The search for a new style has started!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Clear Scan - Yahooo!
Spoke with Beth at Dr. Oratz's office today and she received my PET scan results - totally normal!!! I was a bit freaked while waiting to hear that; I wasn't sure how well I would do if I heard the word cancer in association with another of my body parts. Whew, I can hopefully get some sleep tonight! Also - thank you to everyone who has so graciously offered up one of their very valuable days to accompany me to a chemo treatment. Folks, you do not cease to amaze me with your support and kindness!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Treatment Begins
So I was scanned, scoped, poked and prodded yesterday - handed over bodily fluids in several different types of cups/vials,etc. and here is the lowdown;
PET Scan/EKG/Echo - no results yet
Mediport Implant Procedure - Tuesday 5/27, Same Day Surgery Center at NYU; surgeon will be Dr. Karen Hiotis (same office as Dr. Shapiro)
Chemo - starts Thursday 5/29. Protocol changed a bit, Adriamycin and Cytoxan will be every two weeks instead of three for four cycles, followed by the 12 weeks of Taxol.
So I look forward to a good Memorial Day weekend and then getting down to business!
I sent a request to friends and family to ask if anyone has a free Thursday and would be willing to take me into the city and spend a couple of hours there. So far, 7/14, 7/31, 8/7 and 9/12 are taken.!!! THANK YOU!!! Greg and my family are willing to help but I thought I would try to lessen the burden on them. I know we are all so busy - please do not feel pressured! I figured at least I can ask the question and figure things out as we go along!
My initial schedule will be:
5/29 (Greg will be at this session), 6/12, 6/26, and 7/10 followed by 7/17, 7/24, 7/31 - every Thursday through 10/2.
Last - WIGSTOCK is on!!! Join us on 6/7 as we raise a glass and say "F*CK CANCER!!!"
PET Scan/EKG/Echo - no results yet
Mediport Implant Procedure - Tuesday 5/27, Same Day Surgery Center at NYU; surgeon will be Dr. Karen Hiotis (same office as Dr. Shapiro)
Chemo - starts Thursday 5/29. Protocol changed a bit, Adriamycin and Cytoxan will be every two weeks instead of three for four cycles, followed by the 12 weeks of Taxol.
So I look forward to a good Memorial Day weekend and then getting down to business!
I sent a request to friends and family to ask if anyone has a free Thursday and would be willing to take me into the city and spend a couple of hours there. So far, 7/14, 7/31, 8/7 and 9/12 are taken.!!! THANK YOU!!! Greg and my family are willing to help but I thought I would try to lessen the burden on them. I know we are all so busy - please do not feel pressured! I figured at least I can ask the question and figure things out as we go along!
My initial schedule will be:
5/29 (Greg will be at this session), 6/12, 6/26, and 7/10 followed by 7/17, 7/24, 7/31 - every Thursday through 10/2.
Last - WIGSTOCK is on!!! Join us on 6/7 as we raise a glass and say "F*CK CANCER!!!"
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A new look...
So what does one do when one finds out one will only have hair for another few weeks? Well for me, it meant try an extreme. See results here! Next 'do: the ever popular GI Jane!!!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
5/14 -Scans Scheduled!
I am scheduled to have my Echocardiogram, EKG and PET Scan all on 5/19. Greg will come with me. We will also meet with Dr. Oratz's lead nurse, Beth once all tests are complete.
My ECHO and EKG are both at NYU one at 10 the other at 11. My PET Scan will be done at Madison Imaging at 11:45. I will then need lunch as my PET scan requires a 6 hour fast!!! We will meet with Beth that afternoon. So my hopes are Dr. Oratz will get results and I can get through Memorial Day weekend, have port implanted and start chemo either the week of 5/26 or 6/2.
PET/CT Basics
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computerized Tomography (CT) are both standard imaging tools that allow physicians to pinpoint the location of cancer within the body before making treatment recommendations.
The highly sensitive PET scan detects the metabolic signal of actively growing cancer cells in the body and the CT scan provides a detailed picture of the internal anatomy that reveals the location, size and shape of abnormal cancerous growths.
Alone, each imaging test has particular benefits and limitations but when the results of PET and CT scans are "fused" together, the combined image provides complete information on cancer location and metabolism.
The bottom line is that you can have both scans - PET and CT - done at the same time
WIGSTOCK 2008 TBD!!!!
My ECHO and EKG are both at NYU one at 10 the other at 11. My PET Scan will be done at Madison Imaging at 11:45. I will then need lunch as my PET scan requires a 6 hour fast!!! We will meet with Beth that afternoon. So my hopes are Dr. Oratz will get results and I can get through Memorial Day weekend, have port implanted and start chemo either the week of 5/26 or 6/2.
PET/CT Basics
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computerized Tomography (CT) are both standard imaging tools that allow physicians to pinpoint the location of cancer within the body before making treatment recommendations.
The highly sensitive PET scan detects the metabolic signal of actively growing cancer cells in the body and the CT scan provides a detailed picture of the internal anatomy that reveals the location, size and shape of abnormal cancerous growths.
Alone, each imaging test has particular benefits and limitations but when the results of PET and CT scans are "fused" together, the combined image provides complete information on cancer location and metabolism.
The bottom line is that you can have both scans - PET and CT - done at the same time
WIGSTOCK 2008 TBD!!!!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
5/12 Update
We are almost at the midpoint of May... it seems like just yesterday when I went for my mammogram on 3/17 - what a whirlwind of weeks I have had!
I met with my oncologist today and really, really liked her. (It doesn't hurt to see her Harvard degree on the wall either....) She spent a very long time with me and answered all of my (and my mom's) questions.
Here is the lowdown - it ain't pretty, but this too shall pass.
Seems I am looking at 6 months of treatment. While my hormone receptors are good which means I am a candidate for hormone therapy after chemo and radiation (Tamoxifen), we reviewed my pathology report and she explained that I had a very fast growing cancer which is good for chemo as the chemo drugs attack the rapidly dividing cells. The bad side of the report was that because the cells were growing so fast it is very possible they may have lodged elsewhere - I had as you know, lymph node involvement, but also had high grade microinvasion -this means the cancer cells were breaking into my blood vessels which means it was trying to travel. So.....
My first cocktail:
Adriamycin and Cytoxan once every three weeks for four cycles followed by a shot of Neulasta 24 hours later after which I'll move to:
My 2nd mix:
Taxol weekly for 12 treatments.
Topped off by 6 weeks of radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks.
I have agreed to be part of a clinical trial also where they are testing the utilization of Avastin in non-metastatic cancer to prevent recurrence. I have said all along that I want folks to learn from my experience and this is a perfect way for me to help countless others if they can prove this drug effective. I may get it or may not but have nothing to lose. (To my Medco friends - the study picks up the cost of this specialty drug; someone be sure to let the powers that be know that I am helping out the bottom line by controlling drug costs - haha!)
So this week I need to have a series of scans done (I thought had everyone possible done!) I need a PET scan and and EKG along with an echocardiogram and, oh yeah - I need to have my Mediport implanted in my chest - boy doesn't that sound like fun? My hope is to start treatment the week AFTER Memorial Day so at least I can enjoy that weekend!
Last, yes I will lose my hair along with a myriad of other lovely side effects so standby for an invite to Wigstock 2008 at the Hildebrandt Household -hat or wig required for entry and to cap the evening I'll shave my head - a la Britney Spears... you can all pretend you are paparazzi.... seriously I may have to have one last big "hurrah"!
I met with my oncologist today and really, really liked her. (It doesn't hurt to see her Harvard degree on the wall either....) She spent a very long time with me and answered all of my (and my mom's) questions.
Here is the lowdown - it ain't pretty, but this too shall pass.
Seems I am looking at 6 months of treatment. While my hormone receptors are good which means I am a candidate for hormone therapy after chemo and radiation (Tamoxifen), we reviewed my pathology report and she explained that I had a very fast growing cancer which is good for chemo as the chemo drugs attack the rapidly dividing cells. The bad side of the report was that because the cells were growing so fast it is very possible they may have lodged elsewhere - I had as you know, lymph node involvement, but also had high grade microinvasion -this means the cancer cells were breaking into my blood vessels which means it was trying to travel. So.....
My first cocktail:
Adriamycin and Cytoxan once every three weeks for four cycles followed by a shot of Neulasta 24 hours later after which I'll move to:
My 2nd mix:
Taxol weekly for 12 treatments.
Topped off by 6 weeks of radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks.
I have agreed to be part of a clinical trial also where they are testing the utilization of Avastin in non-metastatic cancer to prevent recurrence. I have said all along that I want folks to learn from my experience and this is a perfect way for me to help countless others if they can prove this drug effective. I may get it or may not but have nothing to lose. (To my Medco friends - the study picks up the cost of this specialty drug; someone be sure to let the powers that be know that I am helping out the bottom line by controlling drug costs - haha!)
So this week I need to have a series of scans done (I thought had everyone possible done!) I need a PET scan and and EKG along with an echocardiogram and, oh yeah - I need to have my Mediport implanted in my chest - boy doesn't that sound like fun? My hope is to start treatment the week AFTER Memorial Day so at least I can enjoy that weekend!
Last, yes I will lose my hair along with a myriad of other lovely side effects so standby for an invite to Wigstock 2008 at the Hildebrandt Household -hat or wig required for entry and to cap the evening I'll shave my head - a la Britney Spears... you can all pretend you are paparazzi.... seriously I may have to have one last big "hurrah"!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Cinqo de Mayo
Happy "Cinqo de Mayo"! Can you believe it is the fifth of May already? Time is flying by!
I am happy to report my visit to Dr. Shapiro (my surgeon) went perfectly today. To quote him, I am healing "beautifully". I just need to accept the fact I lost some lymph nodes and may now be subject to lymph fluid buildup in my arm which, I can attest, is quite uncomfortable! My DNA results came back and the cancer is estrogen positive (100%) and progesterone positive (10%) and I had a negative HER2 score. All is all, that is good news! I hope to meet with the oncologist (Dr. Ruth Oratz) later this week and find out exactly what I am facing in terms of further treatment.
I feel better every day; Greg and I had a wonderful weekend in New Hampshire at my cousin Kristen's wedding. She was an incredibly beautiful bride! Seeing all of the Burt family was great but emotional - all those slow songs (and white wine) definitely pulled at my heartstrings but I am glad we went! We learned I'll be an aunt again - my brother Phil and his wife Jessica are expecting so I have a something wonderful to look forward to in November! I even ran 3 miles - it felt great to "move" again!
Thank you all for the continued positive thoughts and support!
I am happy to report my visit to Dr. Shapiro (my surgeon) went perfectly today. To quote him, I am healing "beautifully". I just need to accept the fact I lost some lymph nodes and may now be subject to lymph fluid buildup in my arm which, I can attest, is quite uncomfortable! My DNA results came back and the cancer is estrogen positive (100%) and progesterone positive (10%) and I had a negative HER2 score. All is all, that is good news! I hope to meet with the oncologist (Dr. Ruth Oratz) later this week and find out exactly what I am facing in terms of further treatment.
I feel better every day; Greg and I had a wonderful weekend in New Hampshire at my cousin Kristen's wedding. She was an incredibly beautiful bride! Seeing all of the Burt family was great but emotional - all those slow songs (and white wine) definitely pulled at my heartstrings but I am glad we went! We learned I'll be an aunt again - my brother Phil and his wife Jessica are expecting so I have a something wonderful to look forward to in November! I even ran 3 miles - it felt great to "move" again!
Thank you all for the continued positive thoughts and support!
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