So the last blog dealt with the cancer being gone from my lungs but me still having a large tumor under my left arm. The Oncologist didn't want to do surgery and was hoping that the continued treatments with Herceptin would kill that final tumor. No such luck. Finally in March we threw in the towel and opted to have surgery. First came a PET scan to make sure that everything was hunky dory awesome and that the tumor under my arm was really the last of my cancer.
I had never had a PET scan but it is more definitive than a CT Scan so off to the little trailer that they drag from facility to facility for the scan I went. I came and they pumped stuff into me - something radioactive I'm sure. I waited in a dark room for several minutes (don't remember exactly how long) and then into see the scanner. Freak out! Okay this isn't your average donut - this is a tube. A long tube. I am not a long tube person. I have trouble with just the donut. But I was here, stuff was in me and I was going to do this come heck or high water. So I closed my eyes and told the tech to tell me when my head was out of the other end and in I went. The whole scan probably takes about 20-30 minutes and I had my eyes closed for a good half of that. But in the end I made it (Rocky music here).
So it was time to wait . . . again. Have you noticed a pattern here. 90% of treatment seems to be waiting - waiting for an appointment, waiting for prescriptions, waiting for scan results. So we waited knowing that everything hung on this scan.
Clean. Clean, clear and normal. Lungs were great and the only other tumor was under my left arm. Time for it to go.
I scheduled surgery for my Daughter's birthday. On purpose. I knew she would be at Disneyland with friends - the plans had been made long before. Of all my family she had had the toughest time with my cancer. I wanted her out of the way and where better to distract her than the happiest place on earth. Score one for Mom :)
Final issue was that my Surgeon didn't want to do the surgery. She felt that I was Stage 4 Metastatic and she didn't want to take a chance on me having to live the rest of my short life with Lymphedema (more this happy condition later) but after several conversations with my Oncologist and understanding I really was cancer free except this last tumor she finally agreed to do it.
So on May 5th, 2008 I had a lymph node dissection. They went in and removed the tumor and scrapped away as many lymph nodes as possible. I came out with a arm hole (not an arm pit) and a drain. Have I said before how much I hate drains? Well, I hate drains. Not only that but 15 days later my lovely husband and I were scheduled to be at the Grand Canyon for our 30th wedding anniversary. Wooohooo for me :(
Well the drain came out on time and I was off for several days of travel and some beautiful vistas in southern Utah and northern Arizona. Saw the Grand Canyon - one more thing off my bucket list. And then home to heal. I should also mention here that there was a lot of pain and discomfort attached to this particular surgery and in the end the Surgeon prescribed compression sleeves to help with the healing. Loved them - they supported my arm and really helped with the pain.
When I visited my Oncologist in June I was surprised by the next item on my 'Jan must never gets cancer again' list. Radiation. I had not had this on my first go round with Cancer so I really never considered it for this one. Kaiser has a deal with an outside center to do the radiation so I had a pre appointment with scan and prep to start my treatment in August. I had to delay since I would be gone for a whole week in July to volunteer at my Church's Young Woman Camp - I had been doing it for years and wasn't about to give it up :)
So when I arrived in August first they made a form for me to rest my arms on (over my head) while I was going through the machine. They give you a very precise amount of radiation in a very specific area. The form helped me to be in the same position each and every time I went in. Then came the one thing I thought I would never do in my life. Tattoos. I have three. They are about the size of a pin dot but they have to do it since you will be doing treatments every day for a six week period and any other mark would disappear after just a few days. The mark gave them points for the machine to line up with on my body.
Then they started the treatments. Monday through Friday at 4 I would drive to the clinic, 30 minutes away, and they would shove me through the machine and then I would drive home. I would apply the salves they gave me to keep me from burning and I had to wear a soft sports bra. I did great. No burns. I was thrilled.
At the end of 6 weeks was done. Saw my Oncologist again and was put on a pattern of appointments (which I still have to this day) and have gone on with life. Sort of :)
Final blog on Cancer and Lymphedema and my Micheal Jackson Glove. Link here :) Final
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