Her name is Dr Swanson. Very personable. Actually, everybody I met in the oncology dept. was very personable. This is a good thing.
She explained my relative/absolute risks and benefits for any and all treatments for my breast cancer stats. She alleviated some of my
FEAR around the chemo treatments. This is amazing in and of itself!
I still feel like I have to face a
"Big Demon" but I feel like I have someone well experienced covering my back every step of the way. Let's hope this really is the case when the time comes. :)
She was thrilled I already have my port. I guess the nurses just love ports! It makes their jobs so much easier.
She showed me the
"Chemo Room" which looked okay. Very clean and well lit with big windows. A TV @ every chair. She said sometimes a masseuse is there - now that sounds nice!
(Wow- there is a major thunder/lightning storm going on right now! Keep losing electricity.) So here is the
BIG treatment news or in other words:
Adjuvant Therapy news :
I am looking at over a year of chemo and
Herceptin treatments!! Than after that will be the daily radiation (don't know how many weeks that will last) then breast reconstruction surgery and 5 years of hormone therapy (
Tamoxifan .) The chemo will put me into menopause and because of my age it will, in all probability, stay.
Tamoxifan will take care of that!
Wow.
So here are the details:
First will be
Adriamycin & Cytoxan together (the big guns baby!) one treatment every 2 weeks for four treatments. Then
Taxol (another chemo with a different set of side effects) with
Herceptin every week for 12 weeks. Then
Herceptin alone every three weeks for 9 months.
Phew!
So
I have an
appt . with Dr
Fater (plastic surgeon) this Fri. @ 8:30 AM to discuss what he thinks about reconstruction with my breast regarding either a mastectomy or another (3rd) lumpectomy. I jumped on the fence over the weekend about absolutely getting a mastectomy. I am still unsure.
I will have to know which side of the fence I am jumping on by Mon. when I go to see Dr
Oxley @ 2:15.
At that point I should get a surgery date.
That's all for now.
L
She explained my relative/absolute risks and benefits for any and all treatments for my breast cancer stats. She alleviated some of my FEAR around the chemo treatments. This is amazing in and of itself!
I still feel like I have to face a "Big Demon" but I feel like I have someone well experienced covering my back every step of the way. Let's hope this really is the case when the time comes. :)
She was thrilled I already have my port. I guess the nurses just love ports! It makes their jobs so much easier.
She showed me the "Chemo Room" which looked okay. Very clean and well lit with big windows. A TV @ every chair. She said sometimes a masseuse is there - now that sounds nice!
(Wow- there is a major thunder/lightning storm going on right now! Keep losing electricity.)
So here is the BIG treatment news or in other words: Adjuvant Therapy news :
I am looking at over a year of chemo and Herceptin treatments!! Than after that will be the daily radiation (don't know how many weeks that will last) then breast reconstruction surgery and 5 years of hormone therapy ( Tamoxifan .) The chemo will put me into menopause and because of my age it will, in all probability, stay. Tamoxifan will take care of that!
Wow.
So here are the details:
First will be Adriamycin & Cytoxan together (the big guns baby!) one treatment every 2 weeks for four treatments. Then Taxol (another chemo with a different set of side effects) with Herceptin every week for 12 weeks. Then Herceptin alone every three weeks for 9 months.
Phew!
So
I have an appt . with Dr Fater (plastic surgeon) this Fri. @ 8:30 AM to discuss what he thinks about reconstruction with my breast regarding either a mastectomy or another (3rd) lumpectomy. I jumped on the fence over the weekend about absolutely getting a mastectomy. I am still unsure.
I will have to know which side of the fence I am jumping on by Mon. when I go to see Dr Oxley @ 2:15.
At that point I should get a surgery date.
That's all for now.
L