This week has been quite a whirlwind. My heart hurts deeply.
I went into the hospital Wednesday afternoon for a simple outpatient procedure where they were going to put in the port for my treatment. The port was put in successfully. When I woke up after the procedure I could not take a deep breath. I just sobbed and screamed in pain and my surgeon sat holding my hand and wiping off my smeared mascara. It was the most unbearable thing I have ever experienced. My surgeon gave me pain medicine to knock me out. An x-ray was taken immediately because my surgeon was concerned that he had accidentally punctured my lung. My lung was fine, however upon placing the port and pulling out the catheter, blood flooded into my chest cavity. I am OK now, but was on serious pain medication until about 1 am Thursday morning. They took another x-ray in the morning and then released me. My surgeon and nurses were amazing.
I met with the oncologist this afternoon with my parents. The PET-scan showed "hot spots" (cancer) in the lymph nodes under my armpit, in the center of my chest and also slightly in my sixth rib that also lies under the infected area. The good news is that it all appears to be around the left breast and has not entered the blood stream and spread to my bone marrow or organs. Also, we were told that I am HER2-positive. This is also a good thing, because there is an antibody that they can give me that kills this aggressive protein.
My oncologist wants for me to have two more tests. I have a bone scan scheduled for Monday and a heart scan scheduled for Wednesday. I start chemotherapy on Friday, Feb 15. I will be on a regiment of three medications: taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin. I will get all three at the same time. The first two (taxotere, carboplatin) are the chemotherapy and I will get them once every 3 weeks for 18 weeks. The last medication (herceptin) is for HER2-positive protein and I will take that for an entire year. Once chemotheraphy is over (18 weeks), I will have a mastectomy and reconstruction of the left breast (I go to sleep with breasts and wake up with breasts), then continue with the herceptin and start radiation of that left breast. Once all of that is finished, I may go on a hormone regiment for five years since I was estrogen positive in order to keep the cancer cells from coming back. Is your head swirling? Mine sure is!
My spirits are low and I am exhausted from Wednesday night and the severe pain I endured. My poor parents had to experience all that and I know it broke their hearts to see me in that much pain. Please keep me and my family in your prayers. I am off to rest.
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