CT Scan Update

My nurse emailed me today and let me know that my CT scan didn't find any cancer. YEAH!!!! 💃 The 4mm lung lesion that they found a year ago had resolved itself. However, the 5mm cyst in my pancreas is still there. Thankfully, she said that "cysts are usually benign" and that it had not changed in size. They will be referring me to a Gastrointestinal doctor at MD Anderson (because I don't have enough!!! 😂) that will decide how we should move forward.

I'll get a call within the next 2 weeks to schedule my exchange surgery where they will swap the expanders for implants. One of the MANY great things about MD Anderson is the fact that they schedule every single appointment for me.  The scheduler coordinates with the different departments (oncology, reconstructive surgery, chemo suite, scans, blood etc...), and they make my appointment on days that I'll already be there. I feel so lucky that all I have to do, is just show up. One less thing to worry about!

It has almost been 5 months since my last chemo and hair is growing! I even got my first haircut since I shaved it in February (first shave was in Dec. 2017). I have dreams about my hair being as long as it was! I'm hoping that I can be done with wigs and hats by next October.

Thank you to the beautiful souls in my life that continue to check on me!! I feel the love and I'm so grateful for it. 💓

Update

I met with my Oncologist last week and it was a good visit.  I love him and his personality is exactly the type of doctor that I need. He doesn't focus on statistics and always finds a super sweet way to respond when I corner him with reoccurrence questions.
I've been cleared to return to my regular checkups (i.e., the dentist and the OBGYN. Ya know? All the fun doctors. 🙄).  I am not scheduled to see my Oncologist again until the end of January . I made sure they scheduled it after my birthday. I spent my 41st birthday getting chemotherapy this past January, so I'm determined to plan something fun this coming year.

This week, I get to see my plastic surgeon.  This means that I should have my exchange surgery scheduled in the near future. 🙌 I will also have another echocardiogram to make sure Herceptin isn't causing any heart damage. Please pray that everything looks good so that I can continue getting treatment. On Friday, I'll have a CT scan to check on a "small 4 mm nodule" in my lung as well as a "small 5 mm cystic lesion" in the pancreas that they spotted last year.  The preparation and scan should take 3 hours. Funny how I had already forgotten how lengthy that type of scan can be.  Scans are always scary for anyone that's every been diagnosed. However, for some reason, I'm feeling really relaxed and confident that everything will look good. I just can't allow my mind to wander too much.
I'll update as soon as I know the results. 😘

New Normal... For a Little While

My two biggest treatment hurdles (chemo and double mastectomy) are done.  I'm starting to see what my new normal will feel like, at least for a little while.

Not counting the bald and boobless part, I'm feeling almost like my old self. I would have been at 100% weeks ago, had it not been for these expanders. I remember reading about how uncomfortable they were from all of my "cancer friends". I go to the hospital each week to get them filled until I reach the desired size. Then, I'll keep them for about 3-6 months before I have another surgery to exchange them for silicone implants (can't wait because these things are like rocks!). When the boys asked how big I'll go, I told them that I just want them each to be as big as basketballs. I wish I could have captured the mortified look on their faces. 😂

The next phase of treatment consists of going to MD Anderson every 3 weeks until March, where Herceptin will be administered via my port. Herceptin is a monoclonal anitbody/ targeted therapy drug and is not considered chemotherapy.  You wouldn't know that by looking at the list of side effects, but it is tolerated A LOT better than chemotherapy.

I started on Tuesday 7/10 and so far, I am feeling FANTASTIC! I'm only experiencing a runny nose,  muscle pain (which I love, because it makes me feel like I've been working out- until I look in the mirror 🙄 😂), minor random stomach aches and fatigue when I pretend to be the normal me.

Here is a picture update on my hair at 1 month post chemo. I look like a baby bird. I'll take a picture each month to track progress. It thinned out even more after the last round on May 17th. Just as my eyelashes and eyebrows were beginning to grow back, they decided to fall out again last week.  I also have a couple of nails that are beginning to lift from the nail bed (side effect from one of the chemos). It's crazy to me, to still see side effects beginning to happen almost 2 months after finishing chemo. The human body is pretty amazing.