Done with treatment! Update – November 13, 2005

I haven't written for so long, so I thought I would let you all know what has been happening.

I had my last treatment last Monday! It feels really good to be done with my weekly visits, although I'm kind-of sad not to be seeing my nurses every week. When I changed to Covington in February for my treatment, the care became much more personal. Each week, I had the same two nurses and we got to know each other quite well. We all agreed I would have to come and visit occasionally.

A lot of people have wondered what is next for me. Basically, the only routine tests that I will have are blood tests. They will do what is called a 'tumor marker' test every three months. It tells them whether or not there is a chance that I've had a recurrence, which would lead to further testing, such as a CAT scan or other diagnostic tests. The only difficulty with the tumor marker test is that there is a chance of getting a false positive, so it’s not completely accurate. But, I’d rather deal with a ‘false positive’ than a ‘false negative’ any day! I’m not one who wants to be left in the dark.

Another thing that a lot of people have asked me is, “So, are you cancer-free now?” I honestly feel like the cancer was gone the day that I had my mastectomy. The characteristics of the surrounding tissue and the clear margins just lead us to believe it was probably gone. The reason they do chemo is to wipe out the possibility that even one cell broke off and traveled somewhere else. Also, it gives me the assurance that I have done everything possible and left no stone unturned. So, I am cancer-free, as much as anyone else can say, (which, as we have learned doesn’t come with a guarantee)! We ALL just have to be listening to our bodies and acting when there is something questionable.

I’m not sure when I will be updating you all again, considering that I’m DONE! It feels good and a little scary at the same time. I saw many reports on the news recently about the drug (Herceptin) that I was on for the past 52 weeks. There was an ongoing study on patients who had metastatic disease (cancer that has spread) who also tested positive for HER-2 neu. The study was actually stopped early because the results have been so good that they are recommending it for ALL patients who test positive for HER-2 neu, whether it has spread or not. That is great news for me. I’m so glad that I insisted on receiving it, since if my diagnosis had come just one year later, they would have routinely given it to me. See, it pays to be a bit of a pushy (but nice) patient!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. I am very excited about the holiday season this year. It’s great to feel so much better than last year! God has definitely brought me full circle!