had to literally feed me like a baby because I couldn't lift my arms.  I have a huge bruise under my right arm, but luckily both surgery sites have very small incisions.  So, I am just waiting now for the soreness and pain to go away so I can return to work.
  I have received some more test results in the past few days.  My BRCA was negative, my Echo cardiogram was good (60-65%), and my PET scan was clear!  So far all my tests are coming out great...I hope that continues.