Long Time No Post...
Hi Everyone, sorry for the delay in posting! A lot has happened since reaching the halfway point! For starters my genetic testing came back with "No Mutations Found!" So I do not have the BRCA1 or 2 genes, which are the most common genetic mutations. But, that is all they looked for. So I'm having another genetic test for PTEN (Cowdens Syndrome), which basically is when someone is predisposed to certain types of cancers and has high chances of having them at a younger age. So hopefully that will come back negative too *fingers crossed*.
So in my couple week break between chemos my nausea disappeared and my mouth sores finally healed! Yay! I also have been sprouting little feathery wisps of white hair on my head--it's odd, but at least it's something! I also have a little darker patch of hair growing too--so yes my head is a funny sight to see! Food does taste better now, and I've gained five pounds because of it--so I better watch it.
I started the new chemo regimen (Taxol) on July 6th, and I get treatments every two weeks for twelve weeks. I'll be done on September 14th! So far Taxol is not that bad. Basically I just get numbness and tingling in my fingers and feet, more annoying than anything. Although, I do get Neulasta shots, one twenty four hours after chemo, and boy does that cause a lot of pain! It gives me all over body soreness (like after finishing a marathon--and believe me I know how that feels!), and then it becomes intense bone pain a day later that lasts for a few days. Let's just say I take Vicodin to get the edge off! But it is sooo nice to have a break every other week and only deal with one shot instead of them everyday.
When I started Taxol my WBC was really really low, but Neulasta has helped build them big time, and my Hemoglobin has come back too (and now I don't need anymore Aranesp shots)! Yet, my platelets right now are really low, and if they drop any lower I'll have to have a blood transfusion--hopefully it won't go that far. We'll see how this weeks labs look. Too bad they don't have a shot to help with platelets!
July was a hard month emotionally though. I was supposed to get married on the 15th and start medical school on the 31st. I just hope cancer doesn't take anything more away from me. I cannot wait to get back to a more normal life.
As for August, I will be meeting with a radiation oncologist on the 16th to determine if I need radiation or not. I have a feeling I will though, because I am so borderline. They say you have to have radiation if your tumor is 5cm or bigger and if you have 4 or more lymph nodes involved. Well my tumor was 4.2cm and I had 3 lymph nodes positive. I think I'll go for radiation just in case. My goal is no regrets!
I also wanted to thank everyone for the lovely comments they've left me! I really appreciate them!
Also for those of you interested, there is a new published study out that is specifically about young people with cancer (15-29 years) and there is a section on breast cancer. It shows how rare it is for my age group. A little over a 100 girls between 20-24 get it across the nation! Here is the link to the section on breast cancer: Breast Cancer in Young Women. Here is the link to the rest of the article.
So in my couple week break between chemos my nausea disappeared and my mouth sores finally healed! Yay! I also have been sprouting little feathery wisps of white hair on my head--it's odd, but at least it's something! I also have a little darker patch of hair growing too--so yes my head is a funny sight to see! Food does taste better now, and I've gained five pounds because of it--so I better watch it.
I started the new chemo regimen (Taxol) on July 6th, and I get treatments every two weeks for twelve weeks. I'll be done on September 14th! So far Taxol is not that bad. Basically I just get numbness and tingling in my fingers and feet, more annoying than anything. Although, I do get Neulasta shots, one twenty four hours after chemo, and boy does that cause a lot of pain! It gives me all over body soreness (like after finishing a marathon--and believe me I know how that feels!), and then it becomes intense bone pain a day later that lasts for a few days. Let's just say I take Vicodin to get the edge off! But it is sooo nice to have a break every other week and only deal with one shot instead of them everyday.
When I started Taxol my WBC was really really low, but Neulasta has helped build them big time, and my Hemoglobin has come back too (and now I don't need anymore Aranesp shots)! Yet, my platelets right now are really low, and if they drop any lower I'll have to have a blood transfusion--hopefully it won't go that far. We'll see how this weeks labs look. Too bad they don't have a shot to help with platelets!
July was a hard month emotionally though. I was supposed to get married on the 15th and start medical school on the 31st. I just hope cancer doesn't take anything more away from me. I cannot wait to get back to a more normal life.
As for August, I will be meeting with a radiation oncologist on the 16th to determine if I need radiation or not. I have a feeling I will though, because I am so borderline. They say you have to have radiation if your tumor is 5cm or bigger and if you have 4 or more lymph nodes involved. Well my tumor was 4.2cm and I had 3 lymph nodes positive. I think I'll go for radiation just in case. My goal is no regrets!
I also wanted to thank everyone for the lovely comments they've left me! I really appreciate them!
Also for those of you interested, there is a new published study out that is specifically about young people with cancer (15-29 years) and there is a section on breast cancer. It shows how rare it is for my age group. A little over a 100 girls between 20-24 get it across the nation! Here is the link to the section on breast cancer: Breast Cancer in Young Women. Here is the link to the rest of the article.
posted by JD @ 1:47 PM
1 Comments:
At 6:05 PM,
Anonymous said…
hey Jill - keep it up girl! if you need some blood, let me know, I've got a lot of it! :D also, I'm not sure if you're doing all your chemo and whatnot at UM but if you are and want to see a smily face, give me a call there - my work number is 734-763-5718 (or if you're actually in the hospital, find one of those ugly beige phones and dial 3-5718) and I'll come say hi!
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