I have such good news!! My cancer has responded very well to the chemotherapy and statistically this makes my prognosis and chances of survival very very good. We will find out more from the pathology report after my surgery.
So much has happened in the past week. My current goal is to focus on the next step in my journey ... the surgery.
1. Last DOC chemo treatment was cancelled due to complications that the drug was causing.
2. Chemo one week ago consisted of Herseptin. I will continue on the Herseptin treatments for another year.
3. Surgery (full mastectomy and lymph node removal) has been moved up to be on October 14, 2011.
4. Tomorrow, October 7, I go for blood work to make sure that my blood counts are high enough for surgery.
5. Legs are currently swollen and stiff due to fluid retention.
6. I attended an information session this morning at the Women's Health Centre to learn more about my surgery along with prevention and management of very possible side effects.
I continue to walk every day and am going to add in the arm exercises that I need to do after surgery so that they become part of my routine. I am surrounding myself with positive thoughts and am focusing on being as healthy as possible so that I can hopefully get over as much of the chemotherapy side effects prior to going to surgery.
The cancer experience has certainly opened my eyes to the experience of being diagnosed with a potentially terminal illness. I however discovered that I have been so fortunate that my medical team has been very positive with me when speaking about my prognosis and that if I was ever going to have cancer I am fortunate to have the cancer that I have. As a cancer patient, I have spent a good deal of time in the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. During my treatments, I have not really connected with a lot of patients. However, last week, while waiting for blood work I leaned over to the bald cancer patient next to me and asked ... "so what kind of chemo are you on?". She replied that she was currently on a 'trial' drug and that she had ovarian cancer. Her name was Georgina. She wanted me to know that the key to survival was to have a positive attitude. The next day when I entered the waiting area for chemo patients, there sat Georgina. I greeted her with a smile and sat down to eyeopening conversation. She wanted me to know the signs of ovarian cancer because her cancer had turned into stage 3 cancer very quickly. With tears and fear in her eyes she told me that ovarian cancer patients usually only live 5 years post diagnosis. She was currently on year 3. Georgina knows more than me ... she knows the fear of certain death... she knows what it is like to go through chemotherapy for 3 years. I only know what 6 months is like. But as a fellow cancer patient, I think that I understand. Matthew 5:3 comes to mind. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Belssed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Georgina was mourning for the life that was being taken from her.
I wanted to hug her and tell her that it was going to be ok. All I could offer her was that I would pray for her. A small but as I have learned a very powerful gesture. As I was called in for my treatment, I wished her the best. I truly hope that our treatments would continue to coincide.
The wisdom that I wish to leave with you today is that it is so important to pay attention to our bodies and take care of ourselves. No one else will do it. I wish you much happiness, laughter, peace, love and blessings.
I want to let everyone know that surgery went very well. The surgeon said that he could not have imagined that the surgery would have gone as well as it did. His comment made me smile because I know that God was with us in the operating room. I am so happy because I am feeling so blessed and things are going in the right dirrection. Praise the Lord! God is good!!
