Three Week Follow-Up

I saw my oncologist this past Monday. We talked a lot about the "new normal" or what life will be like after I'm finished with chemo. Waiting, watching and wondering if it's back while trying not to stress out. After one year without a recurrence I'm considered in remission. After five years I'm considered cured. This was just a regular three week follow up appointment, so there is no real new news. My counts look good and I'm tolerating the chemo well. We'll schedule surgery to take the port out a month after I finish chemo. He gave me the thumbs up to train for the Susan G. Komen 5k Race for the Cure, which is in June. My plan is to RUN it, so I better get my rear in gear. While this is a lofty goal, I believe I can do it if I stick to a training schedule. It's only three miles.

Wonderful Distraction

It's been a week since we brought Tui home. It has been a great week! Everyone is settling in nicely. I would say that we are all definitely bonded with Tui. The kids are doing great with him. Amanda pets him, fills up his food dish and gets kisses on her hand. Nathan is the proud new dog owner. He is very responsible and helpful. Having a dog around is the most wonderful distraction for me. It's hard to think about how sick and tired I feel when I have my family and this new little bundle to focus on first. He goes all out, is full of energy and loves to play - then all of a sudden he will be completely sacked out. He is a lap dog, but likes his bed and also goes into his "house" (crate) with no problem at all. We just have to get up once at night to let him out. He goes in the car with me when I pick the kids up from school. He gets so excited to see Nathan. Yesterday we even took him up to Crystal Mountain for Nathan's ski lesson. I thought, being a Husky and all, that he'd love the snow. I was wrong. He wasn't real fond of the snow, it was too cold. He preferred to be cuddled up inside our coats. The focus of this blog is to keep friends & family up to date on my cancer journey, but I think it's important to share the good things that are going on my life too. Tui is definitely a good thing! So, thanks for listening to me rave about him. Chemo went well last week. They were able to get blood return from my port right away, so there was much less waiting around. I was in and out in three hours. It still seems like a breeze compared to my last rounds of chemo. I'm still not sleeping well due to the Xeloda. My blood sugar is all over the board again. I'm back to testing routinely and taking insulin when needed. The blood clot doesn't seem to be getting worse. I still have man veins and some pain. I am on continuous Coumadin (blood thinner) and I can't ski this year because of that. If I fall or get crashed into I could have internal bleeding. Sometimes I feel like an old person who could complain all day if you let me. I try not to. The best news ever is that I have two chemo's left and then I'm done. I see my oncologist tomorrow and will find out about scheduling the surgery to take the port out.

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.