We have gotten into the “Infusion Center” which is a rabbit warren of little rooms filled with people who are paying lots of money to be poisoned in very particular ways that were dreamed up by people who went to school for far too long.  A big Thank You to all of them.

We have been in the room for 90 minutes and all Loretta has gotten is stuff to protect her from the effects of the stuff they are about to give her.  Most of it is anti-nausea medications that try to counteract the effect of having your entire gut attacked by the chemotherapy drugs.  All of this is accompanied by gallons of salt water which makes the bathroom a very popular place.  Imagine a line of people, some with hair, all pushing a groaning, beeping, clanking IV tree with multiple bags, syringes and electrical devices.

Actually, it isn’t like that at all except for the bathroom being very popular, the IV trees with the groaning, beeping and clanking electronics hanging with multiple bags and syringes of clear and brightly colored fluids and some of the people do, indeed, have hair.  It isn’t an unpleasant place and there are plenty of bathrooms.  AND, there is a room called the “Nutrition Center” that has a lot of fun snacks and drinks for the patients.  You gotta love a place with a free kitchen.  I’m thinking about swiping and cheese stick or two.

Anyway, now it’s time for the real chemo.  Bright red so you know to stay away from it.  The people who have to handle it always wear gloves and cover themselves with plastic.  Once they have double- and triple-checked that the right poison is in place for the right person, they pump it straight into Loretta’s heart.  It’s all very exciting.

We scored a couple of lounge chairs on the third floor.  They give you a pager so you know when your table is ready.

Doing the MUGA.  First, they take out some blood and make it radioactive.  Then they put it back in and take pictures.  They take three angles with an exposure time of about 5 minutes each.  I’m sure there is a lot of post processing on the images because what is on the screen it’s pretty ugly:

That lump is Loretta’s heart.

Loretta is resting (maybe not very comfortably) in the prep room for the Nuclear Imaging area. They are running a little behind (which is surprising – they are normally right on time if not early). Updates as they occur.

As I write this, I realize how hard it would be for a 24 hour news channel to fill the time. I knew it was hard from my past life in the TV biz (it was called the “voracious beast” in the days when you just had to fill 30 to 60 minutes per day) but I was never the guy in charge of planning what the content would be. No wonder the media is full of useless (or worse) content. This blog reminds me of that.

Today is Loretta’s first day of chemotherapy.  Of course, it isn’t that easy.  First, she has to have a port installed so they can start pouring various chemicals into her.  The port procedure is fairly short – maybe 45 minutes.  The prep for it has been 2+ hours.  The port is essentially an I/O (input/output device) that links the outside world with a spot in her vein right above the first input valve of her heart.  They like it there because it is “very turbulent” and there is a lot of blood going by very quickly so the really nasty chemicals to come are dispersed very quickly.

Once it is in, they will let me back in to see her for a few minutes.  Then it is off to make her radioactive (again) to get a baseline for her heart function.  I’ll post another exciting update after I’ve seen her.

[Update] She’s out and all went well.

This is what the port looks like:

The wedge-shaped thing is where external needles go and is implanted against her pectoral muscle on the left side. The tube goes up and over her collarbone then down the jugular vein to her heart.

Drain, drain go away.  Don’t come back no how, now way.  I did get the drain removed last Saturday!  I didn’t have to take it to Canada with us.  No extra passport needed!  However, even though the drain itself is gone, draining continues to occur,  I am sort of like a water balloon with a teeny, tiny hole in it.  I feel like I have sprung a leak.  I use a lot of gauze stuffed into my bra in my armpit.  Do to my sensitivity to adhesives, I had to stop taping the gauze down.  Too much skin was coming off with the tape.  Of course, this may all be TMI!

Anyway, bottom line is the drain is gone and soon I will stop leaking (at least from my armpit.)  Another milestone met.  Now I can start physical therapy on my right arm.  (I am still doing PT for the pinched nerve on the left side.  That is MUCH better BTW.)  The axillary lymph node dissection can result in arm lymphedema.  This type of lymphedema is caused by the removal of some or all of the lymph nodes in the arm pit and the arm swells.  Physical therapy has shown to help this from occurring.

Today was the day to get “The Plan.”  Scott and I met with the oncologist today.  I will start off by saying he is a super nice guy.  I feel very confident with the care I am receiving from him.  I will have two rounds of chemo.  They will run consecutively.  The drugs are called AC and T.  See the following:

AC + Taxol / Taxotere – AC is one of the five most common types of chemotherapy given to women with breast cancer. It includes two drugs: doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan). Paclitaxel (Taxol) or docetaxel (Taxotere) is added to AC for women with node-positive cancer, or in women who’ve had a recurrence; it’s delivered after you’ve finished the AC.

I will start with the AC next Friday.  This will be an infusion every other Friday for 6 rounds or 12 weeks.  The major side effects of this drug are nausea, low white cell counts and hair loss.  To combat two of these side effects I will get anti nausea drugs and a white cell booster.  The hair loss has no counter.  I will lose my hair.  Generally a person will feel the worst of the side effects about 7-8 days after an infusion.  This can last a few days.  You then feel better to start it all over.

As soon as the AC is complete, the T begins.  This round does not have as severe side effects as the AC.  It is an infusion once a week for 12 weeks. One of the major side effects is tingling fingertips.  There are ways to counter this side effect also.

That brings me to one of the biggest side effects of all.  Instant menopause!  Instead of lasting 4-5 years, it will happen in a flash (no pun intended.)  Apparently there are also ways to combat these side effects.

By my calculations, I will be finished with chemo on August 23!  I will have a week or two to recover and then the final margin surgery.  After another 2 weeks or so I will start radiation. Radiation will be 33 sessions.  That translates to every day, M-F for 6.5 weeks.  I am hoping it will all be done by Nov 13!!!

So, there you have it, “The Plan.”  There will be some rough periods. But, the bottom line of all of this is, and I quote the oncologist, is that when this is all done “You will be okay.”

There is Good News!!!  There is Good News!!!  There is Good News!!!

The results of the bone scan and CAT scan came back clean!!  The biopsy of the ulcer was also cancer free!  When I went to PT, my nerve issue thingy is way better!

I am so Happy!!!!

Hi all,

I reread my last post and just want to clarify that I do not have the scan results.  I meant to say that having the scans was ok.  Sorry for any confusion.