I am just about 1 week out from my first chemo. It seems my body has recovered to normal or it feels like normal. I still have a couple issues with my throat and it being irritated. I noticed when I drank my veggie juice yesterday, my throat became really irritated and scratchy. Maybe the condensed enzymes of the veggies irritated it? Don't know but going to ask. I stopped taking the nausea medicine yesterday and I was fine-yea! Did my Pilate's class and it felt great...much better then Saturday. I am going to stop taking the Clariten-D today. The longest I have read about the bone pain surfacing from the Nuelasta was 5 days out so I think I'm safe. The bummer of it also is the constipation and the issues that has given me is a concern that I need to ask the Dr. about. Sorry to be so "in your face" about something so private but when your dealing with this, always better to have someone else lead the way for you and well, I guess it's me!
As for diet, nothing really bothers me except the teas and lemon water I was drinking right up to my chemo day. The thought of drinking them makes me queasy. Just the thought of drinking tea makes me queasy so we will hold off on that. I am listening to my body as it tells me what to eat or drink. OK so I had a bear claw on Sunday morning for Mother's Day-it was delicious and it made me feel good even though it was bad. My inner soul smiled at that simple treat.
I go in for my blood work this am and to go over any concerns. I am still doing the homeopath drops, flaxseed oil, veggie juice (becoming harder to drink). I have started my when protein drinks. I make a yummy shake made with whey protein, glutamine, almond milk, frozen vanilla yogurt, and a ripe banana. I make this everyday and try to drink it after I exercise.
Sunday I emailed one of my closest friends and asked for help. I really was scared especially since my husband was leaving for 3 days for work. She rallied the troops and arranged for dinners Mon, Tues, Wed. All I can say is perfect! The dinners just make it easier for the kids to feed themselves and not a hassle for me to make and clean the dishes. Even though I feel "right" during the day, in the evenings I start to get a bit tired, slight headache, and I usually head to bed by 8:00 and I'm snoring my 9:00. Maren, my youngest, tucks me in, turns the TV off and closes my bedroom door. I still do come down to a slightly messy kitchen in the morning but that's fine...you can't expect 4 kids to get everything right!
Yesterday after my shower I ran my fingers through my hair, which is really short now. It seems the shedding might be starting. I looked down at my hands and there was strands of my hair between my fingers. So we will see how long it holds out...once I notice a big difference I will shave it. Who knows if one day it is becoming really bad, I might head into the garage and shave it myself. Heck, I do the boys all the time for swim, how difficult will it be for me to do my own? I know I will "lose it" if I'm in the shower and I see clumps of hair coming out. I will take control of the situation before that time comes because I need to and so does anyone else going through this journey. I am the boss, not the cancer, not the chemo, not the radiation, not the Dr.'s....I am the boss.
So, I have my game plan for the next go around and I'm feeling pretty confident that it is not going to be as bad as the first chemo.
Keep me company as I travel thru my journey facing breast cancer again.
Why would anyone want to read about someone else's problem when you have plenty of your own? Maybe one day a loved one, a friend, or you will be diagnosed with breast cancer. My blog might offer insite into cancer resources, thoughts, questions to ask, or guidance in helping you deal with this disease. These are my experiences and suggestions. Every breast cancer is different. If you are touched by breast cancer, be sure to consult your Dr. for direction in treatment.
I equate my blog to the emergency evacuation instruction the flight attendants do before you take off on an airplane. Nobody pays attention to them but when your plane is about to crash you think, "sh*t, why didn't I pay more attention to them? Which color cord do I pull first again?" We have so many things going on in our lives that one more thing to dwell on that doesn't apply to us right now may not be important but when it does, we wish we would have paid attention.
My blog is something you might read a couple times or maybe follow. Hopefully you gain some knowledge about breast cancer, in particular, Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC). It is the 2nd most common type of invasive breast cancer however it only accounts for approx. 10% of all invasive breast cancers. It is the silent breast cancer. It is generally not detected with a mammo but rather an ultrasound. Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) is what I have been diagnosed with. My suggestion to every woman who is of mammo age insist on an ultrasound with your mammos.
UPDATE 3/2011
I have had my bilaterial mastectomy and I am recovering. ILC is a sneaky cancer as I said above. My various Dr.'s here and at UCSF confirmed the size of my tumor should be between 2.5cm-3.5cm with possibilty but not most likely, 7cm. After my surgery, my tumor was confirmed to be 11cm. My Dr.'s are very knowledgeable and are on top of things. This is simply the truth about ILC. I had mammos every 6 months, ultra sounds, and MRI's. With all of these, it was not picked up until 1/2011. The good news, if you can call it that, only 1 sentinel node out of 2 has micromastic findings and 5 aux. nodes were negative.
Be sure to start my adventure from the blog history on the right. I have tried to bold points to make it easier to extract the important information. If there is anything you get out of this blog, refer to my Dr.'s listed below if you know someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer in the East Bay. These Dr.'s; Dr. Gottlieb, Dr. Wotowic, and Dr. Sherman are my 3 musketeers....all for 1 and 1 for all!
YAY! You are doing great. You will notice the next time will be easier in the sense that it is no longer the unknown. You being the boss and all helps keep the goblins from getting to you. Keep at it girl!
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