We met with Dr. VanderMolen today. He went over the results of yesterday's testing, and everything is within normal range, except for some spots on my lungs that appear to be scar tissue. He'll run another scan in 3 months to verify there's been no change. We will assume it's scar tissue, since I had surgery (thorocotomy) on my left lung in 83 and my right lung in 84. My heart function is slightly better than average. Nice!
I didn't realize it until today that I was still confused about why I needed further testing. I thought that "No lymph node involvement" meant that it hadn't spread. He said (and don't quote me on this) that means it hadn't spread via the lymph nodes, but that it had a chance of spreading through the blood stream. He read on my pathology report where it said "LYMPHOVASCULAR INVASION: PRESENT". I think he said that meant it was in my bloodstream. (Glad I got that cleared up. Apparently I'm still confused!)
He explained why the TC treatment isn't enough for me. He said it's good for women whose tumors are hormone receptor positive, because they can follow up with hormonal therapy. I cannot follow up chemo with hormonal therapy because my hormone receptors, estrogen and progesterone, and the gene Her-2/neu were negative.
I will do four weeks of AC, and if the cancer cells become immune to the AC, they certainly won't be immune to the Taxol (T) that will follow the AC. He says I'll have a 95% or better cure rate with this treatment.
Dr. VanderMolen then introduced me to Jackie, who after 30 years of being an oncology nurse, has seen it all. I am in very good hands here. Jackie asked me what I understood about the treatment and then she explained everything (treatment times, methods, appointments, side effects, places to buy a wig, etc.) in detail. Their treatment process includes about 4 different anti-nausea medicines so I can continue to hydrate myself. Now I just need to remember why hydration is so important.
I go back the day after chemo to get a shot of Neulasta (Yes. Like you hear on the commercial. "I'm ready. I'm ready for my next chemotherapy treatment.") Then every week I get a complete blood count to test my white blood cell count, my red blood cell count and my platelet count.
I'll start chemo on Monday at 11 am. Radiation follows after 4 months of chemo. I feel like I'm about to get on a horse that will start bucking, but I plan to hang on tight.
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