I got a call on Thursday. From Dr. A. Ugh….
I had a PET scan on NYE day. A PET works like this. In cancer, cells begin to grow at a much faster rate. PET works by using a small amount of a radioactive tracer in combination with a sugar molecule. So, I get this shot of radioactive stuff and sit in a room, not doing anything (no reading, moving, talking…nothing to increase my metabolism) so that my body can process this stuff through for an hour and the body can begin to metabolize the sugar. (It’s actually one of the best parts of any test I have to do. I sit in a recliner, in complete silence under warm blankets for an hour). The radioactive tracer emits signals as it travels and eventually collects in the organs targeted for examination. If an area in an organ is cancerous, the signals will be stronger since more glucose will be absorbed in those areas. Normal cells do not have a raised level of metabolism, but cancer cells do. As a baseline, my oncologist said normal cellular metabolic rates are 1-2.
My original tumor was an 11.5 which was quite active and hot. This is now at about a 2.5. Huge, great news! YAY, we know that the therapies are working.
However, we also got some other news too. We found a spot which didn’t show on the original PET scan which is likely a metastasis on my sternum (breastbone). The doctor said that this is not unusual, and that it’s probably not new, but it just didn’t show originally. The chemo and Neulasta (which is a white blood cell stimulant that works in the marrow of the bone that I inject the day after chemo..blah, blah, blah) are making the marrow metabolize a lot more than it was, and so it’s now showing up. Her interpretation is that it’s showing either clearing disease or that it isn’t a metastasis (from now on I’ll call it a met) it’s just high level cell activity from the Neulasta.
This makes it really easy to determine the next course of treatment. I will start taking a new drug by IV with my next and LAST chemo (YAY!) called Zometa. It’s like Fosamax on steroids and will help repair the bone issues if it is a cancer met. Also, there is some indication that Zometa somehow works to strengthen the bones so that it is difficult for future mets to occur in the bone (also a YAY). It’s a short infusion which I will continue to take for 20 minutes every 6 weeks probably for the rest of my life.
I will also definitely be having surgery to remove my reconstruction. This had been up in the air, but with this newest wrinkle, the oncologist is onboard for a complete removal (i.e., I am having a second double mastectomy). Surgery isn’t set, but will likely be before mid-March. Unfortunately, I will not be doing immediate reconstruction. I am a lot freaked out by this. Seeing my body with no breasts at all was the one thing I didn’t want to deal with the first go round. Of course, if I am blessed by 50 more years, what do I care if I run around with no tits for a few months.
After I heal from surgery, I will begin radiation (I’m guessing about 4-6 weeks after surgery, so beginning of May). This is going to happen in at least 2 areas, the breastbone and the original tumor site. I don’t know if there will be any other spots, but wherever they say, I’ll do it. As Dr. A said, she considers the radiation the mop-up process for this kind of chemo protocol. I will probably have 6-7 weeks of radiation, every weekday for about 10 minutes.
I will have some time to heal and then we will be able to begin the reconstruction process. If I do 7 weeks of radiation, I will be able to do the expanders in July, but boys are going to sleepaway, and I think that Chris and I are going to take a vacation while they are gone. So, middle of July will be my target date. With the new mastectomy, the doctors will take the majority of the skin, so I will first have something called an expander placed. This is a balloon-like bag with a port so that the doctor can fill it with saline each week. This will stretch the skin and create space for an implant to be placed once we stretch the skin enough. I figure this will take about 8-12 weeks.
Hopefully, I will have my 3rd set of tas by my birthday in mid-October.
Believe me, I know that I just dumped a whole lot of information. I do my best to educate on the process as well as give you my personal information. I find that the info without education is pointless.
As always, you are free to ask anything, I am here to answer your questions. It makes me a better patient because I learn what questions to ask, if I don’t know the answer already.