Ready, Set, CHEMO...

Here we go...Chemo starts on Monday! I met with Dr. Go yesterday (which I absolutely LOVE)! If anyone ever needs an oncologist, I highly recommend him. When I told him that I am going to make one ugly bald lady, he told me I could never be ugly, even with a bald head! Boy, he knows how to win the ladies over, doesn't he? Haha!) He is incredibly knowledgeable, and puts things in terms that I can actually understand- and he seems to genuinely care for me, too! So yesterday's appointment was basically a question/ answer appointment and I had some labs drawn, too. He went over my PET scan- which was good- and I actually got to see the computer images of it. It was so cool! It was in 3D and he could manipulate my body around- just like on TV shows I've seen before. I could see all the "hot spots"- which were my brain- that means it's working properly (of course!) and around the surgery site, which was normal he said. He also said my echo was great- no problems there. Dr. Go went over the plan for the road ahead- 6 cycles of chemo, one every 3 weeks; then radiation for 37 straight days (minus weekends); and then Tamoxifen for 5+ years (a pill). The chemo medicines I am taking are known as "TAC"(forgive me for the spelling here)- Taxotere, Adriamyican, and Cytoxin. He went over the side effects- not so fun! Of course they include nausea/ vomiting, allergic reactions, low blood pressure, tingles in hands and feet, fluid retention, irritable bladder, burns to the skin (if the Adriamyican leaks from the vein- Great!). He prescribed some heavy duty anti-nausea meds called Emend- which I might add is $106 per pill! Yikes! (Thank God for insurance- I just had to pay $25 for 2 pills.) He also prescribed other nausea meds like Phenagren and some others I haven't heard of. He said I can basically get whatever I want as far as meds go- but I hate taking medicine! We'll see how my body adjusts to all of this and I might decide I need to stock my medicine cabinet up with all kinds of goodies! He also is putting me on a steroid the day before chemo and the day after to prevent allergic reactions. The day after chemo, I go back into the office to get an injection of Neulasta- this injection helps your body produce more white blood cells by expanding your bone marrow. I'm not looking forward to this b/c from what I've read and heard, this makes your bones feel extremely achy, like the flu, but worse! So what to expect? Well, on Monday I start at 9:00. The nurse will do some teaching for about 30 min then I'm off to the infusion room. (It's kinda scary, honestly. It's a huge room with lots of recliners and people are just sitting there with IV's getting their treatments. When I went, I didn't see anyone under the age of 70- no offense, but I am in the minority big time! But hopefully, I'll have a companion keep me company on my treatment days.) They told me to expect to be there anywhere from 4-6 hours! (PS- there is no wi-fi connection! Bummer, they need to get that installed b/c I need to find something to pass the time! There's only so much time I can look out of a window and admire the garden and birds.) Then on Tuesday, I'll go back for the Neulasta injection. Dr. Go said the worst feeling days would be days 3-7. Then I'll slowly feel better as each day passes. I'll go back 1 week after chemo to check my blood count. They say days 7-10, your blood count levels drop extremely low. This is where we have to be careful about germs. So, if you want to visit me, great- I'd love you to, but no offense- don't come if you're sick! Dr. Go said make hand washing a must around the house at all times. That's what is ahead of us right now. Down the road after chemo and radiation, we will discuss mastectomy and hysterectomy options, if needed based on the genetic testing- which is in November. That's about it! I am ready to get going and get this over. What's really bothering me now is the fact that loosing my hair is inevitable with the chemo I'm on! Dr. Go said it happens about 12-17 days after the first round of chemo! YIKES! This scares me and I don't have enough guts to go ahead and shave my head! I scheduled an appointment with my wonderful hairdresser to give me a short-do next Thursday. I don't want to go short, but I figured it would be easier on me emotionally to find clumps of short hair on my pillow than long clumps of hair! So, Greg, get the vacuum ready! I'm going today to order my wig and see if I can find some decent scarves. If anyone has some cute, trendy scarves, I'd love to borrow them for a while! :) (I'm not much of a hat person though.) I'm also going to check on some support groups today. I think it would be nice to talk to others having gone through the same kinds of things as me. I know I say this a lot, but I really do thank each of you for your prayers and awesome support! You all mean so much to me and my family. We love you all! :) And a little reminder- I know that God is in control and I see this every day! I feel peace about all of this and I know He will take good care of me! God is good- ALL the time, regardless if this looks bad to us. He has the PERFECT PLAN!