Finally…a plan!

Yesterday we had to go to LR to get my results from the scans I had last week, and find out my treatment plan.

My appointment was at 1:45 yesterday afternoon, so we took the kids to MDO at the church in the morning, and headed out. We left town around 9:30. We made it to LR at about 11:45 and met up with one of our friends for lunch. We then headed to the hospital for my appointment.

I was so nervous about getting the results that my stomach started hurting, which if you know me pretty well, you know that that’s not hard for me to do!

We finally got back to the clinic room at around 2:15p. The nurse came in and was talking to me about the meds I have been taking, and then left for the doctor to come in. He came in and said, “Hi. How are you?” In a really quiet tone..not him. I looked at Hubby and said, “Must be bad news. He’s awfully quiet!”

The doctor looked at me and said, “Don’t say that! I haven’t even looked at the scans yet!” LOL

So he gets on there and first thing he looks at is the MUGA scan. He said my heart looks excellent! Next was the CT scan. No cancer in the brain!!! Then he tells me about my MRI scan, which I already knew about that. The next one was the PET scan. The one I worried about the most. His response?

No cancer in the heart, or lungs, or liver, or anywhere else in my body!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!

There is some, however, in some lymph nodes in the mammary glands behind the left breast. Which is a little worse than we thought. But not much. It does raise my staging from a stage 2B to a 3A. BUT it is still curable!!

I start chemotherapy this Friday. Hubby is going to stay home with the kids and my mom is going to take me…she seems to worry about me for some reason! We have to be up there at 9:15a Friday morning. We plan on leaving around 6a because I have to eat something before treatment. They said they would last up to 3 hours, which with my mom, shouldn’t be so bad…plus a good book.

The plan will still be 6 treatments, once every 3 weeks. Then surgery. Surgery will determine treatment plan afterwards though. If the lymph nodes behind the breast are big, they will probably remove them and then I will have to have radiation. If not, I will probably only have to have one or two more treatments of chemo. Plus I will have to continue with the Herceptin for 11 more treatments afterwards.

Anyways, I’m a little worried about some of the side effects that I have to watch for…fever, constipation, diarrhea, infection. I can handle some of them though…fatigue, tiredness (maybe I can finally catch up on my sleep!), hair loss. The doctor said they will give me some medicine before, during, and after treatments to help me with nausea, since EVERYTHING makes me sick to my stomach!

I’m just looking forward to getting this all started. The quicker it’s started, the quicker it’s done!!

Please pray for God to give me strength, and for my body to handle the treatments like a pro!

Tests, tests, and more tests??

I know I haven’t posted in a while…like almost a month..but I’ve had a lot going on. Not just in reality but in my head too.

The genetic testing came back. They told us when they did it that the results could be one of three. One, yes…it’s positive (genetic). Two, no…it’s negative (not genetic). Or the third, the one no one wants to get, undetermined..which means that there is some change in it, but not enough to say yes its genetic. But some change in it, which could result in normal human gene mutation.

Guess what, I’m the third! Figures!!

The MRI came back that there is two more tumors, on the same side, and in the lymph nodes also on the same side…the left. On the right side, there is a spot, but it’s not a tumor, and they are not saying it’s cancer. They don’t know what it is.

We met with the plastic surgeon and with the oncologist that will be doing my chemo. The plastic surgeon freaked me out about reconstruction, but I know that he was just doing his job by telling us the risks. The oncologist was very upfront and nice. He said that I had to have some more scans done before we could start chemo. He did some little tests things on me (looked in my eyes and mouth, listened to my heart and lungs, had me walk, and had me stand with my feet together and eyes closed while he pushed on my shoulders.

He told me that his gut feeling was that it hasn’t spread yet but that I needed to have a CT scan and a PET scan to make sure. He also wanted to do a MUGA scan on me to check my heart. I have to be on Herceptin for about a year because I am HER2+, and it can weaken my heart muscles. So doing the MUGA before and monitoring during treatment will be crucial.

We have to go to LR tomorrow to meet back with the oncologist to get my results from the scans. I am more than nervous about them! I have told many people that every test I have had, has given me bad news. This one has to be the one that gives me good news!! I know it’s all in God’s hands, but it’s scary to think that it could have spread and could put me as being a Stage IV! I’ve just been praying for peace and strength…as well as healing!!!

Update

It’s been a hectic past couple of weeks, hence the reason why I haven’t posted in almost 2 weeks!

I had my appointment with Dr. Klimberg, my oncologist, on Feb 22, in Little Rock. We got there about 9am, and left the Cancer Institute at around 1230ish. The doctor was really nice and helpful. She met with me, told me what was to be expected (genetic testing, MRI, chemo, maybe surgery depending on genetic testing) and then told me she wanted to do an ultrasound on my lymph nodes on the left side (the side where the breast cancer is located).

Ultrasound bad news? There was a lymph node that looked suspicious. Good news? It was just one!

She wanted to do a needle biopsy right then and there to see what it was. It was positive for cancer cells. They set my appointments I would need in order to be able to start chemo up (I Port placement, genetic testing, MRI) . Told me they would see me in three months, which is when we would talk about whether a mastectomy was necessary, and sent me for some blood work.

We left the hospital, did a little bit of shopping and then headed home. I wasn’t sore until that evening when the numbing medicine started wearing off (they had to give me 4 doses of that stuff)

We had to go back to UAMS that next Thursday to have my port placement. I was more nervous about that then the original appointment with Dr. K! The numbing medicine HURTS!! We got there and Hubby was more than willing to sit out in the waiting room! He did NOT want to see anything that they were gonna do to me! HA

After the port placement, we left and did a little bit of shopping, grabbed something to eat, and then headed home. My arm was SORE after all of that. My shoulder ached…and still hurts from time to time! But they say it’s all gonna be worth it in the end.

We go back up there tomorrow for my genetic testing and MRI. Thankfully the only poking they will be doing is for blood work! These past few weeks I feel like I have been a human pincushion!

I’m staying positive about all of this because I know it’s all in God’s plan! He has a reason for all of this and I know that He will protect me, but that His Will will be done!! Glory Be To God!!!

 

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Phil. 4:13