Day 213 - Discharge Papers & Radiation #5: SSD

I open with sad news. I learned today that one of my former co-workers passed away. Kathi Goertzen of KOMO TV in Seattle, WA died today after battling - for many years - benign brain tumors. Just last week, she was admitted into the hospital and today, with her family surrounding her, she passed on to God. I worked with her from 1996-2000. Kathi was an amazing woman and will be missed. If you would like to know more about her, CLICK HERE.



On a lighter note, I got my discharge papers from physical therapy! I forgot to call and cancel my appointment today, so I drove over there right after work and talked with Cassie, my therapist. I told her that I was doing good and she said that she would take measurements and send me off. My final measurements... 170 degrees in abduction and flexion. Remember I started with 85 and 70 degrees... or something small like that. But I can now do about 90% of the things I used to do. I just have to remember to keep stretching for the next year as my skin and muscles could get tight from radiation. She said that after I get my tissue expanders out and the real McCoys put in, I will most likely be right at the 90 degree start off point... oh well. At least I won't have to deal with cording. :)

Radiation was a blast - literally. There's a new guy, Dean. So he was setting me up on the table and making sure I was on my mark. Thank goodness Linea and Dan were there, cause he wasn't hitting the marks that he needed to be at. Which leads me into Fact #5: SSD: That is the Source to Skin Distance. While they are lining me up, they are reading off measurements. They use my tattoos as a jumping off reference point and then move me up/down/side according to what Dr. Marquez has ordered for me. So as they are getting me lined up, they're reading off numbers.

Also got my FMLA papers back from Nicole. And hopefully I will be able to get my course of treatment printed out so I can share with you all!

Day 211 - Phantom Itch

No radiation today. It's the weekend! Hooray! So no fun fact either.

This is something I meant to write about before... the phantom itch. Lately I've been get the urge to itch my breast (before radiation). I'd go to scratch the place where I think the feeling is coming from, scratch it and nothing would happen. There would be no relief... so in order to get the relief I am seeking, I would have to feel all around. Sometimes I would find the place that is actually itchy. Other times I would just leave it alone. For instance, I feel like I have an itch on the top of my breast, but I'd find that I find relief right where my cleavage is. Ha! I was told that this is expected. As my skin and body heals from the mastectomy, the nerves are growing back. However, the nerves may not grow back to the original spot but rather in a distant spot. It's an odd feeling. As for feeling in my boobs, there's feeling around the edges, but as you move further towards the center where my nipples used to be, I don't feel anything. I can feel if you press down, but that's because I feel the tissue expander pushing down on my chest wall. But I won't ever get feeling there. I also have no feeling on the back of my left arm due to the axillary dissection or under my arm. Small price to pay.

Oh yes, last monday when I went in for my physical therapy session, I asked my therapist if I can enjoy hot tubbing. There are mixed reports of what you should do. She suggested that since I do not have lymphedema, but I am at risk, that I can go in as long as I keep my arm out of the water. So we'll see!

P.S. Do you like the facts??? I know my radiation techs are really getting into it! :)

Day 101 - I'm shrinking! I'm shrinking!

I went in today for my ultrasound. I had a different sonographer who took the pictures and measurements. When she was done she said she was going to talk to the doctor. I asked her if Dr. Chan was in. She said yes. I said good because he is the one who has been following me. So Dr. Chan came in a few minutes later with a Dr. Yow (I think??) who was an OB/GYN resident. I told him that I was BRCA2+. He said that's the reason why I got breast cancer so early. Yup. Then I said that I will most likely now have to get an oopherectomy. The other doctor nodded yes. Anyway, Dr. Chan wanted to look at my breast again. I like him. He said that the tumor was shrinking. It measured 2.2 x 1.8 x 1.6 cm compared with a previous measurement of 3.6 x 3.3 x 2.0 cm. Then he moved to the axillary nodes (under my arm). He found two nodes and said that they are kidney shaped and they don't appear as thick. The largest measured 1.0 x 0.9 x 0.3 cm compared with a previous measurement of 1.4 x 1.0 x 0.7 cm. Then he measured the node in my neck. It measured 1.2 x 1.1 x 0.5 cm compared with 1.5 x 1.4 x 0.6 cm prior. So he was happy with everything and said the treatment is doing what it's supposed to do. The last time I had any measurements was just before my third AC treatment. So I've gone through 4 more treatments. I wish it had gone down even more... but we are moving in the right direction. You'll have to remember that the axillary nodes when I first got to OHSU were "clumpy" and they could find no clear node. So now that they can find the nodes again is awesome. In fact, he was having trouble finding one of the lymph nodes under my arm. So this is good.

Now I get to look forward to two more treatments. And I seriously mean that I get to look forward to two - not 8 a few months back. Let's hope that I don't get sick again. I want to feel good this weekend. That will mean that maybe I will feel good on Mother's Day!

Oh, when I was doing some research online about BRCA, I read that being BRCA1 positive (I'm BRCA2) can actually hinder the chances of conceiving. Interesting. Something about the gene and how it affects the eggs. Just in an interesting thing I found. I wonder if that will be part of a test for those undergoing fertility issues...

Day 62 - Round 4

Got my last infusion of the crappy AC. Yea. Trying something new for the vomiting and nausea. Had my ultrasound today. Good news, confirmed shrinkage of my tumor. Tumor before: 7.6 cm. Tumor now: 3.3 cm. Lymph node in neck before: 2.0 cm. Now: 1.4 cm. Axillary lymph nodes before: couldn't find them, meaning they were clumped together and indistinguishable. Now: can see the lymph nodes and they're looking like nodes again.

There's more to write, but I am beat. Going to bed. Will fill you in on more... just check back later for today's post.

*** Update ***

I promised I'd be back. Sorry it's later than I imagined. I have either been busy or tired.So here goes... Thursday, Brad dropped me off at the Center for Health and Healing. I took the tram up to the top of the hill where my appointment was. I got there and they told me they didn't have and appointment for me. However they did find someone to do my u/s. While I was waiting, there was a girl who helped me from the very beginning getting me my appointments, Amanda. She came out and talked to me. I told her it looked like things were looking up.I got into my u/s. It was the same lady who did my original u/s. I told her that I am doing better now and that the other day when we first met I was a horrible mess. She said that was okay... figuring under the circumstances. She did my u/s and we just talked about nonsense stuff just to pass the time. Then she went and got a doctor to make sure that she got everything. This time Dr. Chan came in. He said that everything was looking good. The longest point of the tumor had shrunk by half, the axillary node under the arm had shrunk. Before, the nodes were all clumped together and they couldn't distinguish a node. Now they could see the traits of the nodes. This is good news. The node in my neck had also gone down from 2cm to 1.4cm. I asked Dr. Chan what the size of node should be. His answer... he doesn't know as everyone's lymph nodes are different sizes. As long as they see the size going down, it's good. He did say that at the next screen they may not see much difference, but with other testing like an MRI and PET, they will see if the area is consuming lots of glucose and metabolizing a lot. That's an indication of cancer in a particular part of a body.Next I met Brad down at the Center for Health and Healing. Took the tram back down. Met him and got my blood drawn. Then after that we went back up the tram to get some lunch. I had a cheeseburger and fries. The burger was HUGE. I could not finish it. Then it was down the tram again for my chemo and meet with Dr. Luoh. With Dr. L, we talked mainly about controlling the nausea and vomiting. We are hoping this round will fair a bit better. :) Then it was time for my treatment.