Cashing in on Karma

It's amazing the outpouring of support I have received through my treatments thus far: cards, gifts, donations on my Race for the Cure team, well wishes by the heap, whole churches praying for me, animals sacrificed (ok, maybe not that last one). It's been incredible being able to see just how many lives I have touched in my 28 years causing trouble on this earth. I feel as if I'm cashing in on all the good karma that I have been building up. I've been a friend, volunteered for charities, gone out of my way to do nice things for other people and it's all coming back to me tenfold.

I started a team for the South Florida Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure a few days after my diagnosis. I used the race as an upbeat way to break my diagnosis to most of my friends and family. It's funny when I think about it now, but at the time I wasn't even sure I could get 10 people to sign up. My friends just took off with it and I've gotten 101 people on my team (and there are people who missed the deadline and wished they could join). We've been at third place overall for amount of money raised for the cure... currently we have close to $13,000! The two teams ahead of us are big companies (FPL and South Florida Waste Management), and I think it's incredible that we've gone toe-to-toe with them.

All this fundraising has not gone unnoticed. The Susan G. Komen Race Committee read about me on my team page (http://www.komensouthflorida.org/2010rftc/hydooo) and were tracking my progress. I had the fortune to meet them at a survivor celebration, and I was not prepared for all the fuss that they made over me! Since then they have joined my army of supporters, and have opened up incredible doors for me.

When our local newspaper, the Palm Beach Post, wanted to interview someone connected to the race that had done a lot for the community, the ladies at Susan G. Komen immediately sent them in my direction. The article can be found here:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/health/cancer-victim-s-race-team-of-100-has-193571.html

I don't like that he refers to me as a cancer victim because, as anyone who knows me can testify, it's cancer that is the victim of me in this situation. Cancer really didn't stand a chance. Also I don't like that he wrote I have sad times and wonder "why me?" because it really isn't true. Well, it's true that I have sad times. I'm like everyone else; I have good days and bad ones. But never - not once - have I wondered "why me?". Overall, though, it's a nice article. I've gotten a lot of recognition for it from friends and even from strangers. I'm famous! I wonder if I'll get a stalker? ;)

There are more good news to come... stay tuned...

Negative Negative Negative

So you know how you thought that breast cancer was breast cancer? Yeah, me too. But apparently there are different subtypes depending on whether they have the genes for estrogen/progesterone receptors (ER/PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). A receptor is a protein that lives inside or on the surface of a cell and binds to something in the body to cause the cell to react. The most successful breast cancer treatments are hormone-based drugs that directly target these receptors. So a person with a ER, PR, or HER2 positive subtype would see a lot of success with something like Tamoxifen or Herceptin.

I'm triple negative, which is more agressive and seen in only ~17% of breast cancer cases. This means that traditionally it's less responsive to treatment so they've been hitting me hard with the chemo (bring it, I can take it). It's also diagnosed more frequently in younger women and women with the BRCA1 gene mutation.

What does this mean? At this point in my treatment, not much. The type of breast cancer I am fighting is an aggressive SOB but I'm kicking it so hard into next Thursday that it's crying home to momma. In triple negative breast cancer the cells divide quickly, and the point of chemo is to stop cell division (hence the reason for the hair-loss) so it is very successful. And my last checkup is sure proof of that!

Feel Your Boobs People

I was on facebook last night cruising through brilliant comments from the elite thinkers of our generation and I came across this gem. Someone had commented that breast self exams are useless, they heard about it on Dateline. My first reaction: Are you kidding me?

Voila, the article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25679831

"..a new analysis confirming that the breast self-exam (or BSE) truly doesn’t make much of a difference after all."

Ok, time for the second response: Are you kidding me??

Women in their 20s and 30s rarely get breast cancer,” he says. “But they do have a lot more benign lumps and bumps. It’s not worth emphasizing breast self-exams for women at this age.”

True, I just yesterday had a discussion with my oncology nurse about this same topic. Breasts are dense and fibrous at younger age, and they tend to un-dense with age. This means that mammograms are more effective for women in their 50s than in their 20s. The picture is just too dense for younger women. It's like trying to see a polar bear in a snowstorm at the north pole or chilling on a grassy football field at halftime. Plus in young women there are all sorts of things that cause lumps. Heck, I'm sure just thinking about lumps causes lumps.

It's this exact thinking, however, that almost got me in hot water. I found a lump, went to my OB/GYN and he dismissed it as excessive caffeine intake. Now, to be fair, 9 times out of 10 (or maybe 99 times out of 100) that is the case. For me, it wasn't. The important thing is to know what's normal for you and elevate concern if you start to see other signs. For me in addition to finding a lump I had itching, pain, a red spot, the breast was swollen, and my nipple was flattened. Now, my OB/GYN still didn't think that it was a concern, but luckily I am a persistant pain in the butt and was referred to a surgeon sent directly from the heavens to save me so I was able to catch it (even though it was advanced, it wasn't too late to treat).

So feel your boobs my friends, or I'm coming over there to feel them for you. And, most importantly, educate yourself. Know your risk, know what's normal or abnormal for you, know the warning signs. And don't be afraid to be a persistant pain in the butt if you know something's wrong. I'll back you up.

All's well on the western front

I went in for my checkup this morning and everything is going great. The nurse practitioner could not even feel the tumor at all, and this is just after 3 treatments. Of course we're going to finish up with the remaining five because after we kill the cancer we're going to kill it a few more times for good measure.

The nurse practitioner was really pleased at how little of the side effects I've been seeing. My energy levels have been good. The nausea hasn't been too bad. My white and red blood cell counts are really good. I haven't had fevers. She says I'm a testament for someone else going through treatment. I guess I'm the 'best case'.

She also told me that the current cocktail mix (AC) is usually worse on people, so that means one more of the bad kind and then smooth sailing. I might have a bad reaction to the Taxotere, but since I've been kicking this like a rock star so far I'm banking on things going well.

Chemo #3 - Happy New Year

Well the holidays were pretty busy for me. My family came to Florida to visit (a trip that was planned pre-diagnosis) so I had a full house. In addition to that we drove to Ft. Myers to visit grandma and to Key West for fun. And in addition to that I had a doctor's appointment and a chemo treatment.

Christmas Eve: Checkup
All good news so far! The tumor has shrunk from 11 cm (about the size of a fist) to less than 2 cm (less than an inch... I don't know why they measure in metric). My white and red blood cells are holding up pretty well. I decided on shaving my head that day because the tiny pink hairs were falling out en masse, so I'm rocking the bald/hats/scarves look.

New Years Eve: Chemo #3
This time around the treatment knocked me out. I was asleep almost the entire day, woke up 5 minutes before the ball dropped and to watch the neighbors shoot off fireworks, and then back to bed. The nausea was a little worse than last time, but I'm doing well with all the other side effects.

I haven't chosen a New Years Resolution... I think getting rid of cancer is a pretty good one (and one I have to keep for once!). Right now I'm just focusing on getting through treatments and trying to enjoy as much of life as I can. Happy 2010!