On to the Next Steps

It's been quite awhile since I posted. The last chemo treatment was pretty rough - some say they can tell when I'm not feeling good because I go on "radio silence". I figure if I don't have anything good to say I'll just stay quiet. I'm so glad to have chemo done.

I'm on to the next phases of treatment. I receive immunotherapy every 3 weeks for the next 7 months. Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that relies on the body's infection-fighting system. It uses substances made by the body or in a lab to help the immune system work harder or in a more targeted way. My immunotherapy consists of two drugs, Herceptin and Perjeta, which are monoclonal antibodies that work to prevent cells from multiplying, preventing further cancer growth and slowing cancer progression. The side effects are minimal compared to chemo. I had my first immunotherapy yesterday - I'll let you know if what they say is true on the side effects. One of my roles at Lilly was in Cancer Research and I can remember typing up reports about monoclonal antibodies - never did I think I would come across them in my own life.

The other treatment I'll be starting next week is radiation. I very seriously considered declining radiation. There were some issues getting ready for radiation, e.g., two CT scans, a trial run that failed because the machine would have taken off my right elbow - that sort of thing. The room and machine look like something from Star Wars and the door to the room is literally 6-8 inches thick which the technician closes and leaves me behind. All of these things made me very anxious and got me thinking maybe the universe was telling me not to do it. When I was at the cancer center for treatment yesterday I expressed my reservations to my Nurse Navigator and my Nurse Practitioner. I needed to know more about where they will target the radiation and what are the percentages of doing it vs. not. They were very understanding and suggested I meet with another radiation oncologist. He came up and spoke to me and gave me the detailed information I needed. Bottom line he said he is not one to push radiation but in my case I need it because the cancer was found in my lymph nodes. Starting Tuesday I will go every weekday for 6 weeks.

I've been dealing with cancer stuff for over six months now and frankly I get really tired of it some days. But then I think of others who are in so much worse shape than me - some who will lose their battle. I never think about losing this battle, I only think about surviving the treatment and getting on with life. So some days I have to tell myself "Ann - put your big girl panties on and deal with it!"

xo

Be Strong and Courageous... Joshua 1:9