Phase Two...

Oncology. Cancer. This is the second part of the treatment. Many have asked me ,,,"why do you need chemo if they got the cancer....and the lymph nodes were negative?" Good question.
Cells are small. Microscopic. There were a few trace cells in both of my lymph nodes...and even though this is considered still a neg. node....a few could have gotten out into my system. Now that the breast tissue is gone...the local treatment of breast cancer....we move on to the systemic treatment of the disease. By blasting the body with chemo...and killing any stray cancer cells that have strayed into other parts of the body...I greatly increase my chances of NOT having a return of cancer...in any other parts of my body. It is kind of strange how they do all of these calculations...they take the -bad news -(-in my case the size of my tumor (large) and that I had 2 primary cancers in each breast (very uncommon),,),and all of the other information (which is all good in my case) and plug it into a table. This then predicts the chances of a relapse or return of cancer within the next 5 years...and/or mortality (ugh!). And they present this in a very matter-of-fact way. So basically if I do the chemo and hormone therapy...I reduce the percentages of a return by some 20% or so. It would NOT make sense not to do it. I say "bring it on"!!!!! I am ready to fight these little bad boys!!!
I am looking at 4 cycles of chemo...spaced 3 weeks apart. I SHOULD be finished by the end of October. Yeah! We are planning to go back for the Harvard/Yale game at the end of November...and with this schedule I hope to have some strength back by then.

I really thought that I would have some "healthy" time between surgery and chemo. It has been 3 weeks since the surgery and I am still having considerable pain. I am trying so hard to stop the pain pills,,,they make me tired...and just rely on the Motrin...but not quite there yet. Very frustrating. My sister took me to Henry's Food yesterday on a quest for this drink called Kombucha...an organic raw drink that a scientist created for his mother who was battling breast cancer. We found it! I am nursing one right now as I write. It is probably one of the worst things I have ever had to drink......but I WILL drink one a day...as it is suggested. I look at everything I put in my body right now as fortification to boost my immune system....and hasten my recovery from chemo.

On that note......thank you so much for the food! I know that I will have at least one well-balanced meal per day! And most of the time...leftovers for lunch the next day.

I am going on a "big" outing today. Colin's lacrosse team is playing in the finals of the Starz Cup...and then he is done with lacrosse with his club team for this season. I am being picked up and driven to LMU for the 3 pm game. I really don't think I will be able to stay for the Cup Finals at 5 (which I am sure they will play in). We are taking an umbrella, chair and lots of water. I should be OK.

Well,,,,I better get on to my other task for today....my washer died. I am going to try and let my fingers do the work and look on-line for a new one. It's always something!

Love,
Nancy