A few words about this blog...

On February 27th I was diagnosed with breast cancer (invasive ductual carcinoma to be exact). I will be using this blog to provide updates on my treatment. I am getting treatment in California rather than London, so I am affectionately calling this relocation my “cancer-cation” (you know the stay-cation and vacation…but I will be on cancer-cation here in LA/SB for the next 6 months or so)! I am grateful to all of my friends and family who are joining me on this journey.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

At Long Last - Chemo 6! (click here)


So I have decided that a good way to think about my cancer treatment is to think of it as a (very, very long) play:

Act 1 - Chemotherapy
Act 2 - Surgery
Act 3 - Radiation
Act 4 - Herceptin infusions (Herceptin will continue every three weeks until first week in March 2016)
Act 5 - Tamoxifen (or some similar estrogen inhibitor for 5-10 years)

As long as my blood tests come back OK on Monday, my last chemo will be on Tuesday! So let's all cross fingers (or hold thumbs as you would say in South Africa!) that my blood cooperates...If all goes according to plan, Act 1 will be finished on Tuesday (followed by two weeks or so of feeling sort of crappy during the "intermission").  But hey, it is the last one so I will power through!  The twist in this act is that I had some problems with my port-a-cath (see photo below).  The upper incision never seemed to heal properly and on Friday, I thought that I could see my line in the upper incision.  So I went by my surgeon's office on Friday to ask her to look at it.  Guess what? I was indeed seeing my line! Evidently this is very dangerous as it can lead to infection and sepsis.  So my surgeon, Dr. Grafton said, "right this needs to come out now - as in right now".  So she had me go into one of their consultation rooms and boom, within 30 minutes she had removed my port-a-cath.  I can only say that I can't imagine having had such amazing access to my surgeon at UCLA (I found Dr. Grafton in her office on a Friday at lunchtime and within 1/2 hour Dr. Grafton had sorted me out!).

My port - when it was intact.
 I have had two consult-
ations with Dr. Grafton and felt totally confident in her taking such immediate steps to remove my port (again I probably would have had somebody I had never met do this if it was at UCLA).  Chris and I agree that we have made the right decision to have my cancer treatment in Santa Barbara.  Since having my port removed on Friday, I have been taking my temperature and so far it is still normal so hopefully, I am infection and sepsis free! I go in to see a nurse tomorrow to make sure everything looks OK.  I have to say that it does feel good to have my port out! The down side is that I have to have my infusions in a vein now (a bit more uncomfortable and can cause problems with your veins).  But it does feel good to have that little purple port out!

Dr. Grafton and her nurse - after removing my port.

Here is what lived in my chest and neck for 3 and 1/2 months!
My parents were here visiting for two weeks at the end of June which was great. We had a wonderful night at Cami's where she treated us to some delicious chilli (thanks Cami!).  Mom and dad took good care of me during their visit! I even got them to do a bit of exercise while they were here (as you can see in the photos below)!  And of course they enjoyed a very healthy diet while here.  :)

Go Mom!
Go Dad!
 Chris was here with me for the past week which was great! We enjoyed the simple things like getting to have breakfast together - and making green juice! But we also fit in a few outings: An Amos Lee & David Gray concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl with Debbie and Paul (it is one of the most beautiful outdoor concert venues I have ever been to!), dinner at the Plow and Angel at the well-known San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito with our lovely friends Tim and Martha, and an information session on lymphedema (one of the requisite medical outings)!
Thank you Tim and Martha for all of your support!


At the San Ysidro Ranch with Chris.
I have saved the best news for last...I had a dye MRI a few weeks ago and they found that there was no dye update in the MRI.  As you may know, the cancerous tumors take in dye - and thus show up on the dye MRI.  So the fact that there was NO dye uptake (and this was before my fifth chemo) is absolutely amazing!  This does not guarantee that all of my cancer is gone (there can be micro-cancers), but it does mean that I may have had a complete pathological response.  HOORAY! I was then sent in for a mammogram, while Chris was here, to check for DCIS (pre-cancerous  - microcalcifications) - and I appear to be clear here as well.  HOORAY!  So hopefully, this means I will have a lumpectomy instead of the mastectomy that we had thought I would have to have.  This is a great ending to Act 1! 

Thank you all for all of your love and support! I really do believe that it has made (and will continue to make) a big impact on the success of my treatment.  As a side note, some people have asked me if I still need to have surgery and radiation, since my tumors appear to be gone, and the answer is yes. The surgeon will be taking samples of tissue to ensure that I don't have any micro-cancers that could turn into new tumors.  The radiation will help ensure that any remaining micro-cancers are destroyed.  So we will all have to sit through Acts 2-5!  But I promise to do my best to make the upcoming Acts powerfully successful...
x
Jodi
Our walk at Hendry's Beach.

4 comments:

  1. Get it tough girl!!!!! Love you.
    xxoo,
    Dani

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    1. Thanks Dani! You and Morgin have been such great cheerleaders for me during this process! :)

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  2. YAY for no dye uptake!!! That is such happy news :) You are amazing!
    I hope your platelets behave themselves today so you can take a much deserved interval between Acts!
    Much love from the BG's x

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    1. Thanks BG's! Platelets didn't behave, but we will still get there...xx Jodi

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