M
MARIPOSA
Guest
Well, I’ll never be ready for this, it just happened waaay to fast, but let the games begin and I’ll dig out my armor and fight the good fight! At least I’ve found out where the enemy has begun mobilizing. Those bi-yearly mammograms don’t detect if the cancer has metastasized to other places, but a recent CTscan found them huddled in my Lungs, Liver and several Lymph nodes. This is a normal migration for many breast cancer cases. But the most bothersome and shocking new discovery is that the irritating ‘blurry’ spot in my right field of vision, which I’ve been experiencing for a couple weeks now, is from ‘choroidal metastasis’, or a growth behind the retina. Yikes. If the chemo does not irradicate this location, I will receive a beam of radiation to the eye. (do you think my eye will glow in the dark like a cat’s eye? LOL) My research uncovered the bothersome fact that 37% of breast cancer metastasis is to the eyes. Who knew?
I really don’t want to disclose this fact because I don’t want to frighten others who are also monitoring their own breast cancer, but I feel I must. When breast cancer gets to the stage that it invades the eye this is a sign of ‘advanced metastasis’. Not sure what the implications are from this point on. My oncologist and I decided we will do tests after the chemo is all over and will discuss what my prognosis is at that point. Oh joy, I get to wait over 12 weeks to hear this one. GEEZ
On Saturday my sister will be arriving from Seattle to spend a few days with me. She is going to cook up a storm to stock my freezer. Yippee.
OK my faithful troops, here is where I need your prayers. This is my grueling battle plan for the next week. Post it on your computer and refer to it often:
Mon: Bone scan
Tues: 2 molars extracted (must have all dental work completed before beginning chemo due to high risk of infection)
~Instruction on my port (the pic line which will remain till the end of chemo so they don’t have to keep jabbing me
for labs and infusion treatments over the next 3 months)
~ Instruction in chemotherapy and prescriptions for
medication, including those magic little red pills that keep
me from becoming nauseated.
Wed Try to rest up from having teeth pulled & monitor closely for any signs of infection.
Thurs All day event – insert port - monitor. This is done with ‘twilight sleep’. My shoulder will be sore from this.
Fri First chemotherapy session of Taxal which will last only 1 hour.
I really don’t want to disclose this fact because I don’t want to frighten others who are also monitoring their own breast cancer, but I feel I must. When breast cancer gets to the stage that it invades the eye this is a sign of ‘advanced metastasis’. Not sure what the implications are from this point on. My oncologist and I decided we will do tests after the chemo is all over and will discuss what my prognosis is at that point. Oh joy, I get to wait over 12 weeks to hear this one. GEEZ
On Saturday my sister will be arriving from Seattle to spend a few days with me. She is going to cook up a storm to stock my freezer. Yippee.
OK my faithful troops, here is where I need your prayers. This is my grueling battle plan for the next week. Post it on your computer and refer to it often:
Mon: Bone scan
Tues: 2 molars extracted (must have all dental work completed before beginning chemo due to high risk of infection)
~Instruction on my port (the pic line which will remain till the end of chemo so they don’t have to keep jabbing me
for labs and infusion treatments over the next 3 months)
~ Instruction in chemotherapy and prescriptions for
medication, including those magic little red pills that keep
me from becoming nauseated.
Wed Try to rest up from having teeth pulled & monitor closely for any signs of infection.
Thurs All day event – insert port - monitor. This is done with ‘twilight sleep’. My shoulder will be sore from this.
Fri First chemotherapy session of Taxal which will last only 1 hour.
