This past Friday, I reached the halfway mark of my last round of chemo treatments. Yay!
This particular chemo drug continues to be pretty easy on me with minimal side effects. I'm hoping to avoid the most common side effect of Taxol...numbness and/or tingling in the fingers and toes, but it may still happen any time between now and the end of my treatment.
Despite the fact that I have been going in for weekly chemo treatments, I've thankfully been able to get out and do some fun stuff this summer, including a few short out-of-town getaways and some trips to the zoo. And even on those sunny days when I have to go in for chemo, I still get to enjoy the great view of Lake Union from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
Even though I have become accustomed to having no hair and appreciate the time it saves me, I am definitely ready for it to grow back. It should start coming back right after I finish chemo. Can't wait! Being bald obviously draws a lot of attention from strangers and some sweet comments. Just today, a gal said to me: "I had that haircut two years ago." Meeting strong and healthy breast cancer survivors who have "been there, done that" never gets old.
Next steps...
About 1-2 months after I finish chemo, I will most likely be getting axillary lymphnode dissection surgery (vs. radiation), where they take out two layers of lymphnodes from my armpit. Since I had a tiny bit of cancer in the one node they removed during my initial breast surgery, this surgery is meant to help prevent local recurrence in any of my lymphnodes. While there are potential side effects with this surgery such as lymphedema, the preventive benefits outweigh them. I am doing everything possible to avoid going through this again.
For my final phase of treatment, I will take an anti-estrogen drug (in pill form) daily for five years. I hope to have all of my reconstructive surgery(ies) done by late this year or early next year.
That's all for now. I will try to do my next blog post sooner than later. I apologize for being such a slacker!
