A different path 9/29/2010

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All done! 9/28/2010

Today was my last Herceptin chemo. Unlike all the others, it only took a half hour for the drip to finish. It's all good. I was asked by one of the nurses if I'd learned any life lessons this past year. Truthfully? I can't say I have. I always knew that I could do anything I set my mind to. I know I have been through much more difficult times. I know I am so fortunate to have a family, and especially a husband that loves me. As ever I am me--bald, curly-haired, straight-haired, short-, long-, or in-between haired. The insides haven't changed. I knew all that before. All the past year has done was to confirm what I already knew. I do look forward to getting my life more completely back. It will be strange (in a good way) not measuring my life in 3 week increments, my reality for the past year.

Next up is a meeting on Thursday with the surgeon who will remove my port. If it were my decision, I'd have him take the port out on Thursday afternoon. But I'll have to get into the surgical schedule. I should know when it can come out by Thursday.

Follow ups with the oncologist will be every 2 months to start. I just had a mammogram (clean), and will have an MRI in February (alternating every 6 months). Other than that, no other tests will be done. My recent blood work was clean, too. So, soon, I will bid this chapter in my life adieu. Onward...

Only 1/3 more 9/8/2010

Yesterday I had my last full Herceptin infusion. Hard to believe it's been a year since diagnosis. I have one more partial infusion to go--on the 28th, and then I'll be done with it. The last infusion will only take 1/2 hour instead of the usual 1.5 hour hookup I usually get. Some doctors dispense with the last treatment, but my doctor is a stickler for protocol. Herceptin: good to the last drop.

I have an appointment with the surgeon 2 days later, at which time I'll set a date for the removal of the port. It can't be anytime soon enough. I can feel the port and the connecting tube (connects to my vein--see a good picture here) just under my skin. It will be a blessing never to need it again.

Living my life 8/26/2010

I got the results of the chest xray: clean. I got the results of my mammogram: clean. I got the results of the CA15-3 test (cancer marker test): clean. All I have to do now is be vigilant. I have one more full chemo to go, and a short infusion on the 28th of September. After that, I'll get the port removed. That's when I can really look back on cancer and say : Good riddance.

But no matter what the future may hold for me, I know that I can handle it. Life is sweet.

Spots 8/20/2010

Since the last time I posted, I have had another visit with the oncologist and another Herceptin infusion. When I meet with the doctor, I usually bring a list of things to discuss that I've written down, so I won't forget to ask. On this week's list were 3 particular issues. When will my last Herceptin infusion be, and when can I get my port out? And lastly, what are the purple spots (they look like small bruises) that pepper my right leg? It turns out that while I thought that I only had one more chemo, I have 1 1/3. I will go on 9/7 for my last full treatment (1 1/2 hours), and again on the 28th for 1/3 of a dose (only a half hour). I have to set up a time for the surgery to have the port removed. So I should be port-free by middle of October at the latest.

As far as the purple bruises, she had no idea. "Let's just wait and see what happens". As a matter of fact, by Thursday (my appointment was on Tuesday), the bruises appeared to be fading. But lo and behold, I now have bruises appearing on the other leg. It's the darndest thing: this is not a skin rash, but small, pencil-eraser sized bruises. Where will they go next?

The Arimidex is still the source of regular hot flashes, not too bad to deal with. But now to get a full night's sleep, I have to take Benadryl before I go to sleep. I fell asleep the other night without taking it, and even though I was very tired when I went to bed, I woke up at 3:00. Sleep disruptions are a side effect of Arimidex. But the Benadryl (the PM part of Tylenol PM) works pretty well to allow me to sleep right through.

Yesterday I had a blood test for my Coumadin level (3.06), and also a CA15-3 blood test. Curious as to what that was, I googled it to find that it is a marker for breast cancer. It is given to monitor the response to treatment of invasive breast cancer and to watch for recurrence of the disease. Needless to say, I'll be watching for those results.

All in all, I feel great!

Back to Reality 8/4/2010

Well, back to reality... In the last week I had a blood draw and an Echo Cardiogram, and am due for another blood draw tomorrow. I still don't have a stable INR (test level to determine how thin my blood is, to prevent further clots). I did try to keep a consistent diet while on vacation. Oh well, only 1 1/2 to 2 more months of Coumadin to go. Then it's OUT with the port, because I'll be done with the Herceptin. I've been very good with wearing my compression sleeve, and the glove when working out or hiking. I even wore the 2 of them when hiking at Arches and Canyonlands with heat up into the 100s. Lymphedema is minor. I must say that the humidity back home has been a blessing for my eyes, if not my body. Out west, with 4% humidity, my eyes constantly watered and stung from the dryness and brightness, to say nothing of the wind. My eyes feel much better now. while I do have some measly, straggly little eyelashes, no one's going to mistake me for Brooke Shields after Latisse. The hair is coming back in kind of funky. It's mostly gray, and right now, it's about an inch long--still not enough to braid, or put in a pony tail...

I started the Arimidex on the 26th. I'm expecting the best, and no problems with this stuff. I feel great, and am moving on with life.

Back home, July 26, 2010

I can't believe that the three weeks are gone! From St. Louis to the Plains, to Denver and beyond, it was an amazing trip. Impressions?

The Gateway Arch is cooler than I thought it would be. Standing at the foot of it, you really get a sense of size and proportion. It's situated so the view at the top is east to west, the gateway to the west that Lewis and Clark saw.

The plains are incredibly beautiful: green, rolling hills and forever sky. Can you just imagine the pluck it took to pick up your life, be dropped off by the wagon train in this country, and realize that your new life starts HERE. Here's a shovel.  There's the plains, with sod that has roots that are several feet thick. Build a house from... what? No wood. Sod. I am thankful every day for the courageous men and women who built this country.

Staying at Larry and Rose's was fantastic. What a great time, talking, laughing, crying, eating, drinking...How do people make it without family?

Rocky Mountain NP is overrun. It's proximity to the Denver metro area makes it a mecca for those who want a weekend in nature. We tried unsuccessfully  to take a few trails, because the parking areas for those trails were full. Man, it's windy in the alpine areas of the mountains!

Arches and Canyonlands are spectacular. Maybe it's that in the silence and the vastness of the landscape, in the blue, blue, sky, in the blinding brightness of sunlight, in the contrast of red rocks and blue sky, you get a sense of the scope of time and space.

The Tetons  are majestic, and when you get away from the crowds, they are a sensory delight.
While the long drive across Kansas and Nebraska is really a LONG DRIVE, it's hard not to be entranced by the rippling waves that run across the corn fields in the wind, and the big swath of sky to which you are treated.

We were surprised to see the warning signs on the roads around Jackson, WY that proclaim "No snow plowing between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m." We can't imagine how that policy would ever fly in NH.
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Several days ago, I said that we were going to compile a "bad parenting" list. Here's are some that make our top ten:

1. The father who got angry at his 3 year old for spoiling his hike.
2. Parents who drag babies into uncomfortable situations--i.e. onto steep trails in hot weather.
3. Parents who allow their kids to go on long hot hikes with no water, and wearing flip flops.
4. Rude kids. 
5. At a restaurant in Jackson, we noted this phenomenon: parents who were seated separately from their children. And I'm not talking teenagers. One party of 6 adults sent the 2 children, about 8 and 10 years old, to sit at another table across the restaurant. In another instance, 3 young boys, maybe 6, 9, and 11 years old, came to sit at the table next to ours. The youngest proceeded to slide left and right on the bench seat. When Ray spoke to the kid, the child was shocked--but he stopped. The kids had money for their dinner. There were no adults in sight. Bear in mind that this was not a fast food joint, but a regular restaurant. Whatever happened to family dining? How are kids supposed to know what is proper behavior in public?
6. On the subject of restaurants... We stopped at a pizza place in Jackson that had a salad bar. We watched as a large group of people were ushered to seats at about 8:30 p.m.. It appeared that there were 2 families, 2 sets of parents with 2 kids each. The father of one family went directly to the buffet before he was seated, piling his plate high. His kids then sat and watched as Dad ate. Then Mom promptly went to the salad bar and filled a plate for herself, the children still unfed. The parents ate while the kids watched. By the time we left the restaurant, the kids still had not eaten, although they had ordered food, and Mom and Dad had been to the salad bar 3 times. Are we the only ones who find this behavior on the part of the parents selfish?
7. Again with the restaurants... Small children who run wild in the restaurant are a given.

But when all is said and done, it was a fabulous trip. Final numbers show that we drove 6,189 miles, bought 221 gallons of gas at an average of $2.712/gallon (most expensive in Illinois), averaged 28 mpg, and had 23 days of glorious renewal.

I will let you know when photos are up, and will put a link on each respective day's blog so the pictures make sense.

Love to all...

The secret to living the life of your dreams,
is to start living the life of your dreams, at once,
to any degree that you possibly can. 
Mike Dooley