My Name is Not Cancer Girl

There are a few things I’m asked often, and so I figured I’d answer them all in one place. I’ll add more as I am repeatedly asked more questions.

Do you have a family history of breast cancer?
The short answer is no, I am the first. The longer answer is still no, but I have a long and sordid family history of other cancers. On my Mom’s side of the family, my Aunt P was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma in March (I think) 2007. She is doing great and continues to show clear PET scans.

There are others there too, my great-grandmother, a great-Aunt both on my maternal grandmother’s side of the family. On my Dad’s side, my Grandma had lung cancer, and several great-uncles had color or prostate cancer. Also, my dad had a cousin who died of leukemia many years ago. There’s no known direct link between breast cancer and colon or prostate cancer yet, but as genetic testing is improved, I am convinced that there will be a link found.

Did you do the breast cancer gene test?
I did, and I do not carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.

Will you lose all your hair during chemo?
Yes, I will lose my hair, and it is likely that I will lose all my hair. And, for those too modest to ask, when you lose your hair during chemo, you lose it from all over your body: head, brows, lashes, legs, arms, and yes, even the bikini area.

When will your hair fall out?
I was told to expect my hair to release within 2-3 weeks after my first dose of chemo. And, right on schedule it’s beginning to fall out. *Updated 11/10* I’m still not losing the hair on my pillow in large clumps, maybe that’s because it’s shaved down to 1/2″. I have been pulling out the tufts since my scalp actually hurts from the hair releasing. I definitely have large bald spots now, including male-pattern horseshoe baldness. It’s not a pretty look. Scarves/hats/wigs are all the rage when I’m out of the house, but I do walk around at home without anything on my head. The boys like so see how it changes daily. I’m glad that I’m a novelty to them.

What is the TCH protocol?
I’ve mentioned in several of my posts a drug called herceptin. This is called a targeted therapy which attacks the HER2 variant of my cancer. The herceptin is given every week for one year by IV through my port. That is the H part of the protocol. The T is for Taxotere, which is one of the actual chemo drugs. The final drug is Carboplatin which is also a chemo drug. I’m not a doctor, so I can’t tell you why I’m using 2 different chemo drugs, but I can tell you that there’s some Lifetime movie called “Living Proof” about Dr. Dennis Slamon who came up with this protocol. It’s a relatively new treatment protocol, it was approved in 2006, so I am again calling myself lucky.

How are you feeling?
Do you really, really, really want to know? Because I don’t want to disappoint you. But, I feel mostly fine physically. There have been a few uncomfortable moments, but on the whole, it’s not as bad as it could be. On the Wednesday after my first chemo, my glands felt a little swollen. My throat didn’t hurt, but my neck was tender. That continued on Thursday and into Friday morning. The only thing that I did was take two Extra-Strength Tylenol every 4 hours. It went away, and that was that. Occasionally I get an errant stress headache, but again, some Tylenol and I call it done.

Where do you get the titles for your posts?
Every post title is from a song, either a title, chorus or random lyric. I have found that most things I want to express are more concisely written by songwriters. And for a title, concise is a good thing.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask by email or in the comments section. If they’re not downright rude, I’ll probably answer.