Just got back from the doctor's office - all 18 lymph nodes came back negative!

I guess it's a good thing I'm not overly superstitious.

I am nervous, of course; but I'm also very eager to get this cancer out of my body once and for all.  They will be doing a lumpectomy and taking wide margins - so I'll be mishapen at least for a while.  Then they are going to put some dye into me to see where the sentinel lymph node is.  They are going to remove it and see if there is any cancer there, if it's not spread to that one, then I'm good.  If it has spread, they'll need to take more lymph nodes.  I'll let you all know when I find out.

It is finally finished!!!!!!!!  Yesterday I finished my last round of chemotherapy!  They also had to give me a shot of arinesp to raise my red blood count and I feel much better today than I have in a couple of weeks! 

Thank you all for going on this journey with me.  Your support and insight have been invaluable.  Now I know this journey is not over.......in three weeks or so I'll have surgery and start my hormonal meds - which I'll take for five years.  After I heal up from the surgery, I'll have radiation for 5 - 6 weeks and start my herceptin injections which will be every 3 weeks for a year.  So, I look forward to sharing the rest of my recovery with you all and with new friends I'm sure I will meet along the way.

7 Down now and 1 to go

On March 16, I will have my last chemo treatment!!!!!!!!!

It has been a long road and I want to thank each and everyone of you who have been here with me giving me support and sharing your experiences with me.  Most of all I appreaciate your prayers.  You have truely made a difference and I hope I am able to be helpful to others as you have been to me.

My doc says I'll have surgery about 3 weeks after the last chemo and start the hormone therapy at the same time.  It's supposed to be an outpatient surgery; they are going to remove what is left of the cancer and some lymph nodes to make sure it hasn't spread - so keep praying for me there.  Then after I heal up from surgery, I will start a journey of 5 - 6 weeks of radiation and will also start my Herceptin injections at that time.  The herceptin will be given via my port-a-cath every three weeks, for a year.

I'm really tired this round of chemo, but it helps to know there is an end in sight.  Thank you for being on my journey with me; it only gets better from here!

Well, I'm in the final stretch of chemo - 2 more treatments and then surgery.  After that I'll have 5 - 6 weeks of radiation.  I'm wondering if anyone who's been through the radiation can tell me what to expect from it.  I've heard some different things and am just curious about it. 

Thanks!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I found out today that the BRCA1 & BRCA2 gene mutation tests are NEGATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not been blogging much lately - busy with the holidays and all that.  Things are going well; my last treatment made me pretty sick and the the mouth sores are bad this time around; but if it's gonna keep shrinking - I can handle those things.  I go for another mammogram on 1/3.........cross your fingers and wish me luck.