This post is long overdue and I apologize. The last couple of weeks have been extremely busy... keeping up with the hustle and bustle of the Holidays, going to doctors appointments and trying to keep some normalcy in our lives.
I met with my radiation oncologist right before Thanksgiving and did all the prep work to begin radiation. Then I got a call from them about the possibility of doing a clinical trial- partial breast radiation vs. full breast radiation. I won't bore you with all the details except this is a common practice with women over 40 and they have found it to be just as successful as the whole radiation. Whole breast radiation is 30 sessions usually with 5-8 additional power boost sessions. The partial breast is done twice daily for 5 days. In women under 40, there isn't enough evidence at this point to know for sure if partial works as well as whole. The trial that I was interested in is a Phase 3 trial and I felt very comfortable applying for it. So after weeks of filling out paperwork, I was finally accepted into the trial and randomized into the partial breast radiation. I went in for more set up (including tattoos) and finally on Monday, December 19 at 6:30am I was able to start my treatments. Over the past week I went twice a day (6 hours apart) at 6:30 and 1:30pm. Of course mother nature played a significant role this week with a snow storm on Tuesday morning and then another big one on Thursday. Needless to say, I woke up really, really early to get there and was praying that the radiation tech would be there too... and she was!
There are three different methods of partial breast radiation and I did the more traditional one call 3d conformal external beam radiation. This radiated the tumor bed area and some surrounding tissue rather than the entire breast. I was amped up with about 3850 cGY over the past week. I have been tired, not sure if that is from the treatments, getting up at the crack of dawn or stress relating to getting up so early and the snow. It could also be a combination of all of the above. I am a bit sore and swollen with what looks like a sunburn, thank goodness there are no blisters! Yesterday after my final treatment, I was discharged from radiation treatments! I have to go back in a couple of weeks to get checked out and and then again later in January. With my participation in the trial, I feel the doctors will be watching me even more closely than if I had done the regular whole breast radiation.
So what's next?? In two weeks I get to start my anti-estrogen drug, Tamoxifen. This will be a part of my daily life for the next 5 years, awesome! There are some potential side effects but the benefit of the drug to stop producing estrogen to keep any cancer cells from growing should outweigh the side effects. I also have to see the surgeon again and then in early February see the oncologist who will schedule my next follow-up, mammogram or MRI every 3 months.
I have been the brunt of some jokes this week by my sister...I am so not offended, in fact the laughter is what keeps us going...
- The three wise men don't need to follow the star in the east, just follow the glowing from her boob
- Santa doesn't need Rudolph this year
- And finally, our row at church tonight won't need candles during Silent Night
Again, I want to thank everyone for all their prayers and support over the past 90 days. It hasn't been fun but each and everyone of you have helped me through it. The journey isn't over but it is quite shorter now. I can't thank you enough for everything, the calls, the texts, the meals, the emails, the hugs, everything...I am truly grateful for all of you (as is Rob and Madison).
Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you.
Love,
Stephanie
