Today I completed round six of chemo! Only two more rounds to go and that means I will be done (in final recovery) in a short four weeks. I am SO ready to be done. However, things are looking good. The tumor is essentially gone from what we can tell. There is still some "thick tissue" but that could be just scar tissue. To this point, no one has mentioned the possibility of scar tissue where the cancer was, so to hear that as a possibility, for me, was really good news.
We started the morning off meeting with my surgeon. She is really pleased with my response to the chemo and even brought the possibility of a lumpectomy back on the table. It is unlikely and would only be an option if, when we do my MRI following the end of chemo, we find no tumor at all. However, that it was even spoken about as an option made me feel really good. I am still mentally prepared for a mastectomy, but if I could get away with a lumpectomy, that would be awesome. There would be no reconstruction required and that means I would be actually done with the physical part of this process in October/November without a major surgery looming years down the road. The reality though is that the local rate of recurrence is significantly higher in young women who have a lumpectomy as opposed to a mastectomy. So it may not be the right choice, but it feels good to even have it out there as an option.
So, how do I feel? This chemo is definitely different than the first type I was on. If the first cycle was any reasonable indication, here is how I think this cycle will go. Today I had treatment until about 1:40pm. I slept through about half of it because they give me a super dose of benadryl as a pre-medication. Then I woke up, had a snack and read some trashy magazines. I was alone, which was sort of nice because I didn't feel like I needed to entertain anyone. I slept when I wanted, zoned when I wanted, and read when I wanted. Then my sister and family picked me up, we grabbed some lunch and I came home. I ate lunch and napped because the benadryl was still in effect. Tonight I feel pretty good. The benadryl has worn off and the chemo doesn't leave me feeling drugged like the first drugs I was on.
Tomorrow I anticipate feeling pretty decent. I'm sure I'll need a little nap but overall expect to feel fine. Thursday I expect the bone pain to kick in which was tough last week because it was unexpected. I anticipate it being a great deal easier to manage this time because I already have the meds and can catch it early and keep it at bay. This will go on for a few days and I'll be in pain management mode. Unfortunately the pain meds will effect my energy, but the chemo doesn't seem to. Then around Tuesday or Wednesday I'll feel like I'm coming down with a cold, but it will only last about 24 hours. The big question mark will be on Friday when I may experience some nausea. I did last week but it may have been the chemo and it may have been due to the fact that I waited too long to eat that morning. Then once the bone pain subsides, I should be feeling back to my normal self (relatively speaking). There you go, my "expected" experience for the next two weeks. Here's hoping it is somewhat true to reality, or even better.
I'm feeling pretty positive after today's experience- reinvigorated about how well I am healing and even less scared about radiation. I'm grateful to have wonderful doctors and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel- even if I still have a mastectomy and reconstruction years down the road. Four more weeks- that's it!
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