Checking in on Amy

I just woke up from a 3+ hour 'nap.' I was sleepy after dinner and headed straight for my bed, and didn't get up until after 10PM. It was a really good sleep and I guess my body needed it. The side effects of radiation haven't been too bad for me yet. I have completed my 16 treatments and one of my 'boost' treatments, so I've only got three more boost treatments to go. I met with my radiation oncologist on Tuesday and he was very generous with his time. One thing I learned from him is that the protocol for radiation treatment has changed since my treatment started, and 'boost' treatments will no longer be separate but they will instead become part of the initial course of radiation. Had this change happened before my treatment started I would have saved myself four trips to the hospital. I'm glad that the people who come after me can benefit from this change. My doctor explained that, in general, the number of visits required to treat just about ...

This morning I met my medical oncologist. There was LOTS of information shared at this appointment, but I'll cut to the important bits. My first chemo treatment will be Thursday April 14th. (Mom...I know I said it was the 15th but they switched it, I swear!) I'm going to have a PICC line put in next Wednesday. My MRI will happen Thursday morning before my chemo treatment. Six chemo treatments are planned, with each treatment 3 weeks apart. In terms of side effects we expect the 'usual' ones (hair loss, nausea, fatigue, joint/muscle/bone pain, etc.) but also some bigger long-term ones. My ovaries are not going to survive the treatment so it looks like I'm going to truck right on past perimenopause and bring on the real thing. Awesomesauce. Lol. It's funny how 'big' news like that seems like it's not that bad when you are focused on a much bigger problem.  In other news, we have spent lots of time the last few days working on re-locating daughter #2 to...

This morning I met with my surgeon. How are all of these humans so amazing? It is hard to put into words how wonderful everyone is.  My surgeon let me know more about the pathology of my cancer and outlined a plan for a few more tests in the next couple of weeks. The pathology tells us that the cancer I have is aggressive, and also that there are good treatments available to fight it. Additional diagnostic tests will include an MRI of my breast to learn more about the lump as well as an echocardiogram which is done to assess my heart health before starting cancer treatment.  The plan for treatment is to start with chemotherapy and to re-assess the need for (and type of) surgery after we see how successful the chemo has been. My surgeon did a wonderful job describing in general terms what type of information is considered when making decisions about surgery. She and I also discussed how genetic markers can play some role in these decisions. I had already been leaning towards ha...