December 27th 2007 10:24 pm
Chemo #4 Update
My doctor’s appointment and Chemotherapy were both today. It was one of the roughest ones yet. The doctor didn’t come in to see me for over and hour. However, he did answer many questions that I had. Some of which I am very excited about the answer. Here are a few of the highlight questions:
1. What happens after surgery? NO MORE CHEMO!!! PTL!!! (only two left) After surgery they’ll determine whether or not to do radiation…most likely yes.
2. Do you recommend a lumpectomy (only lump removed) or mastectomy (whole breast removed)? I will still have to have the recommended mastectomy to be sure that it has all been removed. They want to remove a little bit more than the original size of the tumor, which is just about the whole breast anyway. They might just go in and find scar tissue, but will have to remove all of that anyway.
3. When do I need to meet with a plastic surgeon? The sooner the better. He can explain all the options, and we can schedule the surgery for a day that both the surgeon and plastic surgeon are available.
4. Can I shave with a razor (I read it was unsafe)? Yes, but only when my white cells and platelet counts are up. Not the first week after chemo…closer to when I am about to have chemo. (I haven’t shaved since October, but it’s been cold. You can’t really tell, most of it is gone, but the stuff that is still there is LONG! 🙂
As for Chemo, they had a hard (and painful) time finding a vein. They stuck me 3 times, bringing me to tears, before they found a vein. It was still uncomfortable, but better than being stuck again. Usually I never have that problem, but for some reason today I did. In addition to that, a little more than halfway through chemo, I got extremely nauseous and had to be given more medicine. It was terrible. It’s the most nauseous I’ve felt so far. It wore off as I drifted off to a short sleep.
I am very tired and am going to be hitting the hay, but wanted to let you all know how it went today. I have been feeling better this evening, and we even had friends over for dinner. Now it’s time to take a few pills and go to bed!
Love to you all, and thanks for all of your prayers. You don’t even know how EXCITED I am that there will be no chemo after surgery! 🙂 It’s the best news! Praise the Lord!
4 down, 2 to go,
Monica 🙂
3 Comments »
3 Responses to “Chemo #4 Update”
sheribaker on 27 Dec 2007 at 10:47 pm #
That is awesome! I’m glad you got some good news, even though the process was difficult. I am so proud of you. Can you believe that you’re 2/3 of the way done with chemo. That is fantastic. You are always on our thoughts and in our prayers. Stay strong – you are getting so close to the end of this. We love you all!
Sheri
RenaeHerbTolbert on 28 Dec 2007 at 12:45 pm #
Hey Monica!! I have been praying my heart out for you all day because I thougth TODAY, (Friday) was your chemo!! I even made sure that I was praying exactly at 10:30 your time!! (1:30 here in NC) But, you know, God knows our hearts and he knew ahead of time that I was going to pray late, so there must have been a reason I was praying today instead. Actually, I pray for you off and on all day. I wear the necklace you sent and it reminds me hundreds of times a day to lift you up. And, having your picture on my fridge helps too. I think of you so often, and when I do, I make sure I say a prayer.
Thanks so much for being so faithful with your updates. I appreciate it so much.
In Him,
Renae
teamsack@msn.com on 31 Dec 2007 at 11:08 am #
Good morning Monica and Sol: I’m SO GLAD that you are half way done w/ chemo!! YEA!!!!!!! I am also thankful you were able to ask some really important questions and receive your answers. As this year ends and 2008 approaches, know that we will be continually praying for you. JESUS LOVES YOU SOOOOO MUCH!! HE IS WITH YOU ALL THE WAY…EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T “FEEL” THAT HE IS NEAR. HE’S SO PROUD OF BOTH OF YOU! YOU ARE HANGING TOUGH! HERE’S TO A FANTASTIC NEW YEAR OF HEALING AND HEALTH!!!!! Love Kathy