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.

Adventures at MD Anderson

On Tuesday, I had a 20 minute appointment with the Plastic Surgery department.  I still couldn't drive and the boys are out of school for summer break. So, I asked my dad to take me and the boys (trying to minimize the amount of time Joe has to take off work). The boys would finally be able to see the hospital where I had been receiving treatment instead of imagining a scary place. It was a positive, short visit, so why not?
My dad and boys sat in the waiting room while I went in to my appointment to remove drains and fill my expanders. They took my last 2 drains (day 13 post surgery and the first 2 drains on day 8). Then, began to fill my right expander with a saline solution. For those interested, here is a link to a video of this type of procedure.  I find it so interesting and watched my procedure the entire time. Suddenly, the room started to get dark. I told the nurse that I may faint and went to sleep. The best sleep I've ever experienced! 😂
When I woke up, I was so confused. I didn't recognize the nurse, didn't know where I was or why my robe was open. 😳 After a couple of seconds it all made sense. I thought I fainted but the nurse said it looked like a seizure. She said I tensed up, clenched my fists, turned my face to the side and my face got red. That bit of information along with low blood pressure/low heart rate and I won my first trip to an Emergency Room. In an ambulance, nonetheless!!! I was already in a hospital but apparently they can't take stretchers down the skywalk. So, they put me in the ambulance, the driver did a donut in the parking lot (or so it seemed)  and took me into the ER. I must have been in the ambulance for 22 seconds.
I felt sooo dramatic. I mean, I've had hundreds of needles since diagnosis, biopsies, port surgery while awake, chemotherapy, X-rays, MRI's, CT scans, a double mastectomy and NO ISSUES. They stick a tiny needle in my boob and I end up in the ER. Oh and they sent me home with one inflated boob. 😂  Comical situation but I felt TERRIBLE that my dad and boys had to experience something other than an uneventful visit. I'm sure it seemed scarier from their perspective, too. Of course, Joe dropped everything at work and showed up even though I asked him not to... So much for trying to avoid him missing yet another work day because of me. 😒
All tests came normal and I was referred to a Cardiologist but I'm sure things are fine!

Waiting in an 8th floor waiting room at MDA.

This is a video of how long I was in the ambulance. 😜

Pathology Results

We've had to be at the hospital more than usual lately. Tons of post op appts, but I will continue to happily do whatever Md Anderson wants me to do.  One of the appointments was to receive surgical pathology results. Going into the appointment, I was convinced that the results would be good but the only results I wanted to hear were "pathological complete response". Out of all of the good news scenarios (and there are lots), this was the best scenario of all. This meant that chemotherapy and the HER2 drugs had worked 100% and that there were ZERO cancer cells left. I had read several clinical studies regarding statistics and patients that received "pathological complete response". Basically...

Patients who attain pathological complete response defined as ypT0 ypN0 (<---my results) or ypT0/is ypN0 have improved survival. The prognostic value is greatest in aggressive tumour subtypes. 
The aggressive tumor subtypes are triple negative and HER2 positive (<--my diagnosis 🙋). Link to one of the studies, if you are nerdy like me! 🤓 

For obvious reasons, that's all I wanted to hear...However, I also knew that it would be unlikely considering I could still feel the tumor until the day of surgery. The ultrasound the day before the surgery also showed that the mass was still roughly around 2 centimeters. Our anxiety level the morning of the appointment was at an 8. To add to the anticipation, my doctor was an hour late. She walked in with a smile, hugged me and said "well, I've got your pathology results and they are great. There were no microscopic cancer cells found in your tissue or lymph nodes. This is what you call "pathological complete response". The amount of relief I felt in that moment was immense. Eight months worth of relief. So much water squirted out of my eyes, that I must have looked like a sprinkler system. According to Joe, his eyeballs were just sweating.  😂 Turns out, the mass I was feeling and what the ultrasound was seeing, was just scar tissue...

This journey is not over but we are BEYOND happy and thankful. I meet with my Medical Oncologist on Monday to determine what happens next in terms of treatment. I do know that I'll have to continue my HER2 drugs (administered via my port every 3 weeks at the hospital) until March 2019. But at this point, I'll be happy even if he says I have to do more chemo and/or radiation for safe measure. I am already bald, so bring it Dr. Ibrahim! 😉