Finally, I wanted to offer further medical explanation of any of the happenings to date if I left anything out. What seems linear to me, may not be to someone else who doesn't live in the healthcare realm. Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a text if there is something I haven't explained well. Part of this is sharing knowledge and I don't want to leave anything out.
Sorry for the jumbled blog post:
Day one of chemotherapy complete! On my first day, my Perjeta and Herceptin doses were doubled for a starting loading dose. They were the first two infusions I had, followed by Taxotere and Carboplatin infusions. My future infusions will take about 4 hours instead of the 6 hours today. Between these four main medications, they infuse saline, Zofran, and dexamethasone to manage the side effects. So far, I'm just a bit tired with some minor taste changes and dry mouth, but doing well otherwise.
I fielded a call from the Payer Matrix Pharmacy representative so we can get my 2nd Cycle (should be 2/19/24) as well as all future Perjeta and Herceptin infusions covered. I'll continue to advocate for myself to ensure I get the treatment I need to beat this thing!
A wise friend, who has been through this herself said, "Rest and let the poison do it's magic!" It is likely the best, albeit weirdest, advice I've received in quite a while, and I believe every bit of it.
Here's to rest and magic poison!
For the men out there:
Thank you for all the well wishes and support. We have a planned start date of Monday, January 29th for my first day of chemotherapy which will consist of four main infusions known as TCHP.
TCHP stands for:
.png)
I came across a great post on Pinterest titled "I had Cancer & This is What I Needed". There is no "how-to" book on this and just like you, I'm:
The words are flowing a bit less freely for this post. Findings of my PET scan received on 1/16/24 confirmed the known malignancy but also added yet another layer to the ongoing information gathering session. The Pros: No further confirmation of involved lymph nodes (but to be finally determined by biopsy during surgery). The Cons: Areas of increased uptake at T11 and L1 warranting further imaging to determine if incidental finding or potential metastases. This, my friends, is why I waited until after a thoracic and lumbar MRI with and without contrast on 1/19/24 before posting this next post. Unfortunately, the MRI wasn't as helpful as we had hoped either. It identified some incidental findings showing hemangiomas at C7, T3, T4, and T10.
There is still an area of undetermined involvement in T11, although noted to be in a different area than what was visualized on my PET scan. It states "Potentially this could represent reactive edema from the degeneration however, metastatic disease cannot be completely excluded on this exam and attention on follow-up examination is recommended." There is also findings of a Schmorl's Node in my T11 vertebrae. Hang on tight everyone, we're now in unchartered territory together. I may as well plan to donate my body to the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. Been there, seen that. It is worth it if you get the chance!
If you're reading this, you're someone who I deeply care about and am fortunate to look to for support (so thank you!). I hope this platform is helpful to gain knowledge, increase early detection via preventive health services, and provide solace for those reading this. I plan to add helpful links if you wish to go down the rabbit hole, and TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read) options for the quick and dirty version.
On December 14th, at a well-woman exam, my primary care provider (PCP) who is a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) found a lump she didn't like. Since I am 38 years old, I had not yet had a mammogram, and she referred me for a mammogram and ultrasound. Due to there being a concern, there was an interventional radiologist on retainer for the 2 hours which allowed my mammogram and ultrasound findings to be further investigated and ultrasound biopsy and clip (I got a heart one!) insertion done on the same day (December 26th).
He was honest, which I appreciated, and stated while he could not diagnose cancer from a mammogram alone, he had concerns at this time through their BI-RADs category (I was a 4C at the time and have since increased to a 6 after MRI) which led to the three core needle biopsies to be taken. Preliminary pathology results were sent to my PCP on December 29th who let me know it showed Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, the most common type of breast cancer. Final pathology results were available on January 2nd which showed it was Triple Positive (Estrogen, Progesterone and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 aka HER2 positive) which means the little thing (currently 1.3 x 2.0 x 2.2 cm) loves everything and therefore grows really fast. HER2+ breast cancers tend to grow faster and are more likely to spread. On the flip side, it also responds better to breast cancer treatment that targets HER2 proteins, which is a positive (pun intended).
The next test I received was an MRI with contrast. From there, it was decided I should get a PET scan to truly know the full involvement at this time. I had the PET scan on January 12th and had to wait for the radioisotope to fly in on Alaska Airlines from Seattle, hoping it didn't fly out the door. Sorry, was that too soon?
I also received an echocardiogram (ECHO) to get a baseline status of my heart as the suggested chemotherapy is cardiotoxic (can cause heart damage). At this time, next step is to get the PET scan results and meet with the medical oncologist on January 16th which is also the day all four of my physicians will be in the same room discussing my case.
TL;DR
.JPG)
