Sunday, October 29, 2000
The Breast Cancer Site - please bookmark this page and click daily to donate free mammograms.Well, it went great this morning! The solo went fine, and then I gave my testimony as part of the sermon. I was afraid that I might cry, but I didn't. People in the congregation tell me that they cried, though. I got a tape of it to send to my mom and dad. Dad was giving the children's sermon at their church today, and mom was singing in the choir, so they had their own excitement going on.
The only bad thing is that I am totally pooped out. My heart feels so tired. I laid down when we got home and my heart was just pounding away. It took nearly an hour for it to stop. I did fall asleep and sleep about 3 hours. My heart still feels tired in my chest. I hope this is just radiation fatigue and I'll be able to build up my strength when I finish. My pulse goes up at the slightest excuse. I went out to the backyard, walked to the far side (this is a small, city lot), Rick took my picture. I walked back into the couch and my pulse was 110. Mom is concerned that I make sure someone is with me when I start using the pool. That's probably a good idea until we find out what my exercise tolerance is.
posted by Karen Weber Sunday, October 29, 2000
Monday, October 30, 2000
The Skinny On High-Fat Diets and Breast CancerJust one more full breast radiation treatment to go! Tomorrow I'll get new art work and be able to take the little pieces of tape that cover the magic marker from the simulation to keep them from washing away. Hoooooooooooooooray!
Tonight I'm going to rehearse with the group of survivors here in Phoenix that is recording a breast cancer survivor song. I'm really excited about it. All of the women near me that I thought would car pool with me up into Phoenix have backed out. It's raining here, and us desert rats just don't know what to do when we see rain. I'm trying to talk Rick into going out to dinner and driving up with me. The massage therapist cancelled - she's been sick all day and doesn't want to give it to me - and so I'm hoping he'll be willing to do this. I'd like him to take some pictures.
Did I mention that I have just one more full breast radiation treatment to go? YIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The rain is bad news for the pool. The next thing that needs to be done is the waterfall, and they can't bring the really heavy rocks back into the yard when the ground is so wet. The man called me today and said that he would come over every day to check on the soil conditions. It can't help that it rained this afternoon, although it really only rained about 10 minutes. Maybe we'll get some good sun tomorrow and the ground will start to dry out.
I am so excited. We just got back from the rehearsal - what a great bunch of women! The music is really uplifting and there was a lot of musical talent in the room. We're going to record the song on Nov. 16th. There will be Phoenix media there documenting it. We've also been asked to appear onstage during an Arizona State University play called "The Left Breast" about breast cancer and at an ACS luncheon. Is this cool or what? We were gabbing between singing, and it turns out that the gal who was standing behind me dances with the gal who did my beautiful henna tattoo. She lives pretty close to us, so we're going to stay in touch even after this is over.
I cannot tell you how fun tonight was! There were a couple other gals there with hair just a few weeks ahead of mine, so I got to see where my hair will be in the next month or so. Rick had a headache and didn't really want to go with me, but he went anyway and he had a good time. He stood up on the staircase and took pictures with everyone's cameras. And he wore a big smile the whole time, until the gal doing the record mentioned that she wants to get families of survivors together later to record "Lean on Me". Then he made a face! I bet my mom would like to be in on that one, though!
posted by Karen Weber Monday, October 30, 2000
Tuesday, October 31, 2000
Returning to Work After Cancer TreatmentEarly breast cancer treated suboptimally is prone to recurrence
Axillary Recurrence Following Conservative Surgery and Radiotherapy in Early Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer: Is the Race for a Cure Nearing the Finish Line?
Thursday, November 2, 2000
Blogger has been picking on me this week. It ate my 10/31 entry that I spent over an hour writing, and it hasn't let me log in to enter anything else since then. So I'll try to re-create what I wrote and then let you in on how the boosts are going. I had a lot of fun at radiation on Halloween. I signed in and sat in the waiting area gabbing with the other patients. When it was time for my treatment, I reached into my tote and pulled out my glow-in-the-dark skull mask. Then I sat and waited for Laurie, my radiation therapist, to come and call me in. And I waited, and waited, and waited. After about 10 minutes, Laurie finally stuck her head out the door and I yelled, "Boo!" She totally cracked up. She said she'd been looking through the window for me, but didn't see me. As I went back to the treatment room, everyone laughed as I went past. For my troubles, I got a nice bag of candy and had my last full breast treatment.After the treatment, I had to get off the table so they could prep it for the booster sim. The sheets of Vigilon that I wear under my breast were on my stomach during the radiation treatment, and they started to fall off when I stood up. So I grabbed them and slapped them on my nipples and said they were pasties. The therapists were laughing, and I was laughing, and the radiation oncologist walked in, and she even laughed. Anyway, then I got on the table and Dr. Chen went looking for my scar. She had a lot of trouble finding it - my scar is so thin, straight, and light that it's hard to find amid the skin wrinkles from the Vigilon and bra. She started drawing one circle, then realized that she wasn't in the right area. So out came an alcohol wipe. Then she made a second try at it. It didn't feel like she was in the right area, and when she said "I'm afraid this is going to include part of your nipple" I knew she was in the wrong zip code. So out came the alcohol wipe again. I told her that if she would give me a mirror, I'd show her exactly where it was. No mirror. So I just showed her by touch where it is, and then she did some palpation of her own and we ended up with a correctly located black magic marker oval about 6" x 4". I checked it, of course, when I got home, and it seems to be centered around the scar.
Once the new artwork was completed, it was time to make the form they use for the boost. A cone was fitted on to my friend, Svinging Sven the Radiation Machine. A light source shines through the cone and onto the breast. The therapist inserted a piece of glass at the end of the cone, then slowly drew an oval on it that matched the oval on my breast. From this, a piece of lead was created with an opening that matches the treatment field represented by the oval on my breast.
When I got home from treatment on Tuesday, I had a lot of soreness in my side and breast. I haven't normally had discomfort directly after treatment, but hoo boy, I wasn't happy on Tuesday. I spent most of Halloween half naked on the couch while Rick doled out candy on the other side of the house. My entire breast was red, too. It normally has only been red in the shower or after I've been in bed under the warm covers for a while. In fact, when I went in for my first boost on Wednesday, the therapists were surprised at how it had gone from normal color to lobster after one treatment. It's faded somewhat today, but it's still pink. Still, I think that having the lymphatic drainage done during radiation has really helped. Other than the burns under the breast where I was abraded during the echocardiogram, I've had remarkably few skin problems, no hardening or fibrosis, only transient swelling, and pain only from the burns. I'm very hopeful that I won't have to do the intensive decongestive treatment so many women have to do following radiation.
Forgot to mention that I had my weekly meeting with Dr. Chen yesterday even though she'd been in to draw on me the day before. She said that I'm the perkiest patient they've had there in anyone's memory, and that she was glad to see that I wasn't having too much of a problem with fatigue. To tell the truth, I think I'm still experiencing enough recovery from the chemotherapy to more than offset whatever fatigue radiation might be causing. We went over my most recent blood counts. My white blood cells have gone down from middle-of-the-range normal to bargain-basement normal. They should start back up this week. I'm still anemic, but again, not enough that anyone wants to do anything about it. Perhaps I should stop acting so perky, and look as tired as I feel. Seems like the bone marrow that makes red blood cells should be making its recovery later this month. If I'm still low in December, I'll be more insistent about asking for some help with that.
Dr. Chen told me that it will take 2-3 weeks for the toxins to work out of my system and the skin to completely heal. 6-8 weeks to get past the fatigue caused by the radiation. She said that I can start the diet the cardiologist suggested a week or so after I finish treatment. I am so excited to be able to see the end of treatment just around the corner. Just 4 more to go!
Repressed Emotions May Hasten Breast Cancer Death
Five Questions With Joan Kwuon, founder of Artists for Breast Cancer
Friday, November 3, 2000
We are just back from the oncologist. He went over the tumor markers - all normal, which I already knew from the nurse. The bone scan is completely normal except my right knee, and that's because of the multiple surgeries I had on it and the ongoing arthritis. There was a spot on the CT scan that is suspicious, but it was enhanced by the contrast. Typically, a liver met is dark rather than bright on a CT, so the oncologist is very doubtful it's anything to worry about. But... we need to make sure, so he's sending me for an MRI. It may be up to a month before that can be scheduled, so in the meantime, we aren't going to worry. (That includes you, mom!)NIH Consensus Panel Recommends a Range of Adjuvant Therapies for Women with Breast Cancer
NIH Consensus Statements: 114. Adjuvant Therapy for Breast Cancer
Saturday, November 4, 2000
Factsheet 8: Tamoxifen - I've been noticing some increased facial hair over the last week and wondered if it is due to tamoxifen. According to this fact sheet, it probably is. In the same sentence, the fact sheet tells me that some women notice a difference in their singing voices when taking tamoxifen. So maybe I'll become a baritone????Dietary Factors and the Survival of Women with Breast Carcinoma