Moving Forward
I'm getting my energy back, slowly, but surely and was even awake until 11pm on Saturday night! We went to see a Journey tribute band in southern Indiana and us girls even managed a sunset photo 🙂 I went to the surgeon for my follow-up appointment today and she said incisions look great. She said there was only a partial response to chemotherapy, which we already knew, so additional chemo will be recommended. It's apparently up to my oncologist to decide which one so it could be IV or oral. I'm really hoping we can skip the stupid IV drugs. I've been reading on a medication called Xeloda and there are big benefits to taking it for one year post-surgery for TNBC (triple negative breast cancer) so it was on my list to ask about anyway. If anyone needs some additional bedtime reading, here's some info: https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/adding-xeloda-to-chemo-improves-tnbc-outcomes
Dr. Rager said she thinks four weeks of radiation will be good so hopefully my new radiation oncologist will agree, primarily because 20 is a smaller number than 33. 🙂 I have a consultation with him on the 9th to schedule my mold and radiation appointments. We scheduled a six month follow-up with the surgeon, a mammogram since they only did the one side for surgery, and a genetic consult. Now that the upstairs is being taken care of, I'm ready to see what we need to do about the downstairs. She said I could do an oophorectomy (ovary removal) or a full hysterectomy if I was having issues. Since the original lump on the other side was due to a medication I was taking for a uterine issue, I will probably opt for the latter, but I want to see the expanded genetic panel before deciding. This will also give us anything that the kids should be looking out for and they can run it off the sample I previously provided so easy peasy.
One of the nurse navigators I've been dealing with came to talk to me today and asked me to be a mentor for other ladies with breast cancer. She said that my attitude is always great (not sure about ALWAYS, but I'll take it), I'm super knowledgeable (because I'm a control freak and HAVE to know), and she feels like I would be a great resource to women who are newly diagnosed to walk them through the journey. There are some marketing videos coming down the pike and she said she was adding me to the short list for those as well. Now I have something else to look forward to 🙂
TODAY'S SILVER LINING: In other news, I can get back in the water now! Can't wait to start my water aerobics classes back up, but she said during radiation, I would probably have to pause again. I literally boo'd her...just sayin'.