First Treatment in the Chemotherapy Room

As you can see I got hooked up to my medicine, and I still have a smile on my face. There are windows on one side of the room, and I was lucky to have a chair with some natural light at my back.

The day started early. I had blood drawn at 8:20AM. Then we had a doctor's appointment at 9:30AM. We took a pager from the receptionist so we could sit in the atrium which has a better ambiance than the waiting room in hematology. Since this was my first treatment there was lots of education and lots of explanations of the drugs that I am taking. They didn't hook me up until noon. I was starving as I had eaten breakfast at 6AM. Steve bought us chicken queadillas from the cafeteria, and we enjoyed our lunch in the chemo room.

The drip started with benadryl and some anti-nausea medication. Then there was a 90 minute drip of taxotere. They provided me with the "beautiful" blue blanket you see in the picture below. Then I had another 90 minute drip of Bevacizacumab. I got several gifts today from the drug companies. We thought that was hilarious, but some of the gifts are very useful including the pill dispenser. Along with chemo by vein, I have to take pills of Xeloda for 14 days. I have to take 1650 mg each dose--that's a lot of pills. So using the dispenser is going to help me make sure that I take the right amount.

My cousin's wife , Avery Corenswet, who works at Ochsner came and sat with us twice today. The nurse was impressed that we knew someone in her position in management. We like knowing people in high places. It was nice to have her visit us.

My first side effects: metal taste in my mouth and fatigue. I came home and slept for 3 hours. I have some energy now and am able to stay up and write.

Today at the hospital, I read, worked on a crossword puzzle, surfed the net on my new Ipod Touch(Ochsner has free wi-fi--yea Ochsner), listened to a book on my Ipod, and ate lunch. I would have prefered all of the above to have happened in another location, but I did keep busy.

When I return for another round on June 19th, I meet my new oncologist. Dr. Kardinal is moving to Missouri to teach. I have been assigned to Dr. Zoe Larned. I have heard good things about her, and I look forward to meet her. My friend Leslie McDermott will sit with me for my second treatment. She has been cancer free for 15 years.

Defining C

The doctors have lots of ways to explain exactly what I have growing in my body. The tumor is in my left breast. The MRI showed the right breast as all clear of C.

My tumor is called ILC or invasive lobular carcinoma. They have put me at a stage II, and the tumor is 3.7 cm. I am estrogen and progesterone positive and HER-2 negative.

I started taking steroids today in preparation for tomorrow's chemo treatment. I still have pink spots that began growing last week, and I am hoping the dexamethasone will take care of the spots. Today I am going to buy a wig. I feel the need to be prepared, though I have a bag of hats and scarves.

Our Doctors

Ralph Corsetti

Surgeon

Carl Kardinal

Oncologist

Dr. Corsetti installs the port

This past Monday we arrived at surgery around 1:15PM. It was time for Dr. Corsetti to put in the port that will be used to administer chemotherapy. I got prepped then Steve was able to sit with me until I entered surgery. I clearly heard that they were given me the antibiotic Cipro in my IV. Rmember that, it comes in to play later. The anesthetist tells me that he is serving the margaritas and that I need to put on my party hat. I do remember going into the surgical suite, but after that I am back in recovery talking up a storm. Steve walks in a few minutes later. We can't leave until they take a chest x-ray, and it gets read. That took awhile because the radiologist left the hospital to change for the Hornets game. He came back and gave me the all clear, and we left. After picking up dinner at Picadilly, we arrived home at 6:15. A very long day but I survived my first surgery. I even went to work the next day.

I thought that I would have some time off for the site to heal. On Tuesday I start to notice a pink splotch on my neck. On Wednesday I get a call from Dr. Kardinal that I have a UTI. He wants me to take Cipro. I think that might have been the reason for the pink splotch. Then it turns out I have to go see Dr. Kardinal for a check up. I start the Cipro Wednesday afternoon and wake up Thursday with pink spots on my neck. By late Thursday the spots cover my chest. I make a zillion phone calls back and forth to Dr. Corsetti's nurse and Dr. Kardinal's nurse. They don't think that it is the antibiotic, but they still want me to stop taking it. They will mark my chart with the new allergy. The splotches look exactly like the spots I got when I took pencillin years ago. No more Cipro for me. It is now Saturday and my chest is still covered with itchy pink spots.

It's War

A war has been declared. It’s us against the tumor that has invaded Elizabeth’s body. We have a plan of attack and on Thursday, May 29th we are going to begin. Our goal is to make Elizabeth cancer free and save as much tissue as possible. We expect to shrink the tumor to the point where a lumpectomy will be all that’s needed. To reach this goal we have enrolled in a Chemotherapy clinical trial at Ochsner Hospital. The trial gives us access to cutting edge drugs and a higher degree of care. There is no placebo. All the drugs are FDA approved for cancer treatment. The trial is designated NSABP B-40, the link will give you the specifics. We are in the group 2B. It will be a long process; there are many bumps along the way. We feel that the final outcome, crushing the tumor and winning the war, will be worth all the trouble.

The fight has begun

I had a breast biopsy on April 11, 2008 and was phoned with the results on April 14th. It has been over a month of constant pokes and prodding. Treatment has not yet begun, but I am ready. 

I have been doing some research. 

Here is a list of websites that I have found useful: 

http://www.breastcancer.org

Susan Komen Foundation

Y-Me.org