PART ONE IS OVER & OTHER GOOD NEWS

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1st, 2011: CHEMO # 15
     STILL HAVING A FEW NEW SIDE EFFECTS APPEAR IN THE LAST WEEK. ONE TOENAIL POPPED OFF ON MY LEFT BIG TOE & THE RIGHT ONE IS THREATENING TO COME OFF. GRETCHEN HAD THAT HAPPEN TO HER, SO I WASN'T TOTALLY SURPRISED. THE OTHER TOES LOOK OK. MAYBE THE BIG ONES WERE THE ONLY ONES AFFECTED BECAUSE I HAD SURGERY ON BOTH OF THEM A LONG TIME AGO. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT OR NOT. CHEMO DID CAUSE A LOT OF OLD CUTS & SORES TO REAPPEAR IN THE BEGINNING. IT JUST TOOK A LITTLE LONGER FOR MY TOES. MY FINGERNAILS NO LONGER HAVE BIG HORIZONTAL LINES THROUGH THEM, BUT THEY ARE PEELING SOMETHING AWFUL. MINOR DETAILS, I GUESS. I HAD CHEMO  # 15 TODAY. I CAN FINALLY SEE THE END IN SIGHT. I HAD ARTIE BRING OUR CAMERA TO TAKE SOME PICTURES FOR MY SCRAPBOOK. THE NURSES HERE ARE AWSOME.


WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7th, 2011: CHEMO #16
     HOORAY!  IT'S TAKEN 6 MONTHS, BUT I FINALLY COMPLETED MY LAST CHEMO TREATMENT TODAY.  I OFTEN FELT LIKE IT WOULD NEVER END, BUT IT FINALLY DID. (MARCH 10th TO SEPTEMBER 7th.)  I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT, BUT AGAIN: HIP HIP HOORAY! NOW ON TO MORE DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS WITH THE SURGEONS, A FOLLOW UP MRI TO CHECK TUMOR SHRINKAGE, & SURGERY SOMETIME IN OCTOBER. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THE THOUGHT OF COMPLETE LEFT MASTECTOMY. IT'S NOT A FUN CONCEPT, BUT I'VE ASKED THE LORD TO HELP ME DEAL WITH THIS ONE TOO. GOD HAS MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE WILL WALK ME THROUGH THIS AND THAT HE WILL RESTORE ALL THAT WAS LOST (JEREMIAH 32:44). I BELIEVE HIM. BETWEEN GOD, A VERY SUPPORTIVE FAMILY BOTH NEAR & FAR, AND SOME WONDERFUL LADIES AT CHURCH WHO I'LL GET TO SEE TOMORROW. I'M SO GLAD I DON'T HAVE TO FACE THIS ALONE. IT WOULD BE SO MUCH HARDER OR MAYBE EVEN IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT SUPPORT. I'M JUST REQUIRED TO TAKE ONE STEP AT A TIME.  AND THEN TO TOP IT ALL OFF,
I WAS TOTALLY SURPRISED TODAY WHEN THE ONCOLOGIST STATED THERE WAS A SMALL POSSIBILITY THAT THEY COULD MODIFY THE MASTECTOMY & DO A LUMPECTOMY INSTEAD, REMOVING ONLY THE AREA WHERE THE TUMOR HAD BEEN.  HE TOLD ME THIS WOULD DEPEND ON THE MRI RESULTS & NOT TO GET MY HOPES UP, BUT I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS HEARING. I HAD JUST BEEN THINKING & PRAYING ABOUT THIS & HAD HAD TROUBLE SLEEPING LAST NIGHT BECAUSE OF IT. THEN SOMETHING ASTOUNDING HAPPENS AND IT SURPRISES ME. SILLY OLD ME. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN GOD IS INVOLVED. SERVING HIM IS NEVER DULL. THE ONCOLOGIST CALLED MY SURGEON RIGHT AWAY TO DISCUS EVERYTHING WITH HER, BUT PRIOR TO THIS HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY ADAMENT THAT I NEEDED A FULL MASTECTOMY & FULL COURSE OF RADIATION. HE'S REALLY STARTING TO CHANGE HIS TUNE. HE AND THE NURSE PRACTICIONER HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FEEL THE TUMOR FOR SEVERAL OF THE LAST VISITS SO THE CHEMO HAS DONE WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DO, IN SPITE OF THE MANY SIDE EFFECTS. I KNOW MYSELF & AM STILL ABLE TO FEEL A VERY SMALL FLAT AREA THERE.  ARTIE SUGGESTED IT MIGHT JUST BE SCAR TISSUE AND WHEN THE DOCTOR CAME IN, HE STATED THE SAME THING. THE MRI WILL TELL FOR SURE. I AM GREATLY ENCOURAGED.  ANOTHER INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT  HAPPENED TODAY IN THE INFUSION ROOM. WHEN I POINTED OUT THE 2 LARGE VEINS IN MY LEFT ARM THAT HAVE BEEN DAMAGED BY CHEMO (PAIN, PALE BROWN STRIPES AND INDENTATIONS FOLLOWING THE COURSE OF THE VEINS UP MY ARM) THE NURSE WHO STARTED MY IV DIDN'T JUST AVOID THOSE PARTICULAR VEINS. SHE PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH THE ONCOLOGISTS MASSAGE THERAPIST WHO CAN HELP REPAIR THE VEINS THROUGH MASSAGE & INCREASED CIRCULATION. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT SERVICE WAS AVAILABLE OR WOULD HELP THIS PARTICULAR SIDE EFFECT. INTERESTING DAY.