8/12/2012

The appointment with Dr. Thomas went really well. There was a discrepancy in the original biopsy report and the final pathology report after the surgery. A small percent of my tumor was estrogen positive. This means in addition to the chemotherapy and the herceptin, I will also be taking tamoxifen, a pill for 5 years. Dr. Thomas is also going to get a second opinion on the pathology, just to be sure we are all set before we begin treatment. I still need a few more weeks to heal from my surgery before I begin chemo. Right now the plan is to have my port surgery on Friday August 31st. I am told this should be a fairly simple procedure and I will be going home the same day, so I am hoping that is the case. Assuming everything goes smoothly with my recovery, I will be starting my first round of chemo the first or second week of Sept. I will be getting 6 treatments every 3 weeks. The treatment will last between 3-4 hours. If everything goes well with no delays, I will be finished with the chemo right before Christmas. The drugs I will be getting are Taxotere and Carboplantin. According to Dr. Thomas, the side effects of this treatment aren't usually too bad, but everyone responds differently, so I'm just hoping for the best. I will be losing my hair, ugh. Dr. Thomas is calm and confident about everything, so that is reassuring to myself and my family. 

I still need to clarify a few things with Dr. Jones, my plastic surgeon and Dr. Khater, my radiation oncologist, but I think the next steps will be to recover from chemotherapy, have my implant exchange surgery, recover from that, and then begin radiation treatment for 6 weeks. 

Right now I am just focusing on healing from the surgery. It's been about 2.5 weeks and it's amazing how much better I feel. I have been working on my arm exercises, taking walks, and was able to spend some time with friends last night, which was awesome. I still get tired a little more easily than I am used to and I can't pick up the kids yet which is really tough, but temporary. But I really feel pretty good. My incisions seems to be healing well and I have follow up appointment with Dr. Jones on Tuesday and hopefully he thinks so too. I am also preparing for starting chemo, I have a "chemo class" on Tuesday as well. 

I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am for all the support and love I have. Tony does an unbelievable job of taking care of Leo, Violet, myself and everything else, I am so lucky. Our family and friends have been amazing, thank you so much for everything, the cards, the food, the help, the prayers, the words of encourgement, and the positive thoughts...it has made such an impact on helping me staying strong and happy! Thank you so much.