Just Two More To Go!!!

I had my second infusion of the Paclitaxol on Monday the 15th which leaves me with two treatments to go. I'm trying not to get too excited just in case things don't pan out exactly as I have them scheduled. After my 1st infusion of the Paclitaxol I experienced some strange bone/muscle flu-like symptoms that lasted about a week. They started on the Wednesday night after my infusion on Monday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be a repeat tonite. As I talked about early on, my type of cancer is a little screwy....figures.... they refer to me as "triple negative," yet I am not a TRUE triple negative...triple negative is when you don't have any hormone receptors on your malignancy, which makes the cancer a little tougher to treat....I am HER2 negative (first negative factor), but I am Estrogen positive 5% and Progestin positive 5%.....which keeps me from being a true "triple negative," but they don't think I have enough hormone receptors to get more benefit than risk with Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen is a drug that is give to women to take for 5 years after their chemo when they are HORMONE POSITIVE....I'm not hormone positive enough...so therefore they believe that my risks in taking the drug would outway the benefits....so probably no Tamoxifen. What this really boils down to is that hopefully, the chemo treatments have irradicated the malignacy because it is basically all we have to treat with at this time. Of course, having the double mastectomy helps too. Right now there isn't any reason to believe that the cancer has gone any place else. I will continue to see Dr. Thomas for quite awhile after my last chemo treatment. I will go back for a 2 week follow up and then I will see her every 3 months until who knows....I go back to see Dr. Ortell on the 9th of July and then I will start visiting with the reconstructive surgery docs. (By the way, the University is quite impressed with Dr. Ortell...let's hope they don't try to steal him away!) As Dr. Thomas put's it "there isn't any guarantee's, but based on all of my history, labs, pathology, etc. they believe that I will do very well and I have as great of chance as getting hit by a MAC truck as I do dying from breast cancer....plus you know what I say "only the good die young so I am going to live to be the oldest woman in Iowa! I do have one complaint, I'm still not thin...oh well, just my luck!

Well, that's about all I know...I do know that I talked with a beautiful young woman this past weekend from around our area that was diagnosed just 3 weeks ago and she is scared. She hasn't had any surgeries or chemo's yet so her journey is just beginning. She has very young children and a lot on her heart and her mind. I can't share her name at this time, but would all of you please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. I wonder if the look in her eyes is how I looked 5 months ago....the crazier thing is that everyday people are asked to face everyday challenges, everyday....please remember this when you are having a bad hair day (better than a NO HAIR DAY)...somethings just aren't worth the worry....you know me I can't shut up without leaving you with a quote...well, maybe more of a thought or philosophy...I have misplaced the exact item and the name of the person to whom credit belongs, but I want to post it and I will continue to hunt for the "real thing." It goes something like this...

Have You Been Asked To Face Your Red Sea?
As Moses stood in front of the Red Sea (along with a ton of people depending on him), with an entire army close behind he knew he couldn't go around it, he couldn't turn back, he couldn't dig his way out and he couldn't climb over...he had no choice but to go through it...probably one of the scariest things there is to do...sometimes you don't have a choice...you have to go through it and know that what God has promised will be waiting on the other side....

I hope all of your "Red Seas" are small....

Continuing to be grateful for the prayers, thoughts and friendships....

The Yates