1st Chemo: September 15, 2005

I completed the 1st of possibly 16 treatments on Thursday, September 15. We'll know more details about how many/how often further along in the treatment..

I thought the actual treatment went well.. I had a couple issues which kept my RN, Cathy, on her toes grabbing for more meds to combat the reactions, along with Kleenex because I started off pretty emotional... it's hard to write about getting ready for my 1st treatment & the unconditional support I have received especially from Carolyn, through all this.. I'm gettting all mushy & teary eyed thinking about it!

Anyways, here is a pic of me & my first treatment w/Adriamyicin (the chemo is red).. they have to manually inject "push" it into me (other chemos are done via IV drip)..

Here's Carolyn & me... by the day's end, we were both pretty loopy.. especially after we thought I was being psychosomatic (you know that contagious itch?), but in reality it was an allergic reaction.. I didn't think you were supposed to laugh so much during chemo, thank goodness we were about the only ones left in the center!



The days after the treatment were ok.. the first day after treatment was probably the best, I didn't notice any change in my energy level, but the following fews days my energy has been intermittent... I rest a lot during activities. ;)

Thanks again to everyone for all your support!!!

"I can do this!"

~Christine

Surgery Results: September 12, 2005

I've had some PC problems & unable to update my blog until now.. but I'm back online again!

If you need to reach me, please-please don't hesitate to call me:
Home: 408-262-6885
Cell: 408-806-8464

I'd be happy to send you my home address, just send me an Email: christinelahann@yahoo.com.

So, my results came in... There was no cancer found in either of my breasts!!!
The MRI may have shown swelling from my 1st surgery which caused the concern.

Between my last 2 surgeries, 17 lymph nodes were removed & 3 tested positive for cancer.
Not good, but not as bad as it could have been!

I'm back on track for chemotherapy, which will begin this Thursday, 9/15.
I will have a total of 8 "cycles" of chemo: outpatient, 3-6 hours a session, every other week to every 3rd week depending on recovery.

I was told by my doc not to worry about the flecks found on my lungs, half (if not more) of the general population have flecks which can be caused from colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, etc.. ;)

I found out my car should be ready this Friday or early next week, yay! I've had better rental cars, so I'm super excited to get my Jeep back!!! Here's a pic of the accident scene (that's my Jeep in the middle):

Thank you to all my Cisco friends & coworkers for the visit on 9/6 including dinner & the gift basket & for the flowers I received when I arrived home after the surgery.. It's way more than I could have ever expected! Your thoughtfulness means much to me! Jacklynn & James had a blast, for sure! I would love another visit soon!

Post Surgery: September 3, 2005

I was scheduled for out-patient surgery on Wednesday, 8/31 to :

• remove irregular tissue from my left breast
• remove the additional cancer in my right breast
• biopsy an enlarged lymph node in my right breast

Just before surgery, I had my 3rd MRI so the doc could insert wires that would guide the surgeon where to operate. The nice thing was that the MRI scanner used on this visit was an open tube so I didn't panic, like I did during the first MRI scan in the closed tube. In addition to the MRI, I had a mammogram prior to surgery.

For the real bad news:
The enlarged node was indeed positive for cancer cells, so additional tissue including the nodes were removed for further dissection, so I was kept overnite with a drain inserted (will have until next week).

I'll have to admit, after sampling several local hospitals, Stanford's one of my favorites.. the food wasn't the greatest (except the fruit!!!) but the room was nice & QUIET (esp. for a hospital)..
My next appointment is scheduled for Thursday, 9/8.. with all hopes I will receive the pathology results from surgery.

A more tiny bad news:
The results from my CT Scan came back with mixed results.. my liver is fine, but they saw some "tiny" flecks on my lungs. I need to reconnect with my oncologist, but from the sounds of it, they will take a "wait & see" approach since the spots were very tiny.

And it gets worse yet:
To make things more interesting, this afternoon I was in a car accident. I was hit from the rear & pushed into the car in front of me.. the damage appeared minor to my car, until I tried to drive.. the tail pipe was pushed into the tire, so it had to be towed. The guy who hit me had much more damage, his entire hood buckled along with his side fenders. The Mercedes SUV I was pushed into seemed to have minor bumper damage (comparable to my front end). There were no injuries reported at the scene.

But!
I am strong. And I know that "This too, shall pass."

Keep in Touch!!!
I know I haven't been the best at reaching out, I have been pretty overwhelmed, managing all that's involved with a cancer diagnosis. I really appreciate those of you who have contacted me, it means more than words can express to feel how much you care.