Cycle 2 day 5

Friday July 24 I had my second cycle of chemotherapy. It was a long day because I also had my port placed. 

Before my port placement.  

The port placement was actually a bit more uncomfortable than I thought it would be but it is done now and I have access for my treatments for the next ten months. We received really really great news on Friday. On Manual exam my doctor believes that my tumor has shrunk by 50% in diameter. That's amazing!   I can't wait to have an ultra sound in a few weeks to see how much smaller it really is.  

I was able to tolerate the Taxotere this round and I have to tell you it has wiped me out. I have slept and slept and slept.  Chemo is not easy but we are kicking cancer's ass 

Checking in, cycle one day 19

The last two days I have been feeling good. Food is not always my friend but that is easy to work around.  Thursday we go to MDA for a pre op appointment and port education.  Friday morning I will have my port placed. It will be on the left side of my upper chest. The port gives access for chemo without having to have an IV placed each time. Since we have about a year of treatment, six rounds of TCHP, surgery and then six rounds of trastuzumab alone, I think it is a good thing. Keep your fingers crossed that I am able to have the taxotere this next round without a reaction.  If I can not it will change our treatment plan. I am a little nervous about it. How much worse will I feel with the extra medication? 

One cycle down, five to go.

Cycle 1 day 8

I did it! I made it through the first week of chemo!  Nausea, fatigue, body pain and diarrhea (I know, TMI) all made an appearance but I made it through. Little triumphs and small goals! My next goal is to make it past the 2 week mark, when my counts are at their lowest, without getting sick. 

Cycle 1

Friday we spent almost all day at MDA.  We arrived at 11:00am and left around 12:30 am. I had my initial images done for a study in Mulecular Breast Imaging, an Echocardiogram, an appointment with Dr K. and my first round of Chemo. Patrick was with me every step of the way. 

(By the way the bag on the right is the one mentioned in my first post.)

Dr K. had the results of my additional testing. I am HER2 positive. This makes targeting my cancer a bit easier. It also gives me more surgical options, but we are going to worry about that later.  Being HER2+ means that I get 6 rounds of chemo and herceptin drugs every 21 days. We went over all of the side effects, there are many. All of the daily precautions, also many. Then off to the infusion center we went. 

The HER2 medicines and chemo premeds.  

I receive the medications for HER2 first. They make you feel a bit tired. These take about two hours to run.

 At this point it had gotten so late they had to transfer us from the infusion center to the main hospital because they were closing, while we moved I received steroids and anti nausea medications.  Once we got settled into our new room and met the new nurse it was time for the chemotherapy drugs. Taxotere was first.  Apparently 25% of the patients receiving this drug will have a side effect. The nurses all mentioned this several times. They keep an emergency kit in their pockets just in case. Well you guessed it, I am one of the 25%. Within minutes of the drug starting my chest became super heavy, my throat scratchy and thickening like when your getting strep throat.  The nurse stopped the medication and gave me 50mg of Benadryl and something else. My Bp was 154/101.  Fifteen minutes later my chest felt better, my Bp was down but my throat was still dry and tickling and I was definitely feeling the effects of the Benadryl. The nurse had talked to the Dr. and we would try it again now that I had had the Benadryl. Some patients just need the antihistamines to be able to receive the medicine. Now please remember that it is after 10pm on July 3, a holiday. The nurse starts the medicine again. Bp was ok, my chest was a bit heavy but not like it was before ( could have been the Benadryl) but I was still having to clear my throat. The nurse decided I was reacting again and stopped the Taxotere. She was very afraid that  my throat would close and because it was a holiday they didn't have the same staff as normal to handle that well. She administered another 25 mg of Benadryl, we waited 30 minutes and moved on to the next and final chemo drug.   By 12:30 am we were head home. After all the Benadryl I don't remember much of that ride. I crawled into bed and slept until 9:30. Missing the Taxotere does have one positive, it was the drug that would cause hair loss in my cocktail so I hopefully get a one month more with my new short hair cut  

Saturday found me tired and with a massive headache, no Tylenol or Motrin allowed though. We had a quiet day, at dinner at kids house and then watched the neighborhood fireworks. 

I did not sleep well Saturday night I woke often feeling queasy and with a headache. By 5am I gave in and took the pain medication prescribed and zofran. Zofran is my new best friend. Hopefully the nausea doesn't last too long.  We ran back to the hospital on Sunday for my nuelasta booster. This increases bone marrow to hopefully keep my cell counts up. It can also cause bone pain (let's hope not). 

Today, Monday, is quilt bee day. It only happens once a month but I am going to have to miss it. I am in awe of the people who do this and get up and go to work. I am very lucky to be able to stay home while I don't feel well.

Preparing

Since our meeting with my team last Friday I have been preparing myself for the challenge ahead. First on my list after finding out it would be gone in 2-4 weeks after my first chemo was my hair. I wanted to donate as much of it as I could. Saturday morning our first stop was a hair cut.  I am not going to lie, there were tears. I hadn't had a serious hair cut in almost eight years.

Before

After 

My fourteen inch braid is tucked away in a zip lock bag waiting to be mailed to Locks of Love. 

Saturday afternoon I spent time eating junk food and drinking sangria with friends while floating in the pool.  Alcohol and pools are not really on the chemo approved list so I relished every moment. 

Monday evening Patrick and I drove to Bacliff, Texas to Dockside Tattoo and got matching tattoos from Brittany Moates. I spent a great deal of time thinking and researching after my diagnosis. I knew almost immediately after hearing those words that my next tattoo would be something to see me through this, something I could look at and feel powerful. I started with words, strength, courage, brave, then saw a few of those words with arrows under them on Pinterest. That lead to research as to the meaning of arrows.   I found this on a website about the meaning of Native American drawings with arrows and their use in tattoos. 

"One of the biggest factors in altering the meaning, is the way the arrow is depicted or placed in the tattoo design. For example:

A solitary arrow represents defense and protection from harm. It can also be used as a symbol of movement or direction.

Two arrows pointing away from each other commonly stand for war.

A broken arrow image is one that depicts peace or the burying of the hatchet.

Two arrows crossed is a symbol of friendship

A bundle of five arrows typically designates strength, as a single arrow can be easily broken, but a bundle of arrows is tougher to break.

An arrow through a diamond symbol can represent courage as one moves forward.

For anyone searching to depict a positive outlook on life, an arrow tattoo can be a great place to start. An arrow being pulled back on the bow can depict life dragging someone down, whereas the arrow being released propels them straight ahead into something new and positive. With that being said, an arrow can only shoot forward by being pulled back, so only by going through dark times can you push yourself to better ones."

After reading this I knew arrows were what I was looking for. A grouping of arrows for strength. An arrow going through a diamond for courage.  Patrick loved the idea and when he suggested getting the same tattoo I suggested the opposite arm so that when we held hands we would have twice the strength and courage. That sealed the deal. I absolutely love our new tattoos. 

The next morning found us up at 4:00am ready for a day of testing, bone scans, labs, CTs, and a baseline appointment for a lymphodema study my surgeon is conducting. 

We are almost ready, just an echocardiogram and an appointment with our medical oncologist before cycle 1 of chemo on Friday.