I had my 3 month PET scan (glorified CT scan) on Tuesday and saw my oncologist yesterday. She said there was no indication of any cancer cells on either my scan or my CA 127 blood test (cancer marker test). I believe the last time I had the CA 127, it was in the 20's, yesterday it was 11.7. That's great that it went down. They fluctuate and everyone has them. It's only a concern if they start to go up.
I have another follow-up in September and we'll determine then if I'm having more scans. Otherwise, the next scan will be in 6 months.
She told me to start taking the Estrogen blocker again which will cause bone & joint pain. I'll start to feel like I'm 80 again. She's worried that since I did have a slightly estrogen positive tumor the second time, that if we don't block it, it could come back again. I'll take it and add some glucosamine/chondrointin to my diet. Hopefully it will work.
She also said my other side effects should get better in time. Since the neropathy (tingling/numbness) in my fingers has stopped, that's a good sign that my feet/toes will stop eventually too. My hair is still falling out a little. She says this is post traumatic stress and it should subside in a few more months. I hope so or I'll be bald again! Actually, you'd never know it. Only I do since I know how thick my hair was and how thin it is now.
Oh well, moving forward and trying to live like it never happened. I'll be in Maine June 30th-July 20th. It will be nice to get out of this oppresive heat. It's over 100 here! Hopefully I can bring some warmth and sun to Maine!
Love,
E
Breast Cancer Survivor
"We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails"
Family photo November 2008
Friday, June 26, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A depressing moment
Hi everyone. Things have been going well. My burns are completely healed and I've been hanging out with the kids at the pool as well as getting back in the gym.
I went to Wal-Mart today. On my way out, I ran into the husband of one of my chemo friends. His name is Carl and his wife is Sheila, the lady that I helped calm down on her first day of chemo at the end of last year. He saw me and I said "do you remember me?" He said he did and hugged me. We talked for a bit and then he said, "you know I lost my wife in January, right?" I must have looked like an idot with my mouth on the floor because I said "no, I'm so sorry, I didn't". She had Stage 4 lung cancer, which I know is bad, but I really thought she'd beat it. He said "well, we lost the battle but at least we fought it." The ironic thing was, it wasn't the cancer that killed her. Well, indirectly it did. She got a blood clot in her leg as a side effect of the chemo. I was there with her one day when she was in tears because the blood clot hurt so bad. It broke loose and she had a stroke and died.
That was the last time I saw Sheila. I often wondered how she was doing since I hadn't seen her. I also wondered a few times if she had passed away. Being in the cancer ward is scary. People around you, people you've made friends with, die every day. The nurses aren't suppose to tell you how someone is doing but I could sneak bits of information out of them. One time I asked about someone that had passed away. They told me they had lost 7 patients that week. That was the last time I asked, it was too much to handle while I was hooked up to the poison that was potentially killing these people.
It's a cliche, but Sheila is in a better place. She was in a lot of pain and suffering pretty badly. I hope she's happy and watching her daughters grow into beautiful young ladies. She is missed.
Love,
E
I went to Wal-Mart today. On my way out, I ran into the husband of one of my chemo friends. His name is Carl and his wife is Sheila, the lady that I helped calm down on her first day of chemo at the end of last year. He saw me and I said "do you remember me?" He said he did and hugged me. We talked for a bit and then he said, "you know I lost my wife in January, right?" I must have looked like an idot with my mouth on the floor because I said "no, I'm so sorry, I didn't". She had Stage 4 lung cancer, which I know is bad, but I really thought she'd beat it. He said "well, we lost the battle but at least we fought it." The ironic thing was, it wasn't the cancer that killed her. Well, indirectly it did. She got a blood clot in her leg as a side effect of the chemo. I was there with her one day when she was in tears because the blood clot hurt so bad. It broke loose and she had a stroke and died.
That was the last time I saw Sheila. I often wondered how she was doing since I hadn't seen her. I also wondered a few times if she had passed away. Being in the cancer ward is scary. People around you, people you've made friends with, die every day. The nurses aren't suppose to tell you how someone is doing but I could sneak bits of information out of them. One time I asked about someone that had passed away. They told me they had lost 7 patients that week. That was the last time I asked, it was too much to handle while I was hooked up to the poison that was potentially killing these people.
It's a cliche, but Sheila is in a better place. She was in a lot of pain and suffering pretty badly. I hope she's happy and watching her daughters grow into beautiful young ladies. She is missed.
Love,
E
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