Journal entry by Megan Tucker-Manly —
A bone biopsy completed on April 21st determined my arm mets to be negative for cancer. Thankfully that allowed my cancer to be labeled stage 3 at this point, survivable.
On April 30th I had the lumpectomy procedure. Drove myself there due to COVID restrictions not allowing anyone in. Due to lymph node dissection I was sent home with one drain. Only one lymph node came back as cancerous (the one that lit up on PET scan).
I have consulted with Cleveland Clinic and my local oncologist to create the following plan.
Step 1: Radiation will begin once my surgeon has removed my drain and given me the all clear.
Step 2: 4 rounds of chemo which will take 12 weeks. I will receive two new drugs Carboplatin and Gemzar. I will receive doses day 1, day 8, and then have a week off before the next cycle. I have been told I won't lose my hair again. At this news I burst into tears.
PET scans will be completed every 3 months to keep an eye on my bone mets as there is a possibility that the sites are just so small that the biopsy was potentially misdirected. If those spots grow but continue to test negative I may be sent to a bone specialist at UK hospital.
On May 6th I met with my oncologist and asked about fertility options at this point. I've already been through chemo and going through it again once more puts me at risk of decreased fertility. As I'm no longer pregnant, freezing my eggs could be an option. My oncologist also suggested Zoladex as an alternative. It would put me into chemically induced menopause to hopefully shelter my reproductive system during treatment. Ovarian suppression is also used as a treatment for endometriosis, so this is not new information to me. The treatment is fairly new though with minimal long term studies. This option makes me concerned for effects such as never coming out of menopause.
I was basically given two days to decide if I wanted to proceed with freezing my eggs as the process takes at least a month and thats with optimal circumstances. Coming off of a pregnancy, with past chemo, and recent insertion of an IUD I have not returned to normal cycles. This would lead to complications.
Josh and I decided to gamble our future fertility. Siblings for Sevy is a major priority for us. But when you weigh that against the financial cost and, ultimately, trying to assure my future, my being here. We couldn't risk postponing my radiation. We couldn't justify spending the money with a chance of everything going well and the eggs not being necessary, or the flip and everything going wrong (me dying) and the eggs not being necessary.
As long as everything goes to plan (radiation and chemo with no future recurrence), cleveland clinic said I could plan to try getting pregnant in 2-3 years. In the mean time, I will raise Sevy with a deeper appreciation for each day in case she is my one and only.
On April 30th I had the lumpectomy procedure. Drove myself there due to COVID restrictions not allowing anyone in. Due to lymph node dissection I was sent home with one drain. Only one lymph node came back as cancerous (the one that lit up on PET scan).
I have consulted with Cleveland Clinic and my local oncologist to create the following plan.
Step 1: Radiation will begin once my surgeon has removed my drain and given me the all clear.
Step 2: 4 rounds of chemo which will take 12 weeks. I will receive two new drugs Carboplatin and Gemzar. I will receive doses day 1, day 8, and then have a week off before the next cycle. I have been told I won't lose my hair again. At this news I burst into tears.
PET scans will be completed every 3 months to keep an eye on my bone mets as there is a possibility that the sites are just so small that the biopsy was potentially misdirected. If those spots grow but continue to test negative I may be sent to a bone specialist at UK hospital.
On May 6th I met with my oncologist and asked about fertility options at this point. I've already been through chemo and going through it again once more puts me at risk of decreased fertility. As I'm no longer pregnant, freezing my eggs could be an option. My oncologist also suggested Zoladex as an alternative. It would put me into chemically induced menopause to hopefully shelter my reproductive system during treatment. Ovarian suppression is also used as a treatment for endometriosis, so this is not new information to me. The treatment is fairly new though with minimal long term studies. This option makes me concerned for effects such as never coming out of menopause.
I was basically given two days to decide if I wanted to proceed with freezing my eggs as the process takes at least a month and thats with optimal circumstances. Coming off of a pregnancy, with past chemo, and recent insertion of an IUD I have not returned to normal cycles. This would lead to complications.
Josh and I decided to gamble our future fertility. Siblings for Sevy is a major priority for us. But when you weigh that against the financial cost and, ultimately, trying to assure my future, my being here. We couldn't risk postponing my radiation. We couldn't justify spending the money with a chance of everything going well and the eggs not being necessary, or the flip and everything going wrong (me dying) and the eggs not being necessary.
As long as everything goes to plan (radiation and chemo with no future recurrence), cleveland clinic said I could plan to try getting pregnant in 2-3 years. In the mean time, I will raise Sevy with a deeper appreciation for each day in case she is my one and only.
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Megan Stay Connected to Family and Friends
A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Megan's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?
