For some of you, this may your first time ever reading one of my blogs. If that's the case...WELCOME! If you're a returning follower...thank you!
I know it's been a long time since my last entry. Part of the reason for that perhaps is that I was really tired of talking about cancer! I've lost so many friends to this stupid disease, and since I have been stable for 3 years, unlike so many people that I know and love, well I just was tired of the questions. Advanced Breast Cancer is weird, let me try to explain what I mean by that. Once a person's BC has metastasized it will forever be with you. Now, there will be times where your meds will keep it at bay ( or put it to sleep...or hide it so to speak) but eventually that sneaky cancer will become immune to that drug and start attacking again. Then the patient and his/her medical team move on to the next meds that they believe will push the cancer back. This is a very simplified explanation, but I'm hoping that by laying it out like this it will help those that had any confusion understand. It's actually taken me a long time and I learn something new ALL the time! I really credit my online support group Inspire for not making amazing friends worldwide, but for teaching me about my cancer and available treatment options.
Which leads me to the main reason for today's blog. At the end of April we celebrated my 4 year Cancervesary! I like to let it slip by quietly, but on that day it's something that Don and I are very much aware of...and always deeply grateful for! I've actually gotten rather lulled into the fact that since I've been stable for 3 years, and every time I have a scan and my Dr. say "Looks good Kathy, no new cancer" I think of course not! I'm going to defy the odds!
Well friends, NOONE is superwoman! So here's the "Rest of the story" kudos to Mr. Harvey. As most know ever since I was rear-ended by a semi about 7 years ago I have severe neck pain accompanied by horrid headaches. For the past month or more that pain has greatly increased, but never alarmed me. After all, I'd been told I'd forever experience pain. What concerned me was some right chest wall pain I was having, and although I was scheduled to see my onc in June, I decided to call the clinic and speak to a friend of mine who is also an oncology nurse. She suggested I be seen and helped arrange it for the next day. I saw the NP the next day who spoke to my onc who ordered a PET scan for Wednesday. On Thursday I received a call from the NP. She kindly told me that the scan had found nothing in my chest wall and they believed that perhaps that pain was muscular. She then told me they had found something at my C2 vertebrae that was active cancer. We have since found out that there are 4 new spots...the C2 lesion, 2 lymph nodes and a new spot on my 7th rib. Don summed it up very well...you try to prepare yourself to hear the words progression, every single time you receive your scan results. But in truth, there's no way to prepare...it still takes all of the air out of you and scare the shit out of you! As a good friend is known for saying...F...Cancer!
So here's what's next;
I've been taken off of the Femera.
I will begin Radiation to my neck to alleviate pain (hopefully)
Monthly I will receive injections of an anti-hormonal called Faslodex. This is done at the Cancer Center and I've already had my first dose. Kind of painful and given in the butt! So yes...when I say it's a "Pain in the butt" I MEAN IT!
I will also be taking an oral chemo...21 days in a row...7 days off. Many scary side effects, to many to list :-). I'm thinking positive!
Radiation will last 10 days...hallelujah! The other treatments are ongoing until:
A. They no longer work
B. I can no longer tolerate them
Then we find something else!
I promise all of you...I will continue to keep you updated. I want you to know, I AM NOT BRAVE! I am like every other stage IV Cancer patient...I WANT TO LIVE! I want to be with Don for many more years, I want to continue to watch Michael be successful, grow older, continue to enjoy his life, get married (hopefully sooner vs later ;-) enjoy my friends and family, just every damn thing that everybody else wants! I'm nothing special after all...just a woman who loves her family and life and wants the opportunity to continue to do that!
Whew...thank you for reading all of this! As always, I ask for your prayers...but please, I ask that you pray extra hard for my Don and my Mike! This is very hard on them of course and they need the extra support.
With love and appreciation,
Kathy 💞💞💞
