January 4 update

Today was the day I went to Indy for my tests.  Praise the Lord the roads were clear and Mom didn't have to ride in the trunk. :D  First was the MRI.  When the MRI was set up, they told me it would be at 11:15 and to arrive 45 minutes early to fill out the paperwork.  When I arrived early, the lady at the front desk told me "You are an hour early, you weren't supposed to be here until 11:15".  I explained what I had been told and while I was filling out the paperwork, they got the tech's there and I got in around 11am.  Hooray!  The MRI itself was a breeze.  Getting the IV in for the contrast was another story.  They couldn't get it in my arm so they had to put it in the back of my hand.  (Another fun side effect of chemo I will have to live with)

After the MRI, a yummy lunch at Applebee's and a trip to Half Price Books (I am such a librarian), I went back for my mammogram.  They took 2 pictures and then the radiologist read the films.  She saw a suspicious spot that wasn't there after my last mammogram so she wanted another couple of shots taken.  After looking at those films, she determined that it wasn't anything to worry about.  I trust the doctors there so I am not going to worry.  I will say this, any doubt that I had about have my other breast removed flew out the window.  I am through dealing with this.  I want it off, end of story.

So please keep me in your prayers that the spot really isn't anything to worry about.  And continue to pray that the insurance finally agrees to pay for the surgery.

December 17/18 update

I had my follow-up appointment with Dr. Schmidt yesterday.   We got there at 1:30pm for my 2:10 appointment.  You would not believe how crowed the waiting room was.  People were standing and sitting in the hallway.  The thing that struck me about that was the amount of women that needed to be there.  2 1/2 hours later, I finally got to see him.  They led Mom and I to an exam room.  Dr. Schmidt did the breast exam and then asked me if I was wanting to do reconstruction.  I told him I didn't want to do that but I had a question about having my left breast off.  So he told me to get dressed and he would be back in.  Well he came back in, grabbed my chart, told me I would be back in March for a mammogram and then led me to the check out.  Needless to say, Mom and I were kinda stunned.  But we figured that scheduling the appointment in March was his answer.  Or maybe I wasn't to that stage yet.  Dr. Schmidt likes to do things in stages and you don't discuss something before you are ready.

So that brings us to this evening.  I am lounging around my house and the phone rings.  It's Dr. Schmidt.  He said "You will think this is crazy, but I just remember you had a question and I didn't answer it".  So we discussed having the left breast off.  He said I didn't have to but he would have no problem taking it off.  So the plan is to go back down there in January for another mammogram and another MRI.  Those who know me well know how thrilled I am about having another MRI.  (They better get that blasted IV right this time).   I will then have my consultation with him and then have the mastectomy in either February or March.

Needless to say, my head is spinning but I truly think this is the right thing for me to do.  So please pray that everything goes right and that there is no snow.  (Mom would appreciate that)

November 30, 2012 update

I had my last radiation treatment today. WOO HOO!!!   I can't tell you how excited I am about that.   As a graduation gift I got a coffee mug with cocoa, tea and 3 Tootsie Roll pops in it.  (I was probably most excited to find out what was actually in the cups)  Now each day when drink my morning coffee, I can remember the wonderful gals in the radiation lab.  They were AWESOME.  I then saw Dr. Logan.  She said everything looked great.  I also got a good supply of every lotion under the sun to take care of my glowing skin.

So now the game plan is this, I have a follow up appointment with Dr. Schmidt on Dec. 17.  I see Dr. Leagre on Jan 11 and Dr. Gupta on April 23. (or at least I think it's April 23, the appointment card is at home).  I have a feeling my life is going to revolve around doctor's appointments for a while.  But if it keeps me alive, I am cool with that!

So if you stop by KHCPL today you probably will see a librarian doing a little of this...

and this

and this

and a whole lot of this

Oct 21 update

It's been a while since I have updated my blog.  It's been a really busy month and every time I have thought about doing it, I have been doing something else or sleeping :D .  Since probably most of you know what has been going on, I thought I would give you the Cliff's (or T's) notes version of what has been happening to me.

Before I begin, I wanted to give a HUGE thank you to my BFF Edie for updating not only my blog, but my Twitter and Facebook accounts while I was down for the count.  She is the bestest friend a girl can have.  You are the tops my friend.  And the passwords will be changed shortly. :)

So buckle your seat belts, it's going to be an exciting ride:

The mastectomy was a success.  Needed more than tylenol right after surgery.  No new cancer found.  No cancer in the lymph node.  Praising God for that.  Drains SUCK.  So do physical therapy exercises.  Moral support was outstanding.  Mothers love to give daughters cleaning advice while they are staying with them.  Daughter is going to get with the Son to make sure his barn is ready for Mother when the time comes.  Dr. Schmidt was downright giddy.  Got to go back to work 2 1/2 weeks after my surgery. A week after that, started preparing for radiation.  Feel like I have The Avengers taking care of my treatment.  Now have a road map where my boob used to be.  

That brings us to this past week.  I started radiation last Monday.  I will have 33 treatments total and I go Monday through Friday.  So I have 5 of those down already.  Woo hoo!  I will say this, radiation is a BREEZE compared to chemo. The only side effect is fatigue.  And that will probably get worse.  (Although Mom keeps tell me I have always been sleepy)

I also saw Dr. Gupta on Monday.  He started me on Tamoxifen.  I have to take this because my cancer feeds off of estrogen.  Chemo started me on menopause, Tamoxifen will push me over the edge.  I told my male co-workers about this on Wednesday.  I do believe they are scared of me now. :D

Keep those prayers and positive vibes a coming.  This cancer is well on it's way to getting kicked to the curb.

September 12 update

I, Edie the pill pusher, have been asked to guest post for T who was fileted with a surgical knife today. As you can see, she's been kind of busy. She got up at predawn thirty to drive to her surgical destination, so that she could wait several hours for her procedure to begin. Shortly after 8 a.m., she was well on her way to OR to have her front-right lobe, shall we say, sliced and diced into oblivion. A little over an hour later, her surgeon emerged to say, "Everything went great." (He gets paid to work with his hands, folks, not with words. Give him a break.) Now, for once in her life, she can truly say that she is left-leaning.

By the time T reached her awaiting entourage, she was lucid and had full presence of mind. She was pained but famished, so to make the medicine go down, she got a small cup of ice cream which she inhaled. It was followed by a Vicodin chaser which might has well have been water. And to think that the doctor's office had informed her that she'd be fine with just a couple of Tylenol to soothe the pain. You try getting a pound of flesh hacked off and see how you feel. After a toasted cheese which was all that with a bag o' chips which she also inhaled rapidly, she was still greatly pained. I, Edie the pill pusher, encouraged her to ask for more pain meds so she could rest. What good is surgery if you can't slip into a narcotic haze? She agreed that less pain was just the thing she needed, and the nurse gave her a hit of morphine which worked quite nicely. Nighty, night, T. Edie, exit stage right.

Squeamish Alert: Later, the nurse gave T meds on an empty stomach, and that didn't go so well. She tumbled her cookies a couple of times. I, Edie the pill pusher, called and suggested more anti-nausea meds which T started to ask for by the time I got off the phone. (I wonder what else I can ask her to do while she is in her compromised state.)

All that was four hours ago. Of course, I don't know what's happened since then, but I am not going to call T's mom at eleven-thirty at night since she got up so dreadfully early because I value my life.

I do know that T has two drains that she will have to maintain for a couple of weeks. Fun, fun. By mid-morning, T is supposed to be on her way home. Over the river and through the woods may not be the most comfortable ride, so in the words of T, "Keep praying."

By the time I left her, T had some of the color back in her face, and her fuzzy, little head was just as cute as ever. T is a trooper and has done remarkably well. T'ain't no surprise to me. God is her strength. She'll be just fine, come what may, because she knows Whose she is.

In another two to six weeks, she can go back to work. In the meantime, she has some healing to do. I'm sure she'd love it if you sent her card and maybe some chocolate. Perhaps a bag of Jelly Bellys that she could eat in the dark. And remember, those prayers won't be wasted. God bless us every one...and especially our T.

August 30 update

This has been an eventful week for me.  I haven't made this many trips to Indianapolis since I got my Master's degree at IUPUI.  The fun started on August 22.  I went down to have an MRI, mammogram and ultrasound.  I had the MRI first and then went to have the mammogram and ultrasound.  They did the mammogram first and then after waiting a bit, they told me I could leave.  I asked about the ultrasound and they had determined I didn't need it.  So I went home.  Thursday afternoon (Aug 23), I receive a call from the hospital scheduling department.  They told me that a couple of the films of the MRI didn't come out and I was going to have to come back down there to have them retaken.  I asked how long this would take and they said "10 minutes".  This didn't make the cancer patient very happy.  But since I wanted things to be seen clearly, I knew I had to go back down there.

So on Tuesday (Aug 28), I went back down to have the MRI retaken.  As they were getting me ready, they explained that the contrast didn't go in correctly so that is why I was having to have it retaken.  I made the comment that during the first one, it felt like the contrast was running down my arm.  Their response was  "You didn't tell us about that".  Silly me, I guess I am supposed to know exactly how contrast going in my arm is supposed to feel.  Anyway, they then tell me that the test will take 45 minutes.  I said, I was told on the phone that it would only take 10 minutes.  Evidently, with a breast MRI, it's an all or nothing kind of deal.  I was ok with that because it made the hour drive down and back a little more worth it.  I also learned that you don't believe everything the scheduling department tells you.

So that brings us to today.  I met with Dr. Schmidt.  He was very pleased with how things are progressing.  The tests look great.  They scheduled my mastectomy for Sept 12.  (I will get the exact time when they send me the paperwork in the mail)  I have to go down to St. Vincent's on Sept 11 to have pre-surgery tests done.

I asked if since the tests looked good if that meant the cancer was gone.  He said the only way to know if the cancer was completely gone was to take the breast and one lymph node off and biopsy (or as Mom said "autopsy") it.

That's all I know for know.  Keep praying that things keep going well.

August 6 update

Sorry I didn't update yesterday.  I had a lot of celebrating to do.

As you know, yesterday was my last chemo (WOO HOO!).  I chose the shirt pictured above to be my chemo day attire.  It was sent to me by my Twitter bestie Luz.  "Bazinga" is one of the catch phrases from the show The Big Bang Theory (one of the shows I am obsessed with).  Sheldon, one of the main characters in the show, uses "Bazinga" after he plays what he thinks are practical jokes on his friends.  Well cancer, the joke is on you, I am going to beat you. "Bazinga".

Dr. Gupta is very pleased with how I am progressing.  Mom commented that people were commenting on how well I was doing.  Dr. Gupta's response "She's not normal".  I take that as a complement.  :D  Mom response was "I could have told you that."

My last chemo went very well.  I slept through most of it.  That Benedryl kicked me in the butt.

Today I am feeling great.  Being the second day after chemo, that makes me very happy.

I wanted to thank everybody for the birthday wishes and well wishes for the last day of Chemo.  I know all the support, prayers, and positive vibes is what has gotten me through this.

So now I move on to the next hurdle in my journey.  On August 22, I go down to Indy to have a mammogram, ultrasound, and MRI.  Please pray for good results.  Then on August 30 to have my consultation with Dr.  Schmidt.  I will get my mastectomy scheduled that day I am sure.

That's all I know right now.  Going to spend the rest of the week celebrating the start of my 44th year.  I know it's going to be a great one.