Journey with Mary D

With the approval and support of my doctors (and Lyle 😀), this is the treatment chair I picked for today: Yep, I didn't let cancer interfere with my life. So we are at one of our favorite places, Cape San Blas, FL.  I think this vitamin "sea" is just what I needed. I guess you could say, it's just what the doctor ordered, since she did approve the trip. FYI, my sleeping situation is improving.  It could be the medicine or where I am, but who cares, I'm just glad to be getting some rest. 

Yay it’s the weekend!!!   As you may have heard me complain, I had no sleep on Sunday night😫, but my team of doctors is coming up with resolutions.  They adjusted the steroid and prescribed sleepy medicine.   Each night this week has been a little better, with getting a few hours straight each night.  Now I am trying to change my nighttime routine.  I know, here I am again, "old dog, new tricks".  Well I think it might be working.  Since I was able to get m ore then 6 hours of sleep, man I feel like a new person today.  I welcome suggestions of any great sleep habits or nighttime routines that work for you.  So now I will update the score for the week....I am winning!  

Well my Monday didn't start great since I didn't sleep at all last night.  I slept for about 20 minutes during our early morning drive and that is it.  UGH!!  I don't do well without sleep. The oral steroids I have to take the day before and day after each treatment are really messing with my sleep.   So treatment routine starts with blood work, then vitals and then claiming my seat.  It wasn't as busy today, so I got a window seat.  Oh the little things!  My bloodwork came back ok, with the white blood count up a little, but my BP was high.  They think it is from a combination of the steroid and lack of sleep.  So they are adjusting the IV steroid a little and giving me something to help me sleep. Fingers crossed for a good week!   Score update pending.....

So on September 19th I started Cycle 2.  The beginning of each cycle starts out normal, with blood work and then vitals, but on the first day of a cycle we get to visit with Kelsey, the Nurse Practitioner.  I was prepared today with my questions.  It was a good visit.  Everything seems to be going as planned.  So, we head to the treatment room and get started. Score...I am still winning 😃

So this is week 3 of treatment.  Same routine, just a different day. This week will be a little different.  I have to get a shot on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.  They originally scheduled me to go to Nashville for those.  Thankfully I was able to get those done at our Primary Care facility in Cookeville at the Averitt Clinic. They made sure I was the first patient in after lunch and made sure I was not exposed to any sickness, man those girls rock! Score this week....I'm winning!!!!  More good days then bad, yay. 

CHEMO was on Tuesday this week due the Labor Day Holiday.  We spent the night in Nashville, since we dropped my sister off at the airport on Monday night.  It was nice to get to sleep in a bit, since we didn't have to make the early morning drive from Cookeville for my appointment at 7:45am.   I'm becoming a pro now.  First blood work, then vitals, and then claim my spot in the treatment room.  I put on my comfy non slip socks (thanks Helen) and claimed my heated blanket. So week 2 proved to be a little better for me.  I was tired by the end of the week, but not exhausted.   So the score this week ... I call it a tie!

I survived the first day of CHEMO.  I was told of all the side effects that could happen.  Nausea, hair loss, numbness, bone pain, etc.  But I was not prepared for the fatigue.  They said with my treatments being on Mondays, that Tuesday and Wednesday would be my good days. Then I would start going down hill on Thursday, with Friday being the worst day.  Then I should go back up Saturday and feel almost normal on Sunday and ready to start it all over again.  Well, week 1 knocked me down for the majority of the week.  Not sure if it was the drugs or just the whole process.  I was so tired and all I wanted or could do was sleep.  So if I am keeping score CHEMO won week #1

August 29th began my CHEMO journey.  We knew it would be a long and stressful day.  Everyone at TN Oncology has been so nice to us.  After blood work and a visit with Kelsey, my nurse practitioner.  We headed to the treatment room.  Claimed my chair.  Then met my nurse, Meredith, for the day.  She was great and explained everything that was  getting ready to happen.  

We decided that we would travel to Nashville and go through the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center.  My first visit was with my surgeon,  Dr. Cooper.  This is when we learned more information about my Cancer, T riple Negative Breast Cancer is the diagnosis .  FYI I quickly learned not to google it, yikes.  I have a team of doctors with over 100 years experience so we are very happy with the care that I will receive.  It was decided the best course of action is to do Chemotherapy first then surgery.  So I was referred to my oncologist Dr. Hamilton.  And MRI was ordered as well. So remember back in June we were doing a lot of waiting, well, now things started moving and moving fast .  Met with Dr. Hamilton on a Wednesday and a treatment plan was developed.  Went that Friday to have my port put in and started CHEMO on Monday, August 29th. My Treatment Plan: 12 weeks of CHEMO (every Monday to Nashville we go) have an MRI to see how the spo...

Once I knew it was cancer, I didn’t care who knew.  If I saw you in person, I probably told you.  But I didn’t post on Facebook, because I still don’t want my mom to worry.  I asked Lyle if he had told anyone, and he said NO not yet, he was waiting until it came up.  And my response was “when would it come up in conversation that I have cancer” we both laughed about that.  FYI, Lyle is a pretty private person, so this has not been easy on him. But I know the more people that know the more prayers and good vibes I will have, which is what I need right now.  

So, I asked when I went in for the infection on the biopsy how they would tell me about my results. She said if they were negative they would tell me on the phone or if it was positive they would have me come in for a consultation.  So the wait continues. Remember I said that the results could take 5 to 7 business days, yep it took all 7 days. I got the call in the late afternoon, they wanted to see me and Lyle at the clinic at 5pm.  So this is when I officially hear the words, the results show it is cancerous . OMG now what.  We were given options of what the next steps should be.  She gave us options of people she would refer us to.  We took the night to digest it all with plans to tell her in the morning what direction we wanted to go. We headed home and told the boys. Then, Lyle was a champ and called my sister, which of course knew what I had been going through.  So you can imagine as soon as she saw his number come up she knew that it wasn’t good news...

So my first stop on this crazy train was my mammogram on June 23rd.  I got a call back the next morning that they saw a spot and wanted me to come back for another mammogram, which I did that afternoon.  They still saw the spot so they did an ultrasound and still didn't  like what they were seeing.  It was small but it was not on my previous screens.  The radiologist ordered a breast biopsy but   told me that "cancer is going around" so it may be a few weeks before I could be seen.   They  called me on Monday to schedule  the biopsy for July 11th, ugh 2 weeks.   So the waiting begins.   Well guess who decides to get COVID on July 10th, yep lucky me.  So we have to reschedule the biopsy to July 25th, yep another 2 weeks.   So we finally get to July 25th and have the biopsy.  Again I was told it was a small spot and they were hopeful they were able to get enough to biopsy.  So now we have to wai...