Tuesday, October 12, 2010

New Chemo Day

Today I drove myself to my all day adventure at Gunderson Lutheran Breast Clinic. I had blood work, and then a physical, and them my new next round of chemo. I have only seen the chemo doctor once, before I started chemo, but I have seen her P.A. every time since. I am growing rather attached to her. She remembers every detail, down to how my lump felt the last time, she notices if I have lost weight, she sees the change in the texture of my skin, and assures me it is short term. I have not told her that I see she is with child. My guess is she is four months along. I hope she will give herself the time with her child...the time that they both will need.

This chemo drug will be given every two weeks, and again I will inject myself for eight days between treatments with a new drug that will enable me to do chemo every two weeks...making the total chemo experience two months shorter. Making surgery two months sooner...

Soon it will be decision time...reconstructive surgery on the one breast, with the 20 % possibility of new cancer growth in the same breast, or in the other breast at some point in the future. Mastectomy on one or both sides. Both sides means it is not a concern in the future. One side means I may feel loop-sided, and may develop cancer in the other side in the future. Both sides means I won't have to call upon the magical insurance fearie again...and there are no guarentees that the insurance will be there in two years.

Today I drove myself to chemo for the first time and after eight hours I drove myself home again. It felt good. I went food shopping on the way home and when I got home I made my favorite dish...chicken and vegitable casarole. I made enough that I can freeze batches for when I don't feel like cooking. Stephen is back to working 12 hour shifts, there are no kids at home. It feels good. My mom, sister and two friends assured me that if I felt like I couldn't drive I could call them. Knowing there are so many who care, and who will step in, is an increadible blessing, knowing I can do it on my own is a blessing as well. It is what us women do. We do it if we can, and if we can't we call on those who can.

Blessings on us all!
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1 comment:

  1. PattyOctober 13, 2010 at 2:13 PM

    I always appreciated driving myself to and from the chemo experience. Of course, my drive was about a mile, nothing like yours! I knew there were people who would step up and do it, but there was something empowering about doing it on my own. Plus, you do find the comfort in the familiar faces you see, the nurses, doctors, the other patients. They begin to help make the experience less foreign and frighting. My driving issues, cooking, cleaning, eating- those came AFTER chemo was settling in my body doing it's thang. Those were such yucky times! Actually sitting most of the day, getting chemo, going home? Those were the peaceful times, the calm before the storm.

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