Catching Up

Well, in the words of Fiona Apple, "I've been a bad, bad girl".  

Ha, did that get your attention?  Honestly, as I'm sitting in my mom's office, it certainly caught mine.  I'm like, "you have?" And yes, in a way... food, drink, and video games.  However, this story ends with me nicely wrapped like a pretty little present, bow and all.

Gift-Wrapped BooB:

About two months ago Dr. Wolf (real name) removed my right breast in another whitely dressed St. Luke's operating room.  In consultation the Doc described the incision leaving my tattoo unscathed but in the end removing the tumor was the goal.  In an attempt to better understand exactly what was to be expected I started to review online photos and went as far as watching a Youtube vid of a mastectomy.  BAD IDEA.  So, by the time I was answering questions from nurses naked, poked, and hungry my tattoo had already been stripped.  But we know better now, don't we?  Not only is my body art all in one piece, the incision didn't leave a massive dent and Surgeon Wolf stitched my chest to appear a bit muscular.

Radiation and Ribbons: 

People often ask, why Boise?  They've been asking this since my initial move in 2007.  And the same answer still makes sense...potatoes.  Hahaha, that's a great name for my family.  A clan of potatoes we are.  Seriously, I moved back to be with family but in-turn may have given up on some 'better' treatment options. And just in case that was true it's been important for me to know that other more widely known tumor professionals have reviewed my case and agree with the processes here.  

A month after surgery and two months after my last fuel-filled injection of chemotherapy I flew to Chicago for a preemptive move and to get a second opinion from the award winning doctors at the University of Chicago Medical Center on radiation treatment.  This just days after my return from a San Diego wedding. I was tired of traveling, of eating things unrelated to my diet, and of showering so that I may appear to be of decent upbringing.  But with open arms and a list of to-dos (mostly questions for the UofC staff) I put off playing with my dog and advancing my fictional video game character, a Dark Elf named Noug,  through the Province of Cyrodiil.

Sure enough, Boise and radiation was a-go.  Two days after Christmas I opened yet another gift, in the color of red and the spirit of giving, I was radiated.  My treatments take place M-F, 10:45 am - 11:10am, for seven or so weeks.  I lie on a hard glass bed separated by a single white sheet while a spherical arm rotates across my chest aimed at three specific locations (scar on breast, rt armpit, and rt lower neck).  It doesn't hurt, actually can't feel it at all.  Each day during the first week they had to remind me to lower my arms.  I get x-rays every couple weeks making sure no unwanted damage to the heart, lung, or arm has occurred.  My throat has gotten soar and cat-call sexy.  At some point I will experience what they refer to as a "sunburn" on the radiated skin which will most likely result in peeling and infection. They've given me lotion.  But for now I look and feel pretty great.

Filling in the gaps:

For those of you who don't know I thought I should clarify the name my doctors have given my cancer.   I call her Annoying, but apparently she has a proper title so if you have further questions that I haven't answered you'll know to google: stage IV HER-2 positive (estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor negative) right breast carcinoma metastatic to bone and liver.

Although my 6 cycles of Taxotere, Carboplatin, and Herceptin are done I'm on, and will indefinatly be on, an every three week treatment of Herceptin.