A New Puppy!

We are getting a dog! He is an Alaskan Klee Kai, or miniature Alaskan Husky. His name is Tui (pronounced too-ee) and we pick him up from the breeder in Oregon next weekend. Tui is nine weeks old. He is black and white with blue eyes. He will grow to approximately 7 lbs and 12 - 13 inches at shoulder height. He is very cute, and much smaller than the dogs Austin and I grew up with - a Siberian Husky, St. Bernard and St. Bernard German Shepherd mix. A full sized Husky was too much dog for us to consider right now. We think Tui will be a perfect fit. Our whole family is very excited. We thought about naming him Tequila or Touchdown, but in the end Tui won out, it is short for Tuiososopo. [The Alaskan Klee Kai is a northern breed, originating in Alaska. The term "Klee Kai" was derived from Alaskan Eskimo words meaning "small dog". The breed was developed to create a companion sized version of the Alaskan Husky (although it more closely resembles the Siberian Husky), resulting in an energetic, intelligent, smaller sized dog with an appearance that reflects its northern heritage.]

One Year

Today is January 14th. It has been exactly one year since I began my fight against breast cancer. Thank you to everyone who has provided on-going love, support and encouragement to me. I continue to pray that I completely kick cancer's butt and prevail triumphantly in this battle so I can live a full life. I also pray for a cure (.)(.)!

Breast Cancer Vaccine Clinical Trials

Austin forwarded this article to me today. I find this very exciting and hopeful, because it could directly affect me in the future if I face a recurrence.

Clinical Trials of Experimental Breast Cancer Vaccine Expected to Begin in Spring 2009
Scientists from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences this spring expect to begin the first of two phases of clinical trials for a vaccine designed to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer, the AP/FoxNews.com reports. Principal investigator Laura Hutchins -- professor of internal medicine and director of the division of hematology and oncology at the university -- said that the vaccine, if successful, would not replace chemotherapy and radiation but could be an additional treatment for women with breast cancer. While working under a six-year, $2.9 million grant from the Department of Defense, a team from the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at UAMS developed peptide antigens that mimic the carbohydrate antigens present on breast cancer cells. Although carbohydrate antigens do not typically stimulate a strong immune system response, the peptide-based vaccine is able to trick the body into producing antibodies that attack both the peptide antigens and carbohydrate antigens on the cancer cells, according to the AP/FoxNews.com. The first phase of the clinical trials will involve women who have breast cancer that is actively spreading and women who had a recurrence after remission. Participants will receive five doses of the vaccine over four to six months. The second phase, which will last about one year, will involve women who are in remission, considered at high risk for a recurrence and have been off chemotherapy for at least six months. The number of women who will participate in the trials has not been determined. According to the latest data from CDC, 40,954 women died of breast cancer in the U.S. in 2004. Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org.

Oncology Follow Up

I saw my oncologist yesterday. It looks like the port will be coming out 3 or 4 weeks after my last chemo. Even though it's a minor surgery to remove it, there is still some healing involved. My body needs to be free and clear of the chemo poison before surgery so that I heal properly. We also talked about timing around the reconstruction. He recommended waiting until this fall to get started. He is doesn't feel it is necessary to repeat the CT to take another look at the lymph nodes on my left side. He said, "I've been doing this a long time. Trust me, the cancer is not in your lymph nodes". I do trust him. I was also very concerned about the rib tenderness I've had on the left. He said it is very likely residual pain and swelling related to the surgery. The rib bones are probably bruised. I did ask the doctor how long he thought the tumor was there before I found it and he guessed 1 - 2 years. It is something I've been wondering about. He said that's when microscopic cancer cells could have migrated through the blood supply to another site. That's why I'm doing this round of chemo - to clean house. I have another oncology follow up in three weeks and my 8th chemo session tomorrow.

A Nice Break

It was wonderful to have my chemo off week fall during Christmas. I felt better than usual and I'm thankful for that. I have been taking it easy as much as I'm willing to and we did have a nice relaxing Christmas. Austin and the kids were home for two weeks (seems like longer with all those snow delays). The bummer is that I had chemo on New Year's Eve. I was queasy most of the afternoon, but was able to get in a nice 4 hour nap before the festivities began. We had our annual fondue party with neighbors. Austin did all of the shopping and our friends prepared everything while I rested on the couch. I almost made it till midnight. I slept through the fireworks. I talked to my oncologist last week. He said my port will be coming out as soon as this round is over (last chemo 2/19/09), which will hopefully help the blood clot dissipate. I go for labs tomorrow morning to check my Coumadin level. It is supposed to be between 2 - 3 and was 4.8 last Thursday, a bit high, so the dose was reduced. I'm still getting labs at the hospital, but am scheduled with the Coumadin Clinic next week. I have been feeling a little anxious, as we are approaching the one year mark of when I was first diagnosed (1/14/08). I was glad to say goodbye to 2008.