Slash, Burn, and Poison

Yes that is the typical treatment for cancer. (I didn't coin that clever phrase - just borrowed it.) So far I have successfully completed the slashing (X2) and burning (X35) and will find out Monday if we are going to proceed with the poison. If so, it will merely be hormone therapy to slow or stop the growth of hormone-receptor-positive cells and not traditional chemotherapy that makes one throw-up and lose hair. That is a good thing. I continue to remain thankful that I have received such excellent, conservative, compassionate care from the many health care professionals in my midst.

All continues to be well.

Hipster: getting closer every day

So today I got tattoos - yes plural, not one, but 3. OK, so they are small - the size of a freckle. And it wasn't my choice. Oh, and I didn't get to pick a color (black or black). And they are in locations that never see the light of day so I can't show them off. But it is one more thing to cross off my list in becoming a hipster. If I can just figure out how to get rid of 25 years.....

Having questioned my adult children about what makes a hipster, except for that age issue (usually under 30), once I decide to buy a pair of Toms I should be about there.

Oh yeah, about those tattoos. I got them for free from my radiation oncologist so that they can be precise and consistent in directing the photon beams these next six weeks. And it hurt.

All is well.

Glow Stick

The title of this post is actually misleading. I will address that in a moment during the Educational Portion of this update.

So for the Personal Portion of this update, I have completed my first week (first of SEVEN - good grief - do they not know I have things to do this summer besides keeping daily appointments?) of radiation therapy. Actually, each day as I lie on the treatment table for less than 5 minutes (amazing, but true - only 5 minutes), looking up at the giant radiation machine that makes no sense to me, I thank God for the machine that is saving my earthly life right now. The office where I go for this treatment is full of kind and friendly people that are quickly becoming my newest best friends as I see them so often. As far as side effects go, my skin is starting to look a little sunburned and I am enjoying a daily nap - not sure if that is due to the radiation or due to the fact that it is summer and I have the luxury of taking a nap whenever I want. Depends on if I need a good excuse or not for my lethargy - if so, I just play the cancer card - it comes in handy sometimes.

Now time for the Educational Portion. Radiation is high energy in the form of photon beams. I know, I know - what are photons? Photons are the basic unit of light affectionately known as "a bundle of energy". Hmmm...with that definition, I think I will start calling my grandson "Photon" from now on.

Most of us have had radiation in the form of an x-ray. This is radiation at a low dose. Radiation therapy is a high dose and used to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. And yes, it also damages healthy cells in the neighborhood, however, being healthy cells, they can usually recover from it and remember, with all battles, there is always some fallout. But it is minimal as the radiation oncologists/therapists/physicists are so darn good at this that they aim the beams precisely at the cancer cells (and their original home, as in my case, because the surgeon took most of them out already) and minimize damage to the healthy cells.

Science fans, please indulge me while I tell you how these photons zap the cancer cells. The high energy from the photons damages the DNA in the cells or it just plain kills the cells. Both good options in my opinion. Remember from biology class? DNA is the stuff that holds genetic information - so if that gets damaged, the cells go stupid and don't know how to divide anymore. Too bad for them.

Radiation therapy comes in two forms:

• external beam: a machine, (which I might add is a crazy-technologically-amazing computerized machine) outside the body that aims radiation at cancer cells
• internal beam: radiation is put inside the body in or near the cancer cells until the radiation source goes through decay and has completed its job. 

Both types are done in order to kill cancer cells and stop them from spreading. I am receiving external beam radiation. Which brings me back to the disclaimer at the beginning of this post that no, I am not glowing. External radiation goes in and does its job and doesn't take up residence. Internal beam, however, is in there for awhile with the admonition to stay away from pregnant women and small children. Kind of like the Tower of Terror at Disneyland.

All is well.

Startling Statistics

This weekend a friend asked me why I would need radiation if the surgeon says she got all of the cancer out with the lumpectomy. Good question! The answer has to do with statistics. Interesting how everything to do with my cancer so far incorporates math and science into it. God knows how my brain works and responds and has allowed me to see the beauty and orderliness of His creation and perfect world even through cancer.

A quote from my medical oncologist:  "There is a reasonable probability that you are cured but we don't have enough information about ACC to say for sure. Chemotherapy won't alter the outcome but radiation is very important to help limit local failure."

The interpretation of that statement is:

• The cancer was probably only localized in the one area so no need for chemotherapy which travels throughout the entire body looking to annihilate cancer cells and anything else in its path.
• The 2 surgeries were probably successful in removing all of the cancer, but just in case there are some renegade cancer cells hiding out (local failure), radiation will search and destroy in the area receiving the radiation.
• Radiation basically just improves my odds against recurrence. 

So here are my newly learned startling statistics:

• Recurrence with "normal breast cancers" can be about 25% over 5 years. Radiation takes that percentage down to 4-5%. They are hoping ACC behaves like a typical breast cancer. 
• My surgeon was at a breast cancer conference all last week and gave me this startling statistic that they now have research to prove: In the general population, if you are not overweight and you exercise regularly, you improve your chances of NOT getting breast cancer by 30%

So here are my personal action points:

• Start 35 radiation treatments beginning June 4th
• Started back into running this weekend and it wasn't too bad :) so will continue with regular exercise
• Will continue to monitor my caloric input even though I am a hopeless Foodie and love to eat 

All is well.

Homeless

Quick news: lumpectomy #2 was successful. Margins are clear, lymph nodes are clear, the orphan cancer is now also homeless.

The next step is meeting with the radiation oncologist and starting radiation.

All is well.

Symbiotic Relationships

Commensalism: a class of symbiotic relationships where one benefits but the other is neutral (there is no harm or benefit).

Does science need medicine? No. Well, OK, technically, when the scientists get sick they would certainly receive benefits from the knowledge gained by the study of medicine. But science as a discipline does not.

Does medicine need science? You bet. And that has been what I have taken great delight in with this whole process of cancer so far.

I find myself "interviewing" most of the health care professionals that have worked with me - finding out how long they have done their type of work (OK, that question is more for selfish reasons. I want someone with at least a hundred years of experience working with me - but I digress), what training/education they needed for their job, and what, exactly, do those machines do that they are putting me in.

This week I learned about these way-cool gamma probes the size of a pencil that work like miniature geiger counters. After injecting me with a radionuclide and letting it course through my lymph system, the surgeon then used this mini-geiger counter to map out the lymph nodes that absorbed the radionuclide. Then they do some math with the numbers the probe shows. (OK, medicine also needs math.) Then, that helped her determine where to cut and what tissue to sample.

My fascination with all things science was only further fueled when I saw the nuclear medicine physicist MD/PhD guy walk in with a long white doctor jacket AND a tool box to work on the machine that takes the pictures of the radioactive stuff moving through. I know! A tool box! My dream job!

The jury is still out for me with MRIs, though. They make absolutely no sense to me yet. Different sized magnets banging around in a tube. Really? Who comes up with these ideas? Oh yeah, Scientists.

"Remember to give glory to the One who authored nature." Robert Boyle, 17th century founder of modern chemistry

All is well.

Deja vu

Just 16 short days ago I was in the same pre-op room as they put me in yesterday. It was comforting and familiar - hearing the same thing said by all of the medical personnel that worked with me yesterday during lumpectomy #2 as from last week's lumpectomy #1, "Gee, this sure is the tiniest room in pre-op." Yes, but it's my room.

Pretty much, that's how my day went. It was just full of sweet reminders that God cares for me - down to the tiniest details of comfort. My recovery room nurse was Marisa G's sister-in-law who was so kind and helped by distracting me with pleasant conversation while waiting for the morphine to kick in.

My capable surgeon was pleased to inform us that she was able to biopsy the sentinel node plus 2 or three others which means we will have a good indication as to if the cancer has spread or if it stayed put in the removed tumor which is now history! I should know something early next week after pathology gets another chance to be excited by seeing these rare cancer cells from lumpectomy #2. Overall, everyone was pleased with how the operation went and I am feeling hopeful and well.

Today's quote from the Living Bible: "He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen. For he is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care of him. That is why he is not afraid but can calmly face his foes."

Thanks for your continued prayers and kind words. Today's prayer request: Cancer is my foe; may I please be calm.
All is well.