Friends and family:
Thank you for all the Birthday calls, texts, cards, pkgs, and all who came by the house to suprise me. I will not be a “survivor” of this major inconvenience, instead, I’d like to look at myself as a “conquer.”
Below are a few updates from the beginning of Cycle Six and a meeting with my oncologist:
The neuropathy has moved to both side of my face and has affected both my hands and feet.
The time frame for recurrence for most people with stage 3 - B is 12-18 months. Dr. Hardesty prescribed the most powerful dosage of the chemo (what she calls, “the big guns”) that I could tolerate and because of that she believes it would take about 24-36 months for recurrence.
A CT scan will be ordered 1-2 months after my last cycle of chemo to get a baseline of my abdomen. Scans that will be done in the following months will be compared to this one to look for any abnormalities or recurrence of cancer.
They have what is termed "survivorship visits" which allow me to have more one-on-one time with the RN. This is a new routine for care. Counseling and physical therapy is offered post chemo to hopefully get me back to my old self, but better.
I will be having follow up visits every 3 months to look for any recurrence. If the cancer does come back it will be in the markers of my bloodwork. But just because the level increases, does not necessarily mean there is a recurrence. Dr. Hardesty said not to worry about the numbers. She herself will keep track of the numbers and let me know if she thinks there is a problem.
I also found out that a positive came back on my test for the mutation on the tumor (HRD +). There have been good results with PARP medications (it’s considered a chemo maintenance pill) it will be prescribes at the 4-6 week post chemo visit. The treatment would continue for 3 years. The side effects of the drug are usually manageable which is a blessing compared to the past few months.
The IP port will be removed in the next month or two (great news) the upper port will remain in place to provide easier access for the blood work that will continue.
After cycle five I was experiencing chest pain near my heart. My heart was checked and everything looked good. The chest pain is most likely a symptom of my anemia and overall stress. So now they are watching this in case I am in need of a blood transfusion, which would only occur if the pain comes back.
As I am
Writing this I have already completed two chemo treatments of cycle 6 and have my final round on November 19th.
To all as always thank you everyone for everything!
Gob bless each and everyone of you!
Sincerely,
Andrea
