"You're my hero," said one of my friends last night. "You've made this situation into an amazing opportunity to better yourself and inspire others," said my other friend. Last night was exactly what I needed. One of my best friend's, Marisa, celebrated her birthday and I felt well enough, despite the week I had, to make it out to her party. I am so happy I did, because being surrounded by my friends really helped give me the strength to shake this horrible sickness and continue fighting.
Friday I was even sicker than Thursday and missed another day of work. I headed back to the hospital to meet with Dr. Heyer (my oncologist) in the morning. He examined me and said one of three things is wrong: I either have a nasty stomach virus (which is most likely), my body is now saying "enough" with chemotherapy and is reacting back, or I have developed CDF from my treatment. He said he wanted to start me on antibiotics for CDF in case it is that, but they won't know for certain until my stool sample comes back Monday or Tuesday. (Yes, I had the luxury of pooping in a cup. Oh joy!)
I asked Dr. Heyer to review with me my midway MRI and heart scan. The MRI showed that the lymph nodes, diseased tissue and even the 3cm hematoma (blood clot and fluid pouch) from surgery had ALL shrunk. He told me that the MRI showed an area of increased brightness (Does that mean the hot spot got hotter!?) and he said that too will not be fully understood until they can dissect the tissue after surgery. My heart scan came back excellent, which pleased my doctor greatly. He said my heart was previously pumping at 62% and now it is at 64%, so there has been very little damage or change.
Dr. Heyer did an exam of the lump under my arm and told me that he is 99% positive that is the hematoma from surgery, but that they won't know 100% what is going on in my body until they do surgery since MRIs and PETscans are too sensitive on breast tissue. That was frustrating for me to hear, but I understand the limitations of imaging. I concluded my appointment with Dr. Heyer by asking permission to go on a weekend get away with my friends at the end of June, prior to surgery. He told me he understood my need to "escape" and supported it 100%. Now I have something to plan and look forward to! YAY … sun and surf here I come!
After my appointment with Dr. Heyer I was put in the treatment room for my weekly Herceptin treatment and a bag of fluid due to my dehydration. My godfather, Bill showed up to surprise me. It was such a wonderful visit and gave me a second wind of energy. I am so very blessed to have such amazing people in my life. I feel incredibly loved and supported. It is a wonderful feeling. Please know how much I appreciate all of you.
I woke up Saturday morning feeling significantly better. I am not sure if it is the antibiotic that is working on my body, or that the virus I have is leaving my body. Either way, I am just SO happy to be feeling more like myself and able to attend some of my friends events. My friend Jessie hosted a Pampered Chef party on Saturday in my honor. A portion of the sales went to benefit the Avon Foundation. The event was so much fun and I am so happy I could attend. And last night I concluded the day celebrating Marisa's birthday. It appears that being surrounding by loved ones is just what the doctor ordered.
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