Dr. Visits

Yesterday we had a follow-up visit with the plastic surgeon.  Because he was the second surgeon to work on Becky, he gets to do all the follow-up.  The incisions both look good.  She is on antibiotics and they seem to have held off any infection.  The pain is mostly controlled with the pain meds except for a really sore spot under her right arm where they removed the lymph nodes.  Her drains have almost slowed down enough that they can be removed.  She has another appointment scheduled for Wednesday to see if the drains can be removed.

Today we went for a visit with the oncologist.  After waiting almost 2 hours to see him, I was afraid he would just rush through our appointment to try to make up some time because he was obviously way behind.  It was a relief that he did not seem rushed at all and we discussed her case and treatment options for almost an hour.

 

The tumor was smaller (3.2 cm) as we read in the pathology report.  That is still good news.  The reason that it looked larger on the MRI was because it was what is called multi-focal.  This means that the largest piece was 3.2 cm, but it had multiple pieces in multiple quadrants of the breast.  That makes the news not quite as good, but still ok.

Her cancer is staged at a IIb.  Because of the positive lymph node and the tumor size she is going to need chemotherapy.  Dr Gray is recommending Cytoxan and Doxorubicin given every 2 weeks for 8 weeks and then Taxol given weekly for 12 weeks.  I could tell Becky was disappointed at the prospect of 20 weeks of chemo, but she is willing to do whatever it takes.  She will be given an injectable drug called Neulasta to keep her blood counts up.  This will only need to be given with each chemo infusion.  (Previously they would have used Neupogen which would have required daily injections.)  The Neulasta will act on the marrow in her bones which will cause some bone pain for about 4 days after each infusion.  The newer medications will help to keep the nausea bearable.  There is a significant risk of peripheral neuropathy that can develop with the Taxol.  This is a little scary, but they are going to pack her hands and feet in ice during the infusions to minimize this risk.  He did say that the fatigue can be one of the difficult side effects to treat, because they don’t really have anything for it.  Unfortunately her hair will start to fall out quickly after the 2^nd dose of chemo.

   

On Monday she will be going to the hospital for an echocardiogram in the morning and then a bone scan and CT scan in the afternoon.  The Dr. expects that the results of both of those will come back clear, but it is important to have baseline scans in case something develops in the future.

While this post may seem a little more somber, we actually feel blessed that these treatment options are available, and that there is still the possibility of a good outcome after a long hard fight.  With your love, support, and prayers, we know that we can overcome these obstacles and continue on the path to a somewhat normal future.