My hair has started to grow back! It's just fuzz now, but the oncologist thinks it's likely it will continue to grow, because many women on CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil) don't lose their hair. I hope she is right. I would dearly love to stop looking like someone I don't recognize.
I had my second round of CMF chemo today and met with my oncologist. She decided to reduce my chemo dosage by 10%, because my white-blood-cell count has fallen. It's just below the normal range; and we don't want it to go any lower and risk another bout of neutropenic fever. As nice as the folks are at the Providence ER, I am not eager for a second visit.
I will continue to have chemo every three weeks for a while. Another MRI down the road will determine if the tumors have decreased to the point where surgery is likely to be most successful. In dealing with breast tumors, getting "clean margins" is the goal. Unfortunately, about 30% of patients have to go back for a second surgery because some cancer cells get missed.
The Wall Street Journal ran an article recently about a new tool, MarginProbe, which detects cancer cells lingering around the edges of tumors. Its use significantly improves surgical outcome. It is not in use here as of yet, and as usual the insurance companies do not want to pay for it—which makes no sense because its $1000 price tag is a fraction of what a second surgery costs. Frankly, I'd rather pay the $1000 myself than have to undergo a second surgery.
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