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Friday, December 28, 2007

DONE!

FINALLY! After 14 months of chemo and Herceptin I am finally done with treatment. I still have to meet with my oncologist next week and get the final exam. I am so glad to get that behind me. I will still have to have lab work done every 3 months for 2 years and then every 6 months just to make sure everything is staying the course.

I still have some major reconstruction hurdles to get over but I am so thrilled to not have to have drugs pumped into my system on a regular basis. I am excited to get the port taken out as well. I don't notice it any more but getting it removed is my way of saying I don't ever plan to need that thing again!!!!

It is a great way to end the year. I will be toasting to a new year and toasting to being done!!!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Ups and downs

This last fill has had lingering pain. I am so glad it was the last one but I am not looking forward to waking up achy every morning until the first of March when my doctor gets back. I haven't been able to work out much but I am slowly starting back into my cardio at least. It is amazing how even running pulls at my chest muscles. But I need to be doing something with all the holiday sweets around. Damage control!!!!

On the up side, my last treatment is the day after Christmas. Then on the 2nd of January I will hopefully get the all clear from my doctor and then just have to follow up every 3 months. It will be bittersweet as having to go in every 3 weeks has been somewhat of a safety net for me. Something about being in "fighting mode" makes me feel safer. Of course I don't want to live that way forever. I need to try to get my life back to a new sense of normal. Finishing treatment at the end of 2007 is like giving me a clean slate for 2008.

I spent the end of 2006 and all of 2007 fighting and healing. In that 15 months I have had 4 surgeries so far, 2 MRIs, 4 MUGA scans, 1 CAT scan, 1 bone scan, 4 postoperative fills, about 30 infusions (chemo and Herceptin) and too many doctors appointments to look at what used to be my chest! 2007 was certainly a year about me but not the way I would have wanted. 2008 is my year to take back control. Finish losing the weight, finish the surgeries and move forward!!!

Monday, December 10, 2007

So much for going smoothly

I had my last fill on Friday and it did a number on me. I am still very sore 3 days later. Thank goodness it was my last one. I was lucky that this was the only one that was painful. For some women every fill hurts.

On top of being uncomfortable I have found out that my plastic surgeon will be gone from 12/19 until 3/1. So I have to rush to have the exchange surgery before Christmas or wait around with these rocks in for 12 weeks. My schedule is crazy with the holidays so the only time I could try for was the 19th but the hospital is booked at this point. I am on the cancellation list. They are telling me the doc now might be back as soon as mid-February and I will be at the top of the listwhen he comes back. I guess this is better than nothing. I have to get my port removed in January and I was so hoping to get this all done at the same time. Of course it couldn't go that smoothly.