Journal entry by Jessica Wagner —
Today was Emee's last day of Chemo...hooray! I won't speak for her, but for me it both feels like it started forever ago and in other ways like yesterday. Those first 4 treatments were brutal, but the 12 weeks of Taxol were more bearable, and life was a bit "normal" for a while. That is until a couple weeks ago when Emee went in to be tested for the BRCA gene mutation. The results were positive for BRCA 2, which means that she has a high risk of also getting ovarian cancer. There are no good tests for ovarian cancer, so the options are to have them removed or wait and see, but by the time it's detected it would be a big tumor. So, the next decision is whether to remove the ovaries now or wait and try to have another child. As you can imagine, the decision seems more complicated when it's final. But alas, the complications of trying to have another child along with time and the fact that her chemo treatment very well could have sent her into early menopause (meaning her ovaries would not produce eggs) resulted in an ultimate decision to have them removed. Timing of this surgery is still TBD.
We always knew that radiation was likely to follow the chemo, but yesterday at the radiologist appointment she found out she'll need to go every day for 6 weeks! Ugh...daily for a month and a half... Luckily the treatment is only 15 minutes, but she still has to drive there, park, sign in, wait, etc. everyday. And before they can begin treatment she'll need to have a CAT scan done so they can be sure to target the right area...another procedure. Speaking of procedures, she'll also need to have the port removed that they put in for the chemo treatment. So that's two procedures, a surgery, and 6 weeks of radiation before the end of year.
But Emee is in great spirits. She was able to get the insurance to cover the cost of a nice wig, she's enjoying spending time with her mom, and she's looking forward to going back to work next week. She WANTS to go back to work. LoL Maybe I need a 6 months hiatus to want to go work. ;)
Thank you all for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers and continuing to ask about her. I'm sorry I haven't kept up with the updates as frequently as I wanted.
A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Emee's site for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?