Ultrasound & Round # 3

I had an ultrasound to check response to treatment on January 12th.  The results: "ultrasound shows stable to interval decrease in size of breast mass, which is what we want. No other abnormalities noted." Good news, right? Well, I was a disappointed because I believed they were going to tell me that it had shrunk significantly. By nature, I'm an optimist almost to the point of being a bit delusional. 😬 When news isn't as positive as I would have expected, I turn into what I call a "brightsider". This is where I automatically find the bright side of the situation. The bright side: I was supposed to have had the ultrasound after 3 cycles over an 8 week period. Because of the chemo delays (due to low counts), I had only had 2 cycles over an 8 week period. I'm so thankful my doctors decided to wait to remove the mass after chemo. Had they removed the mass before chemo, there would be no way to tell if chemo is working.

I was due to have my 3rd cycle of chemo on Jan. 16th but Mother Nature had other plans. Texas closed for 2 days because of icy weather.  My doctors rescheduled me for the 18th. I was so happy to finally get to have chemo that I didn't care if it was on my birthday! This time, my amazing Dad took me. I love talking to him and hearing all of the stories of what life was like when he and my mom were young youngER 😜 and living over-seas. Not sure what I would do if I didn't get to see and kiss their faces on a regular basis. 

Chemo cycle #3 with Papi 💜

Today is day 4 post chemo and symptoms have been the same as the previous 2 cycles.  I'm still only taking 1 of my nausea meds for the first 3 days. I don't get brave enough to stop taking it until day 4. 

It's incredible how precise it is though. I take it every 12 hours (8:00am and 8:00pm). I feel nausea kicking in exactly 15-20 minutes before I'm due for my next pill.  The steroid (bloating) is bothering me a little more this time around because I feel like I'm 3 months pregnant. 😳  I'm getting better at pacing myself so that I don't get too fatigued. Besides the week of chemo, I'm walking 2 miles with my dad and dog and biking 10 miles on the spin bike 4-5 days a week. I hope I can keep it up as the months progress. 

In summary, things are very GOOD! 💃 Thank you for constantly checking on me and showing me so much love.  You may not know it, but it helps me so much!