- So Last Time On "The Young and The Breastless" . . .

 
So last time on "The Young and The Breastless", our heroine (that would be me) had just discovered her amnesia was the result of a fall off of a huge oceanliner that was sailing across the, er, ocean . . .

. . . when her jealous hairdresser/accountant pushed her overboard, causing her to plunge screaming and flailing into the dark and treacherous waters, hitting her head on the ship's railing as she fell .  . .

. . . she assumedly lost consciousness and when she came to, she had washed up on a desert island full of poisonous snakes, writhing and hissing just inches from her salt-soaked face . . .

But enough about me. How are all of you today? Yes, yes, I know . . . you're dying to know (oops, I shouldn't use that word while I'm a cancer patient) . . . you're all eager to know what my prognosis was yesterday when I saw my cutie-pie Oncologist, Dr. Cohen. Okay, I'll tell you.

Dr. Cohen is the one, you may recall, who's camera shy and didn't like it that Liliana and her Film Crew showed up with me at his office the first time we actually met. Although we did get a very good picture of his back as he checked out his computer, we don't actually have a pic of his face, so I can't show you what he looks like.

Okay, so I'll continue with more about ME, but only because you're insisting. So yesterday, I showed up at the hospital for what was supposed to be Chemo #3. 

As I told you guys in yesterday's posting, I was pretty sure I'd be getting another break in my chemo regime, as Dr. Cohen is way too smart & cautious to give me chemo when my Small Vessel Vasculitis is in play.

I also told you I was fairly certain he'd be very upset, and boy, was I right. He was crestfallen! Whoa, we don't see that word very often, but Dr. Cohen's face was crestfallen when he found out I had IT again.

You have no idea how tempted I am at this point to actually show a picture here of what my legs look like at this moment. The Drama Queen in me wants to do this SO BADLY. In fact, I think I cannot resist the temptation, so either miss half the story and scroll down, or take a deep breath and Enter My World With Me:

Ewwww!!!! I know, I know, it's gross and you'll never be able to get this image out of your mind for the rest of your life. Those horrid, ugly spots are burned into your thoughts, now, and you won't be able to sleep for weeks!

"Oh, deal with it", I say - I'm the one who has to walk around for another 3 weeks with this, so ha! The least you can do is look at it and moan and groan for me. Thank you. 

Hey, where are you all going? I haven't finished my story yet!!!

Love you guys for looking. Don't feel sorry for me; it doesn't hurt at all - just gross to look at. Anyways, Dr. Cohen actually told me he gets a headache now when he thinks of me. Imagine telling that to his poor patient (me)!! It's not my fault!

So we had a little bit of a chuckle over that one. Well, at least, I was chuckling. He wasn't. He's very upset, as I said, because he's very perplexed as this condition is obviously a reaction to the chemo I'm on, which I really do need to give me a fighting chance against any possible cancer cells still floating around in my body.

Dr. Cohen promised me that he would consult with a specialist, and they will decide whether or not to continue with the AC chemo. 

He said this is a very difficult decision for them to make. The alternate chemo they could put me on is not as effective and is much more toxic to the body, meaning that I would possibly and probably experience a lot of nausea & vomiting. Oh, goody.

Avoiding the AC chemo completely (there are only 2 sessions left) and moving on to the next step in my treatment, which is Taxol & Herceptin, is not really an option, as the AC chemo or its alternative really kicks cancer's butt. 

So that's why Dr. Cohen is so troubled with this new development of my second outbreak of the vasculitis. But it's very reassuring, actually, to see a doctor so concerned on my behalf - he seems to be very conscientious and I really appreciate that.

I'll see him next Monday after he's consulted with the specialist and he'll have a verdict. Can't wait!

While I was in his office, I asked him about my overall prognosis - my odds of 'beating the beast'. At least that was good news! 

He told me I have a very good chance of recovering from all this and making the 5-year mark, which, in the cancer world, is the "magic" number for being cancer-free. 

Ah, the silver lining in the midst of all these clouds!

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I don't have any other earth-shattering news at this point, although if you gave me a few hours, I'm sure I'd manage to come up with something.

I would like to say that I'm working out now with a personal trainer, provided absolutely free of charge, at the Jewish General Hospital's Wellness Center. They have a small gym at the Wellness Center & I go for one hour twice a week. 

Today is my third or fourth session and I'm really looking forward to it! I'm hoping to lose a few pounds over the next few weeks or at least to maintain my current weight. 


 






















Surprisingly, Breast Cancer chemo patients actually often gain 10 or 20 pounds during their treatments. The chemo is an appetite stimulant and the anti-nausea drugs are very effective, so it's not like the old days when you had to live next door to the toilet. Plus I'm on the Prednisone, which causes the body to retain water.

Oh, yay. So I've got a bit of a challenge on my hands (or would that be, on my thighs and stomach) to not blimp out. It's very difficult for chemo patients to lose weight and doctors don't recommend even trying, so we'll see how it goes . . .

Maybe today I'll take a bunch of pics of me working out. Or rather, my personal trainer - Anouline - will take some pics of me if I ask her really nicely. 

So stay tuned, my faithful bloggy-bloggers - there's always much, much more to come . . . right here on "The Young and the Breastless"!!!!

Love, Wendy