Many of you know that the answer is "sort of." Even though I have finished the harsh chemo treatments and radiation, I am still going in every three weeks for "chemo."
Before I had cancer, I had a picture in my mind of chemotherapy as the cancer-fighting drugs that cause nausea, hair loss, low blood counts...you know, like the ones I had all summer into fall. Some chemo drugs, instead of killing all fast-growing cells, are more targeted with fewer side effects. Even though in my mind, my last chemo cycle "ended" at the beginning of October, I will be actually continuing chemo through June. Herceptin is a form of chemo. Since my first trip to the land of infusion on June 14th and 17 weeks after that, I went in for Herceptin every week. After I completed my six rounds of chemo with Taxotere and Carboplatin, I continued receiving Hereptin, but instead of going in every week, I now go in every three weeks. I will be receiving Herceptin for an entire year. The end date will be sometime in June, roughly 16 additional rounds. Basically, when I'm done, I'll have undergone chemo for 52 weeks. Pretty impressive, huh? It doesn't seem like chemo because my hair is growing back, my immune system is recovering, and over all, I'm feeling pretty good. Any side effect I've experienced on Herceptin is minor compared to the side effects of the other drugs. The one potentially serious concern is the possible effect to my heart. That's why I go in periodically for an echocardiogram to monitor my heart. So far, I haven't had any problem at all. My heart is performing just like it did before I started all this chemo. For that, I'm grateful to God for his hand of protection.
It's been over a week since I started taking Tamoxifen. While some chemo drugs come in pill form, Tamoxifen is not considered chemo. It is an anti-hormone drug. I am still doing pretty well on this drug. In addition to some sleep problems, I've noticed a bit of joint pain, especially when bending down to reach something from a low cabinet. I'm hopeful that it will continue to be minor as I continue exercising. Plus, I understand the side effects are worse the first three weeks, so all this might be temporary. I'll just take it one day at a time, one pill at a time.
That's probably enough medical jargon for one blog! Or at least, for this week. I had a fun weekend. My sister Cindy came down on Saturday and put together a wonderful meal of grass-fed beef and roasted vegetables. Our house still smells wonderful! We took a long walk and had a chance to catch up. After church today, I took another long walk with my neighbor, Cindy. Walt took the boys to see The Hobbit, and I spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the quiet.
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