My Breast Cancer Recovery Blog

The New Me

Julie — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:02:00 GMT

New hair growing in.... new breasts... it's the new me.

What do ya think?

I'm just about done with this journey and done with this blog. I am very appreciative of all the support I received while going through the cancer treatment. Thank you very much for coming along with me and fighting it in my army. I felt very strengthened by you all.

Now it is time to LIVE!

You may receive updates from time to time, but I believe this is the end of the Breast Cancer Recovery Blog.

Research shows,good decision 4 2nd mastectomy

Julie — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:02:00 GMT

Two studies show it was a good decision:

Compared with women who did not receive hormonal therapy, women who received adjuvant tamoxifen for at least five years were 60% less likely to develop an ER (estrogen responsive)-positive second breast cancer but four times more likely to develop an ER-negative second breast cancer.

and

The researchers concluded that lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking, and drinking could significantly increase the risk of developing a second cancer.

I don't drink or smoke, but I certainly have obesity issues. Looks like overall, I had a 50% chance of it coming on the left side, too.

FYI:

The results indicated that women who were considered obese (body mass index [BMI] over 30 kg/m2) were 50% more likely to develop a second breast cancer than women who had a BMI lower than 25 kg/m2. Furthermore, women who consumed more than seven drinks per week after their first breast cancer diagnosis had a 70% higher risk of developing a second breast cancer compared with non-drinkers. Finally, women who smoked were more than twice as likely to develop a second breast cancer compared with nonsmokers.

http://www.cancerconsultants.com/lifestyle-factors-increase-risk-second-breast-cancer/

Recovering Nicely

Julie — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:57:00 GMT

Everything wen't well. The doctor was pleased with his work. I'm in pain, but I seem to be recovering nicely. No complications. Rick is taking good care of me.

Thanks for all of your support!

God Bless,
Julie

LAST BREAST SURGERY for Julie

Julie — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:06:00 GMT

I'm excited. I have my last breast reconstruction surgery on Tuesday, Sept. 8th. I'm happy to have this be the end of all my treatments. It is an outpatient procedure. I'll be at the Newport Beach Surgery Center. I trust Dr. Kaidi to do a nice job and I trust his anesthesiologist to keep me comfortable.

So what are they going to do? I have some photos and explanations here.

The goal of breast reconstruction is to create a soft, natural looking breast for a woman who must undergo breast removal due to cancer or other disease. Whether it is performed immediately following mastectomy or at a later time, breast reconstruction can dramatically improve a woman's appearance, self-confidence and overall quality of life.

A tissue expander is inserted following the mastectomy to prepare for reconstruction. (this was done a year ago and 3 months for my right breast and 5 months ago for my left breast).

The expander is gradually filled with saline through an integrated or separate valve to stretch the skin enough to accept an implant beneath the chest muscle. The stretching and the saline injection is not that painful. It's the expander itself. It is hard and uncomfortable. I am looking forward to the soft implants.

After surgery, the breast mound is restored. Scars are permanent, but will fade with time. The nipple and areola are reconstructed at a later date. Dr. Kaidi creates a very real looking nipple by doing a tattoo!

So, there you have it. Please pray that everythng works out okay and I'm home free. I will be at home the rest of the week, resting. School starts where I am teaching a class on Saturday afternoon. And my new interns come to the clinic on Monday. I'm so ready to move on after all this.

News In Cancer Treatment

Julie — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:15:00 GMT

Canadian scientists inhibit cancer protein

TORONTO - Canadian medical scientists say they've developed
a new way to inhibit two cancer proteins in a study that
might lead to more effective chemotherapy. A research team
led by University of Toronto-Mississauga Professor Patrick
Gunning created several molecules that inhibit Stat3 -- a
protein that in cancer cells pairs with a copy of itself and
becomes unstable. "The molecules we have created are particu-
larly nice because they're showing selectivity against cancer
cells, but not against healthy cells," Gunning said. "This
molecule could be used in conjunction with typical chemother-
apeutics, and it could mean that drugs will have less resis-
tance-so you could use lower dosages and cause fewer side
effects." The scientists said the Stat3 protein is involved
in nearly all cancers, and is known to contribute to the
resistance of cancer cells to current drug therapies. "Most
currently available therapeutics aim to induce cell death,"
Gunning said. "We wanted to make small molecules that could
try and stop this protein." The study that also included
scientists from the University of Central Florida and the
Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto appears in the Sep-
tember issue of the European journal ChemBioChem.

Oncology Update

Julie — Sat, 23 May 2009 07:50:00 GMT

I went to the oncology doctor for a check up after 6 months from radiation. She said my labs look good. I'm doing fine! You can see my hair growing back, too. I took a before and after picture of my hair color. I tried to go a little blonde and get my hair cut with some shape & style. I can't get used to it!

Sometimes in therapy, we talk about how when something big happens to you, you need to get used to it being the "new normal." I suppose this is the new normal for me. For now. I want to try and get more healthy by swimming and eating better. The lack of ability to even use my arms for heavy work right now has made me feel so sluggish and I'm eating chocolate for comfort! Yikes.

I hope you are doing well!

Love,
Julie

follow-up

Julie — Wed, 13 May 2009 07:23:00 GMT

I had my nephew Michael drive me to Newport to see Dr. Kaidi for the next followup on Monday. It was planned that he would give me a "fill". I had hoped that I could get all the fills I need by June 15th so that i could get my implants done in August. The breast needs 2 months to "chill" before the surgery. I wanted to be done with everything before the Fall Semester starts w hen I have new interns new training, etc.

When I went in, the breast had expanded on it's own. The day or two before it started to puff up like being swollen. Dr. Kaidi said the tissue was swollen from doing too much too soon. He took a huge serine and sucked out about a cup of "fluid" from the breast tissue. Gross, eh? I didn't watch. He told me to slow down.

I've actually been taking it fairly easy, not doing the dishes or the laundry. But, work as been very mentally stressful. hm... So, I go back 2 weeks from now to see if I can get a fill then.

My hair is growing in. It's about 2 inches long now. Sorry no new decent photos yet.

Here is a nice "healing vizualization" if you ever want or need one:

For a simple but potentially effective healing visualization process, proceed as follows:

Healing Visualization Method

Just before sleep at night relax as deeply as possible, clear your Mind of all thoughts, and begin to visualize the object of the healing. This might be yourself, another person, or an aspect of yourself or another person who is in need of this healing.

As you drift off to sleep visualize the object of the healing to be surrounded by a sphere of radiant, glowing, white light. Now imagine, visualize and know, beyond any doubt, the object of the healing to be in perfect, vibrant health. The more knowing, emotion and gratitude you can feel, the more powerful the healing will be.

Never for a moment doubt that the person or aspect of the person to be healed is in anything but perfect, vibrant health, and always in the present tense, i.e. is in perfect health, never "will be" in perfect health.

Continue with this visualization, knowing and feelings as you drift off to sleep. Continue every day for as long as is necessary to bring about the desired result; i.e. a full healing.

Follow-up with Dr. Kaidi 7 Days after Surgery

Julie — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 06:06:00 GMT

"Wow, it looks great!" is what Dr. Kaidi said when he examined my breast 7 days after surgery. He also decided to take the drain out... YEAH!!!! I was very happy.

In the next few months he will give the expander shots of salien to stretch the expander and then probably in July that will end. The the breasts will relax a bit and at the end of August, he'll do one last outpatient surgery to take out the expanders and replace them with permanent implants.

Right now, I just need to baby it for a few more days and then I can get back to work. It was painful being in the car for 45 minutes today, with the bumping and jarring of the breast tissue. (I wasn't drving. Thankfully, my mom drove.) But, he said I could drive to work, which is a mile and a half away, starting May 4th.

Would you believe that May 4th was the day I first went for the mammogram last year? What a journey this has been. Thank you for your interest and for coming along as support.

I'm healing very quickly this time and the pain is minimal. Thanks again for all your prayers concerning this!!!

Monday Update

Julie — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:14:00 GMT

I'm doing well today. The pain in the few days after the surgery was high, but yesterday it felt like someone punched me in the breast .Today it just feels like I'm wearing an uncomfortable Victoria Secret bra for more than 2 hours. If you've done that, you know what I mean! ha ha!

Most likely the pain is coming from wearing a 6 inch ace bandage around my chest and the drain poking through the skin. The bandage is keeping the swelling down and is also pressing on the hard plastic expander.

The drain is hardly draining any fluids any more, which is a great sign that I probably will have it taken out this Wedensday when I see Dr. Kaidi. It's the most uncomfortable part of this. Plus, it keeps me from being able to take a shower.

Rick is doing a fantastic job of taking care of me. How did I rate such a wonderful husband?

Here are some facts I found on post-operative pain:

After surgery, you may feel a mixture of pain and numbness in your chest in the area where surgery was done. This is because nerves were unavoidably bruised, stretched, or cut during surgery. As the nerves grow back, you may feel strange, crawling sensations in your chest. Right after surgery, you may feel brief shooting pains in your chest. This is also because the nerves are irritated.

Doing really well Post-op

Julie — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 05:22:00 GMT

I am home from the hospital after being in there 2 and a half days. My husband Rick is taking care of me at home and makes sure I get my medicne and I am comfortable.

The worst part is over!

Now all I need to do is relax and recover.

Thanks for all your prayers. I do believe it was a big part of the reason it was easier this time.

Surgery Next Week

Julie — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:26:00 GMT

Yes, I have another surgery coming up. I will be having my second mastectomy, on the left side this time. This will be the one that is being done for prophylactic measures. It was recommended so that I can have peace of mind about never having breast cancer on the left breast.

Dr. Alice Police will do the skin sparing mastectomy and Dr. Ashton Kaidi will do the reconstruction on the same day. He will put in a tissue expander. Later, I will get the expander filled about every 3 weeks so that it is the same size as the one on the right (it will be good to have a matching pair again). Then, when they are both healed fairly equally, he will remove both expanders and put in inplants.   At that time, I wll be done! YEAH.

Surgery will be on April 22nd at 4:30 Pacific Time, at Hoag Hospital.   Please get as many people as possible to pray about 1:30 Pacific time, as that is when I get admitted. I would like to try and be as calm as possible for this.

Please pray that things go smoothly and the pain I experience afterwards as I recovery is minimal.    Thank you!

Newest Update

Julie — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 06:39:00 GMT

I had a follow-up appointment with my Oncologist today. She examined me and drew my blood. Everything looks great! All of my blood cell levels are where they should be and I have no complications from the chemotherapy or radiation. She said I can have my left breast mastectomy any time I want and I can go see when it is time to get the right breast expander taken out and replaced with the permanent implant. I am to start on the Tamoxifen as soon as possible, in order to reduce the odds of cancer returning.

With the economy the way it is, it is a surprise that my counseling business is doing so well. But, I would suppose that with everyone getting anxious that tensions are rising in the homes. Because we are so busy and I am healthy enough to work all I want at the office, I will work for a few more months until I get the right breast done. I will use this time to my advantage.

And now for a really inspiring story I would like to share:

Each Day is a Gift
by author unknown

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. "I LOVE IT!" she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room yet... just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied. "happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged, it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away, just for this time in my life."

She went on to explain, "Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank. I am still depositing."

And with a smile, she said:

"Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less. "

Growing stronger every day

Julie — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:27:00 GMT

"If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember
that every experience develops some latent force within you,
you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your
circumstances may seem to be" -- John Heywood

Hope

Julie — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:32:00 GMT

"For he who has health has hope; and
he who has hope, has everything."
— Owen Arthur: Prime minister of Barbados

Happy New Year! New You, New ME!

Julie — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:37:00 GMT

Here's to a new year of high hopes, great opportunities, financial security, good health, love, and joy!

Julie

I'm DONE with Cancer Treatment!!!

Julie — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 03:57:00 GMT

Today was my last day of radiation. 35 times I went. I'm very relieved and happy it's done. I'm dealing with a burn on my neck where they radiated my lymph nodes. But otherwise, no problem.

Now all I have to do is fix my ta-tas. I'm going to have the reconstruction done on my right breast and then I'll have the mastectomy on the left. No hurry.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I'm almost done with radiation!

Julie — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:19:00 GMT

YEAH!

I have a few more days left of the regularly scheduled radiation treatment and then I start the 6 more booster shots. The boosters are more focused beams. The regular treatment has been a wide area covering the right breast, the lymphs under the arm, and the lymph nodes at the base of the neck (about 1 sq. foot). Remember that was to prevent any stray cancer cells from coming back. Then, the boosters are a much smaller area, focused on the where the tumor was (about 3 sq. inches). I'm so glad I didn't get overly tired or burned as people warned me I would. I am more stressed and tired from the hectic work schedule around all the treatments.  Lots of driving every day to and from appts, and also working before and after treatment every day.

I also started going to therapeutic rehab for Lymphedema.  My right arm was starting to get bigger than my left due to the lymph nodes not being there, it is swelling and inflamed. The rehab entails learning exercises and massages that help reduce it. I'm trying hard not to have to wear a rubber compression sleeve. I hated wearing stuff like that with my wrists, and I am not wanting to do that again.

On Dec. 1st, I noticed my hair is starting to grow back. I have a bit of a fuzz head right now. see?

You can imagine how I look without my hair, eh? Well, here it is...   Yikes.

Uncle Fester!

My eyelashes and eyebrows will need to grow back, too. You can see the redness from the radiation on the right side of my neck.

I'm Okay. That's the main thing. I am glad this is almost over. Should be around Dec. 19th. Time to celebrate! I should have a short hairdo by Summer 2009.   In the spring of 2009, I will be looking at the reconstruction part of the treatment, but at least the cancer part is done. YEAH!

"... that's a wonderful idea!"

Julie — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:47:00 GMT

As I mentioned in my last blog, I went to see Dr. Alice Police about my thoughts regarding having a preventative mastectomy on the left side. A second after I said that, she exclaimed, "I think that is a wonderful idea!" I was a little surprised by her enthusiasm. I said, "You do? Why didn't you mention it before?" She said that she didn't want to sound like a surgeon who just wants to cut. But she said, "You are high risk for it. I've seen this many times before." We felt a few lumps and some pain in my left breast, so she did a mammogram and a sonogram of it to be sure everything is healthy right now. So far, nothing is showing up. Good news. Her suggestion is to wait till after radiation and before Dr. Kaidi wants to put the implant in the right side. She said that he will want to put an expander in the left one, like he did the right one.

I hope I am not making this story complicated. I think some people think I have had the old fashioned mastectomy where I am flat. No. I have a breast on the right. She did a "skin sparing mastectomy" where she scooped out the entire inside up to 1mm of the skin. She had to in order to get the entire 5 mm tumor. I have a small 2 inch scar near my underarm. She said the mastectomy on the left will be much easier because there is no tumor and no lymph nodes to take out. That also means no chemotherapy and no radiation. Dr. Police and Dr. Kaidi will be a team on this one again and he will put the expander in and I'll get expanded over 3 months or so. She reminded me that Dr. Kaidi won't want to do anything to the right breast for a while because he wants the skin to heal completely after radiation.

Now, the only question is WHEN? I could do it as soon as January, or as late as March. I'd like to be back to work for a while, so I think I'm going to go for March.

I'm thankful that everything is happening smoothly and there are no hiccups so far. I'm also thankful that the left breast is under my control right now, that I don't have any tumors to worry about. I'm very thankful for the many people who care about me.

What are YOU thankful for?

Radiation and other updates

Julie — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:40:00 GMT

Radiation Therapy has not been half as bad as the chemotherapy. The only hassle is the time it takes to drive down there and back. The skin that is being radiated is getting brown like a tan. They say at the end, I may have something like a sunburn. It's like going to the tanning salon. You go in, disrobe in a dressing room, put on a gown, wait in a waiting room, get taken to the treatment room, take off your gown, lie on the cold table and get lined up. The radiology techs line you up according to their diagnostic plan for you. They right on me with a sharpie pen to tell them where to place the beam. I have about 8 marks all over my chest and I have to wear clothes that cover it. Most of my clothes show the middle marks, so Rick and I went out and bought some higher tops for me to wear to work. Luckily, it is getting into the cooler seasons and I can break out the turtlenecks. By the time you read this paragraph, I would be done with one of my radiation treatment session (that's how long it takes).

I have 4 more weeks and a couple days to go, so hopefully, by Christmas I'll be done. They are not sure.   They do radiation on Thanksgiving and Christmas, too, so there is no stopping it.

Hey, it could be worse. They have some of the saddest cases in there. Some women are just trying to survive. They have tumors that need to be shrunk first before they can operate and some have to be brought by ambulance. I know some of their diagnoses are not good and I fear I won't see them here before I am done.

When I am in the waiting room, I wear this poncho I made out of a fleece blanket . It makes it so easy to take off the thing and get on the table. I have been given compliments on it and I decided I am going to donate 10 of these to the center.

Wondering about the gene testing? Well, I just got the results back yesterday. It turns out I do not have either of the breast cancer genes and they think it was a mulitude of factors that caused my cancer. I still have a 20% chance of getting breast cancer recurring or it coming in the other breast. That seems really high to me. The genetic counselor said that she sees many women who decided not to get the second mastectomy who really wish they did because they worry so much. Also, they go back for their mammograms and will find lumps and then the lumpectomy starts again and possibly the chemotherapy and radiation again. Oh man, I just don't want to do that.

So, I am going to go for a consultation with my breast surgeon, Alice Police MD, and see if she agrees with me. So far, I have had so many people try to tell me it is up to me, but I can tell by the way they talk that I would have much less stress.   So, as much as I HATE surgery, I am highly considering it. Especially since, as I said before, they are going to have to do surgery on the other one to make it match the new one.   They look ridiculous right now. Like I'm winking or something.

I went through a depressive phase about this about two weeks ago and now I'm more in the acceptance part of it.   I just keep trying to look at the big picture and the most important thing is surviving and getting back to life.

FYI: Exercise can lower your overall risk of cancer
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=43005

Exercise is good for more than just your waistline. A recent study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research suggests that regular physical activity can lower a woman's overall risk of cancer - but only if she gets a good night's sleep. Otherwise, lack of sleep can undermine exercise's cancer prevention benefits.

Update

Julie — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:52:00 GMT

Many things have come up since I finished chemotherapy. First, I feel pretty good. I am back to work mostly full-time, expect for doctor appointments. I'm very tired at night, but I just need to get used to a regular schedule again and make sure I get my sleep.

I saw the radiologist, Dr. Carolynne Young on Tuesday. She emplored me to start the radiation right away, so I have been to many doctor visits since then to get it started. I had to get my breast expander shot with the last CCs of salien to make sure it won't change shape again after they start. The radiologist team had to mark me with specific areas for the beams to hit and then tattoo (small dots) those areas. Then, I had to go geta CT scan to make sure it was marked in the correct area.

While talking with Dr. Young, I asked the usual question I always ask my doctors, which is, "what do you think are the odds the left breast will get cancer?" She answered the same way Dr. Tetef did, which was, "It depends on if you have the gene for it or not." So, I finally saw a genetic counselor to find out if I have the gene.

Apparently only 10% of breast cancer is hereditary, unlike what most people think.   The thing that alarms docs is how "young" I am for getting such an agressive tumor. So, if I had this thing start a year or so ago, that means I could have had it since I was 45 or 46. If you are younger than 50, the odds go up that it might be hereditary.

Family out there, do any of you know of anyone in our family that have had breast cancer? I don't know of any.

But, we are going to do the DNA blood test to be sure. Because as it stands, if I have the gene, it is 50% chance for it to come on the left side some day. If I don't, it's 20%.

Either way, the genetics counselor said that many women will wish they had done a bilateral mastectomy because they always worry that it will come back on the other side.

Also, we have it planned to do some "rearranging" of the other breast to make it match the right breast, so while they are in there, it makes sense for them to actually do a skin sparing mastectomy and a reconstruction.

The other thing is, if I have the gene, it's a good possibility that I'll get ovarian cancer. I had a hysterectomy, but left the ovaries in (mostly for the estrogen for my heart health). So, I will be looking at having the ovaries removed, too.

This has been a lot for me to take in. But remember, we have to wait for the DNA tests to come back and it probably won't be until November 20th or so.   In the meantime, I gotta make up my mind what I'm going to do if it is or if it isn't.   I'm very preventative, so I'm leaning toward it. But, how scary.

-- Back to the radiation,

Radiotherapy uses high-speed ionising radiation, similar to X-rays. to attack the DNA in abnormal (cancerous) cells, If it hits the DNA when it is dividing, a nonsensical code sequence will be produced and the body's natural defence system will throw the rogue cells out. At least, that's the theory.

Techniques are being developed all the time to try to kill more of the cancerous cells and less of the surrounding healthy ones. The total dosage is very carefully calculated to do the most efficient and effective job. So I must go to every planned session, in which there will be about 33, or 7 weeks of therapy every day except weekends. Also, radiotherapy's effectiveness has to be balanced against the risks; for example, there are recent reports of new cancers appearing later in life after radiotherapy treatments, and studies on heart and lung damage amongst breast cancer patients show the problems could be significant.

here's what it looks like

But, picture the paper sheet off and I'm bear on the right side. Plus, the radiologists are in the next room, once they start.

The machine actually moves around me and I have to stay as still as possible for 15 minutes.

I can't wait till it starts so that it can be over. Mostly likely near the first of 2009. Next week I'll do the "dry run" to make sure we have it all in the right places and then start the following week.

That's all for now.  Thanks for keeping up with all the news.