Walking on Water -- Sink or Swim?: Gemzar "bee sting"

Monday, July 7, 2008

Second Chemo.... Low Blood Counts

Paul and I got up this morning at 3:40 a.m. to drive to Beaumont (I had to be there at 6:00 a.m.) to have my medi-port surgically installed. We had more waiting than we would have liked (surgery didn't actually start until 8:00 a.m.... ), but it went very well. The nurse found a vein on the first try (yea!), and the port made my chemo today much, much easier.

The chemo I got today was a "short" one -- only the medication Gemzar. The oncology nurses affectionately call Gemzar "bee sting" medication. That's because as the medication goes in through a vein (without a port), your whole arm feels sore and tense like it is being stung by a bee. That is the feeling I had last Monday as the medication went through my vein. This week, as the medication went through my medi-port, I felt nothing! (Smile, Smile, Smile)

But... my oncologist said that my white blood count and my red blood count are both way too low. If I have a fever, he has mentioned putting me in a hospital. I don't think it will come to that for me, but I know he was trying to make a point with me. He succeeded.

Today he gave me medication for the red blood count and tomorrow I have to a Neulasta shot. Not a big deal in the scheme of things; we just hadn't anticipated any shots during this stage of the chemo.

But, I recognize that I have been through an emotional and physical roller coaster in the last two months. I feel whipped, and am not surprised that my body is physically responding in a similar way. My next chemo is two weeks away -- that gives me time to Rest, Eat Well, and Rest....

Highlights of My Journey

I know that other breast cancer patients and survivors visit this site. The following is a history of my cancer journey. Feel free to email with me any questions:

Sept. 2006 -- diagnosed (eventually) with T2 N1 M0 "triple negative" breast cancer of the left breast. MRI of both breasts indicated only the one tumor. Age 40 @ dx. Three young boys, a wonderful husband, and great friends and family. My doctor says we all need the three F's -- Friends, Family and Faith.

Oct. 06 thru January 2007 -- Began chemotherapy: taxotere, adriamycin and cyclophosphamide (TAC). Six cycles, given every three weeks.

December 2006 -- tested negative for BRAC1 and BRAC2.

Feb. 2007 -- Lumpectomy. Results showed tumor had an incomplete response to the chemotherapy (some shrinking, but not completely gone). My oncologist recommended more chemotherapy after radiation. I had "close margins," and had a re-excision in early March.

March 26 thru May 9, 2007 -- Whole left breast radiation. Daily. "Boost" treatment just to tumor bed during last week. Met some great friends there.

May 13 thru September 7, 2007 -- oral Xeloda prescribed by my oncologist as "insurance." Easily tolerated. In hindsight, not sure it was very useful?

October 24, 2007 -- Mammogram. Declared "normal," except for concerns near incision location. We should have checked into this more thoroughly, but wrote it off as scar tissue/radiation affects. It's only been a year since first cancer was found -- must be too soon for any problems, right? Wrong.

March 2008 -- MRI showed "large area of abnormal enhancement" with increased blood flow. Both suspicious for malilgancy. This was confirmed via biopsy. Over the next couple of months doctors had very difficult time quantifying how much cancer was in my breast. My diagnosis went from DCIS (pre-biopsy) up to as much as 4cm of actual cancer in the breast, after mastectomy. A wild ride!

May 19, 2008 -- left breast, simple mastectomy with latissimus dorsi (back flap) flap. A hard recovery, but okay now. Woulda, coulda, shoulda had the mastectomy the first day cancer was ever found....

June 6, 2008 -- Bone Scan and CT Scan -- all NORMAL, no sign of cancer elsewhere in the body! Praise God! It is a bummer that the cancer is back, but it could have been so much worse...

June 24, 2008 -- Zometa infusion for bone strength, and to deter bone mets. Very achy a few days afterward.

June 20-Sept 8 -- Chemotherapy: Taxotere and Gemzar.

September 22 -- Began Carboplatin chemotherapy. Will be finished by Thanksgiving 2008.

October 2008 -- Major setback: implant spacer became infected (pseudomonas aeruginosa), and had to be removed. Blood levels crashed. I spent 8 days in the hospital, received multiple RBC and platelet infusions, and was on IV antibiotics for almost the entire month.

Nov/Dec 2008 -- We tried a second dose of Carboplatin, (a reduced dosage, even), but my blood levels crashed again. Doctor said, "No more chemo." Received RBC transfusion mid-December.

2008-2012 -- annual CT, bone scan, MRI and mammogram, as well as regular visits to my oncologists (every 6mos).

June 2012 -- my oncologist used the most beautiful C-word in the dictionary -- Cured! :-) I will still have an annual MRI and mammogram and check in with him once a year, but he considers me past the point of having to be monitored specifically for cancer. Triple negative IS treatable!