November 21, 2011
November 20, 2011
Chemo or Prego?
Well folks. Here I am on Day six of my first cycle. For those of you that don't know the terminology, it is important for someone on Chemo to count their days and the symptoms they have on those days as they will most likely be the same on every cycle. Yesterday (Day 5) was the worst of them yet. However, I keep reminding myself, I am young, strong and able and this could be a lot worse! I was slightly nauseated (I say slightly because I don't want to over exaggerate and have it become worse...positive thinking = positive healing). I layed on the couch most of the day and well...lets just say I haven't puked and peed at the same time since...well...ok...since the last time I drank way too much! lol, just joking, I don't remember being that sick since I was a kid, projectile vomiting is not something most adult experience regularly...I hope! Thank god for my honey, that's all I can say! He went out to get a hair cut and had a craving for Tostitos. WOW, did they ever settle my stomach and taste like heaven! I am so thankful for him right now! Crackers just weren't cutting it!
Chemo bring along the wildest cravings! You could swear you were pregnant, fingers crossed I am not! lol. A friend of mine Connie told me she always had a hankering for chicken wings and dry ribs and surely enough, I was craving the same on Day 3.
Keep posted for more crazy cravings!
Signing off,
Beige allmighty
November 15, 2011
The BIG Day
Today I start Chemo!
I walked into the Tom Baker Confident! Ready to kick this in the Ass! I have never been in a "real" fight before but I was prepared to win this one!
The Tom Baker is surprisingly welcoming, Dave and I sat in the waiting room for approximately 10 minutes, Dave gets his kicks out of the riddles they wright on the walls and the fact that I clearly have no clue what the answer is, SIGH, if only i would just look at the wall!
I get escorted by a nurse to my big comfy recliner (exaggeration, but I actually don't mind the hospital chairs too much, I use to be a unit clerk after all).
As I walk into the unit it is fairly empty and I seem to be one of the first to get hooked up for the day. However, I will get up later to pee to find a completely full unit and what I feel like a burn mark carving into me from the eyes that watch me walk across the room pracing in my high heels and strutting my chemo pole like non other!
Yes, I am aware, I am the youngest person in this unit, I am also aware that this far in my journey I have been the youngest person anywhere I go that is affected with Cancer. It makes it a little hard to relate to people as they also feel the same about me. In this journey people want others they can relate to and well...being that there is less than 0.1% of 26 year olds diagnosed with Breast Cancer I dont have many options other than to embrace the cancer community no matter what their age, diagnosis, prognosis, hair color...ummmm, or wig color. We are all affected with a disease that has impacted our life in some way or another...is that enough for relation
Its 8:40 and I am preparing for the next four hours!
Out comes my liter and a half water bottle, my book, my wedding thank you cards, my cell phone, a pillow, a sleeping mask in case I need to have a nap, a sweater in case I get extra cold, snacks, slippers for my feet and a pen. I'M READY!
Its really standard procedure - Name, Birthday, Allergies? Oh your allergic to the tape we have already plastered on you, allow us to rip it off and wax your arm! Thanks and well your at it can you please do my stash because as I clearly would love to support Movember this is just not a good look for me!
The nurses looked at me as I was preparing for the world to end and informed me that my treatment would only be two hours. One hour for the Docetaxel followed by one hour for the Cyclophosphamide and I'm outta here! I give a sheepish little grin of thanks and tuck half of my items away hopping the nurses haven't noticed that I CLEARLY have a case of ADHD and cannot focus on just one thing for what is only a period of two hours instead I needed 18!
I walked into the Tom Baker Confident! Ready to kick this in the Ass! I have never been in a "real" fight before but I was prepared to win this one!
The Tom Baker is surprisingly welcoming, Dave and I sat in the waiting room for approximately 10 minutes, Dave gets his kicks out of the riddles they wright on the walls and the fact that I clearly have no clue what the answer is, SIGH, if only i would just look at the wall!
I get escorted by a nurse to my big comfy recliner (exaggeration, but I actually don't mind the hospital chairs too much, I use to be a unit clerk after all).
As I walk into the unit it is fairly empty and I seem to be one of the first to get hooked up for the day. However, I will get up later to pee to find a completely full unit and what I feel like a burn mark carving into me from the eyes that watch me walk across the room pracing in my high heels and strutting my chemo pole like non other!
Yes, I am aware, I am the youngest person in this unit, I am also aware that this far in my journey I have been the youngest person anywhere I go that is affected with Cancer. It makes it a little hard to relate to people as they also feel the same about me. In this journey people want others they can relate to and well...being that there is less than 0.1% of 26 year olds diagnosed with Breast Cancer I dont have many options other than to embrace the cancer community no matter what their age, diagnosis, prognosis, hair color...ummmm, or wig color. We are all affected with a disease that has impacted our life in some way or another...is that enough for relation
Its 8:40 and I am preparing for the next four hours!
Out comes my liter and a half water bottle, my book, my wedding thank you cards, my cell phone, a pillow, a sleeping mask in case I need to have a nap, a sweater in case I get extra cold, snacks, slippers for my feet and a pen. I'M READY!
Its really standard procedure - Name, Birthday, Allergies? Oh your allergic to the tape we have already plastered on you, allow us to rip it off and wax your arm! Thanks and well your at it can you please do my stash because as I clearly would love to support Movember this is just not a good look for me!
The nurses looked at me as I was preparing for the world to end and informed me that my treatment would only be two hours. One hour for the Docetaxel followed by one hour for the Cyclophosphamide and I'm outta here! I give a sheepish little grin of thanks and tuck half of my items away hopping the nurses haven't noticed that I CLEARLY have a case of ADHD and cannot focus on just one thing for what is only a period of two hours instead I needed 18!
 |
| Waiting in the Sitting Area (Dave's Tired) |
 |
| Hooked up and enjoying coffee |
 |
| ALL DONE! LETS GO SHOPPING! |
November 14, 2011
Day before Chemo...Another Decision and some good News
November 14th - Exam with Dr. Sasha Lupichuk (my oncologist - aka my new best friend for the next year) at 11:40 a.m.
Walking into this Dave and I expect to hear the same things that we have been hearing all along. "Your name is Beige Julienna Plotts, you are 26 years old, you have Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, it has not spread to the lymp nodes, it is not ER/PR positive, we still dont know about your HER2 results, and tommorrow you will be starting your Chemo regimine of FEC-D that will last six cyles every 21 days for a time of approximatly 4 months." Bing bang were outta there right? WRONG!
November 14th - Exam with Dr. Sasha Lupichuk (my oncologist - aka my new best friend for the next year) at 11:40 a.m. I walk into the room pleasantly surprised with myself for gaining five pounds! In all my life I never thought that gaining weight would be an issue after loosing 140 pounds and STRUGGLING to keep it off. I give myself a pat on the pack and smugly waddle my five pound fatter ass into the exam room!
"Your name is Beige Julienna Plotts, you are 26 years old, you have Invasive Ductile Carcinoma, it has not spread to the lymph nodes, it is not ER/Pr positive, we do have your HER2 results back and those are negative as well. The tumor is smaller than we though it was and surprisingly all of it minus 1 millimeter was removed during your biopsy, this was a shock to us as we expected there to be more there. Given the nature of your tumor and how aggressive it appeared to be before we had your full pathology our medical results indicated that we should put you on the FEC-D regimen and treat this rapidly, however, that is not the case and we now can offer you four cycles of DC or the same FEC-D that we were offering you prior to this"
EXCUSE ME? WHAT?
I did not expect to walk into the exam room today and have to make a decision that again could affect my life...I thought we were done with this when I confidently made the decision to be a professional runner...I mean have my breast fully removed so that if I choose to become a professional runner it would no longer slap me in the face..non the less runner or not...I thought I was done with these decisions then!
So lets weight this choice that I have to make in the next 10 minutes. I have the choice to do the FEC-D which I was offered before for six cycles 21 days apart or I can chose to do the DC for four weeks 21 days apart. I don't quite understand.
The hardest part in making these decisions is Doctors have to go all on statistical information only and absolutely no personal opinions. While I am from healthcare I understand this but its hard to be put in the situation where you are looked at as a statistic and have no emotional connection given towards that decision.
Basically today what triggered my choice and the biggest thing I heard was that FEC-D while yes it is a more aggressive treatment has a higher chance of developing leukemia. The chance of developing leukemia is 0.4% not too scary right? WRONG! that .4% is actually 1 in 100 that can develop leukemia because of the FEC-D.
I'm sorry but are you telling me that I was already a 1 in 230 something women at the age of 26 that develops breast cancer and now you would like me to try something that gives me even less odds and actually role with that? I can almost assume that I would be the lucky number to get that! NO THANKS.
"I am Beige Julienna Plotts, I have been dealt the card of Breast Cancer, I was dealt this because God only gives these things to people who can handle them, people who can take them away and make a difference in their life's as well as others. Tomorrow I will be starting my four week regime of DC and will be on Chemotherapy for the next 84 days. After these 84 days I vow to take an amazing honey moon which I feel my husband and I will be more than entitled to since I had surgery five days after our wedding, and I INDEED will rock that plastic boob on the beach, After these 84 days I vow to make a difference in this world, to do the walks for the cause, to touch other peoples life's as they have touched mine! I am Beige Julienna Plotts, I have Breast Cancer and I am EMPOWERED!"
Walking into this Dave and I expect to hear the same things that we have been hearing all along. "Your name is Beige Julienna Plotts, you are 26 years old, you have Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, it has not spread to the lymp nodes, it is not ER/PR positive, we still dont know about your HER2 results, and tommorrow you will be starting your Chemo regimine of FEC-D that will last six cyles every 21 days for a time of approximatly 4 months." Bing bang were outta there right? WRONG!
November 14th - Exam with Dr. Sasha Lupichuk (my oncologist - aka my new best friend for the next year) at 11:40 a.m. I walk into the room pleasantly surprised with myself for gaining five pounds! In all my life I never thought that gaining weight would be an issue after loosing 140 pounds and STRUGGLING to keep it off. I give myself a pat on the pack and smugly waddle my five pound fatter ass into the exam room!
"Your name is Beige Julienna Plotts, you are 26 years old, you have Invasive Ductile Carcinoma, it has not spread to the lymph nodes, it is not ER/Pr positive, we do have your HER2 results back and those are negative as well. The tumor is smaller than we though it was and surprisingly all of it minus 1 millimeter was removed during your biopsy, this was a shock to us as we expected there to be more there. Given the nature of your tumor and how aggressive it appeared to be before we had your full pathology our medical results indicated that we should put you on the FEC-D regimen and treat this rapidly, however, that is not the case and we now can offer you four cycles of DC or the same FEC-D that we were offering you prior to this"
EXCUSE ME? WHAT?
I did not expect to walk into the exam room today and have to make a decision that again could affect my life...I thought we were done with this when I confidently made the decision to be a professional runner...I mean have my breast fully removed so that if I choose to become a professional runner it would no longer slap me in the face..non the less runner or not...I thought I was done with these decisions then!
So lets weight this choice that I have to make in the next 10 minutes. I have the choice to do the FEC-D which I was offered before for six cycles 21 days apart or I can chose to do the DC for four weeks 21 days apart. I don't quite understand.
The hardest part in making these decisions is Doctors have to go all on statistical information only and absolutely no personal opinions. While I am from healthcare I understand this but its hard to be put in the situation where you are looked at as a statistic and have no emotional connection given towards that decision.
Basically today what triggered my choice and the biggest thing I heard was that FEC-D while yes it is a more aggressive treatment has a higher chance of developing leukemia. The chance of developing leukemia is 0.4% not too scary right? WRONG! that .4% is actually 1 in 100 that can develop leukemia because of the FEC-D.
I'm sorry but are you telling me that I was already a 1 in 230 something women at the age of 26 that develops breast cancer and now you would like me to try something that gives me even less odds and actually role with that? I can almost assume that I would be the lucky number to get that! NO THANKS.
"I am Beige Julienna Plotts, I have been dealt the card of Breast Cancer, I was dealt this because God only gives these things to people who can handle them, people who can take them away and make a difference in their life's as well as others. Tomorrow I will be starting my four week regime of DC and will be on Chemotherapy for the next 84 days. After these 84 days I vow to take an amazing honey moon which I feel my husband and I will be more than entitled to since I had surgery five days after our wedding, and I INDEED will rock that plastic boob on the beach, After these 84 days I vow to make a difference in this world, to do the walks for the cause, to touch other peoples life's as they have touched mine! I am Beige Julienna Plotts, I have Breast Cancer and I am EMPOWERED!"November 12, 2011
To have a child or not?
For most this is a decision that you have the power to make.
Do you want to be DINK's (Dual Income No Kids) or do you want to have the white picket fence lifestyle, stay at home mom and happy lifestyle?
Notice my long explanation of the second one...obviously I know what I wanted.
Many people are not aware that chemotherapy puts the majority of women into early onset menopause, for a woman such as myself at 26 who is also a newlywed, this is a harsh reality. What was even more harsh was when Dave and I visited the fertilization clinic to find out that it would cost us $10,000 to have a less than 40% chance to have a baby in the future.
My feelings on this: I am leaving our family life to the big man upstairs! I firmly believe that I have more than a 40% chance of having a baby when this is all said and done by leaving it in his hands!
Do you want to be DINK's (Dual Income No Kids) or do you want to have the white picket fence lifestyle, stay at home mom and happy lifestyle?
Notice my long explanation of the second one...obviously I know what I wanted.
Many people are not aware that chemotherapy puts the majority of women into early onset menopause, for a woman such as myself at 26 who is also a newlywed, this is a harsh reality. What was even more harsh was when Dave and I visited the fertilization clinic to find out that it would cost us $10,000 to have a less than 40% chance to have a baby in the future.
My feelings on this: I am leaving our family life to the big man upstairs! I firmly believe that I have more than a 40% chance of having a baby when this is all said and done by leaving it in his hands!
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