Complete Radiation - Check! Now what?

As Julie wrote, I finished radiation in early June - yeah!!! What I wasn't as ready for was how bad the burn got AFTER I finished treatment. It was really bad a couple weeks after my last session, and I actually took more pain medicine than I had after the surgery. I had to watch what I wore to work, and pretty quickly revert to just a plain droopy Tshirt once I got out of work. I have to say, though, that once it stopped getting worse, it really healed very quickly, so that at my 3 week checkup, everything was pretty much healed. I could go back to wearing normal clothes, and just before we left for the beach on vacation, I finally got my long term prosthesis, which matches pretty darn well, and is so comfortable I go all day without remembering that its even there. That means I'm as back to normal as I'm going to be for quite a while, and it's a pretty good normal.

So what's next?
1) Drugs. I keep taking the hormone treatment at the chemo suite every 3 weeks until October. Besides knocking out one more of the reproductive possibilities for this cancer, it gives me a chance to say hi to the same chemo staff, and they tell me I look great, and that makes me feel good. I like to think maybe someone who has gotten through chemo and is recovering provides some hope to those in the middle of their treatments, since I know it helped me when I saw healthy looking people come in. I also started the "5 year drug" that shuts down some of the estrogen that feeds the cancer, another of the possible reproductive possibilities, and though one of the possible side effects is extreme achiness, it hasn't been too bad so far.
2) Consultations about what to do in the future - I'm working on two different consultations about where I go from here - do I have reconstruction done again, or does that help mask any future reoccurrence? if reconstruction is OK, how long do I wait? or do I go the other direction and have the remaining breast removed, just to be sure? As Julie said, I'm going to the James Center at OSU later this month, and P&G also provides a "Best Doctors" service that I'm using to ask the same questions.
3) Get back to normal - We're on vacation at the beach this week, which is really nice to have all the kids together having fun. When I get back to work next week, I'm going back with a short haircut and no wig. And now that my energy is returning, I need to keep loosing weight, since excess weight also causes extra estrogen to form, not good for the breast cancer situation, and not good for the family history of heart and diabetes problems either!

One thing struck me recently about getting back to normal - its a normal that no longer includes my mom. We might have "fixed" everything else, but that loss doesn't go away. I just have to think she's up there helping me through the rest of this crap though!

Love,
Teri

Another checkpoint!

Mom finished radiation therapy this week! Her arm and chest are pretty fried from the treatments and she has a bit of pain using that arm, but its over at last!

She will have to update you on the next stage of treatment and why they're doing it- because I frankly don't understand... and I'm studying this stuff- haha.

She'll also be making a trip to the brand new Comprehensive Breast Care Center at The James Cancer hospital at Ohio State in a few months just to catch up on the latest, developing treatments, etc. And to humor me.

Thanks again for all prayers and support! And ran into several of you (and probably will continue to on the graduation party circuit) who said you read- we appreciate that you're "keeping tuned"!

Finished with part of radiation therapy

Today I finished session 28 of the general radiation sessions they had planned. Tomorrow starts 8-10 sessions targeted at some problem areas, including the scar area from surgery. I'm glad they are done with the general sessions because I've got a pretty good burn area on my shoulder, believe it or not, right where a bra strap goes and right where your collar rubs your neck. That's from radiating the lymph nodes up above your chest (didn't even know you HAD lymph nodes there), just to be on the safe side, they haven't found anything in lymph nodes yet, and because you don't have much tissue behind that part of your chest it burns fast. It's pretty sore, though I've got several different types of medicine to slather on it, and its getting more difficult to find clothes to wear that don't rub at all the wrong places, but at least they are done radiating that part now, so it will only get better.

Also have almost two weeks back at work under my belt. Can't complain, since I leave at 2:00 every day to get to radiation. I also celebrated 30 years with P&G on May 16, the day I returned to work - seemed fitting to go back that day.

Next big milestone I'm looking forward to is when I have enough hair back to go wigless to work - been running around outside of work that way, but just not quite comfortable going to work that way yet. But I'm noticing the wig is a lot hotter on these warm days we've been having sometimes, so it's only a matter of when I give it up and go real short instead!

Love and continued thanks for all the support,
Teri

Half Way Through

Finished up my third week of radiation this past week - starting to get a nice "sunburn" to show for it. :) Radiation is pretty easy compared to chemo - other than the fact that my burn is starting to itch, it's not uncomfortable, just a daily trip to Jewish Hospital for about 30 minutes. They get me in and out right away. Two weeks ago I found myself getting pretty fatigued at night, though last week didn't seem quite as bad. I have one more week off before I go back to work, and we're busy getting ready for Stephen's high school graduation, so it will be nice to have the flexibility to take a little rest if I need it. I've also been lucky to be able to catch up with friends at lunch a couple times, and do a little shopping to make some "wardrobe adjustments". Best news of all - Jim starts a new job as a project manager in a week!! He has been working as sort of a project clerk since last July, but this is a real project manager job, he'll be doing the kind of work (and making the kind of salary :) that he used to before the bottom fell out of things in early 2009. Thanks so much to King and his electrical services company for all the support they have given him the last 7 months, keeping him busy and employed until he could land a "real" job - we are blessed by everything King and Lou have done for us the last year! Things are looking better and better every day, praise God!

After the dust settles....

It's been a crazy couple weeks, which is why I've been slow blogging since the surgery. Jenny was quite right, although I was not looking forward to this surgery, it wasn't bad. Not too much pain, since I'd been worked on there before. I took the first week pretty easy and got very re-acquainted with my Lazy Boy chair. Last week was a very different story. Lots of doctor's appointments. Started off with the surgeon and a post-op visit. She had the pathology report to share. Good news, not so good news. There was another tumor behind the reconstruction, and so it really did need to come off, no second guessing there. Not so good news - they didn't get a clean margin at one point, meaning the cancer had progressed right up to where they cut. It was microscopic at that point, so the surgeon doesn't know when she's cutting to cut a little deeper, and she said if she had cut any deeper in that region shw would have had to cut into my pec muscle. She also got me set with my first "padded bra" so I can stop stuffing that side with a sock (only kidding about the sock!) Next day I go see the Radiation oncologist. While still optimistic, she was a bit more guarded than the surgeon - course she's the one expected to successful in the next phase, so I get that. She marks me up and says lets get on with radiation next week. Next up is the medical oncologist (aka chemo doctor, who I still see because I take a hormoe drug every 3 weeks). She was "very concerned" about the pathology report. That did not leaving me feeling very good, as she is normally the most optimistic of the team. She said a lot of things but what stuck with me is that even after radiation and the hormone drug, they won't know if they got everything - it will be a wait and see game for the rest of my life. After a "pick me up" lunch with my good friend Nancy, I got a phone call from the oncologist. Once she had a chance to study the 7 page pathology report in more detail, she was more optimistic that the chemo hit the one tumor the way it was supposed to, the other tumor is of a different type and not expected to respond to chemo, but the good news is the type of cancer that was right up to that boundary is one that SHOULD react to radiation and the hormone therapy they will start me on after radiation. That left me feeling a little more upbeat, but still bummed that they can't say they got it all, and I'm just hoping that "wait and see game" is one I play for a real long time.

So its on to the next phase - radiation starts tomorrow. 5 days a week, at least 5 weeks but the radiation doctor wants to give some extra shots to the margin area, if my skin isn't burned to a crisp by then. So I guess even with all the rain we're getting, I'm starting on my "sun tan" tomorrow!

I can't say thanks enough for all the meals - people have really been generous and we've been eating much better than usual (all those brownies and chocolate chip cookies are making it hard to keep loosing weight though!). I really appreciate the time away from work, as I'm still finding a need a nap every day, and as always, really appreciate everyone's prayers and good wishes - I'm sure that contributed to making this surgery better than what I dreaded!

Love to all,
Teri

Almost a week after surgery...

Mom is doing a lot better than I think any of us expected. Still in some pain, which the medication is helping, but mentally, she's as tough as rocks. She says that her pec muscle is a little tight/sore, so hopefully that pain will diminish in the next few weeks and she will be back to normal...well as normal as anyone with only half a rack! Anyway, we would like to thank everyone that has been so supportive through meals, prayers, rides, everything. This process has been made a lot easier for us through our caring family friends. So thank you so much again, and we'll update when something new occurs!

Surgery Update

From Dad,

"Our of surgery and in recovery. Dr. said all went well and found no visible cancer. Said tissue was very healthy and she should have an excellent recovery."