My surgery was scheduled for Tuesday July 26th at 11:00am. My oncological surgeon (OC) was to perform a mastectomy and take at least two lymph nodes. The process takes approximately two and a half hours. Then it was my plastic surgeon's (PS) turn to begin the process of reconstruction by implanting an expander. I discussed … Continue reading Surgery Recap
Cancer two–HER2 Breast cancer
Party
On June 28, 2001, I began chemo for Hodgkin's Lymphoma and on that day I had a vision. Not from God, but more of a drug-induced vision. To be more specific, it was an Ativan enhanced divination. I thought, "We should throw a party. It'll be like 'Canal Days' and we'll call it 'Cancer Days.' … Continue reading Party
First Short Chemo Treatment
Friday the 24th was my first treatment of trastuzumab, brand name Herceptin, all by itself. This drug works specifically on my type of breast cancer—HER2 positive. I'll be getting it every three weeks until February 2017. The fabulous thing about this round is that the time I will be in the chemo room goes from … Continue reading First Short Chemo Treatment
The Surgery Decision
From the beginning, I've known that I would have some kind of surgery after chemo. I was told that the lump was so large, approximately 5 cm, that I should have chemotherapy first. Otherwise, it would have been a straight shot to a mastectomy. I wanted as many options open to me as possible, so … Continue reading The Surgery Decision
Sixth and Final Treatment
Woohoo! All of the full chemo treatments are done! From now on all I have to take, at least i.v. wise, is Herceptin. This means that the time I have spent in treatment is going to go WAY down. I have been spending—between lab work, doctor visit, and chemotherapy—6 to 7 hours every third Friday … Continue reading Sixth and Final Treatment
another cancer and me 