A birthday gift

Some good news!

Yesterday was my birthday, and I was not thrilled by having to report for a chemotherapy infusion first thing in the morning. However, my oncologist gave me a nice gift: a very encouraging report on the MRI I had last week.

The report said that the two areas that had definitely shown cancer were "no longer visualized" and "known malignancy within the left breast has resolved following neoadjuvant chemotherapy." In other words, the chemo did what is supposed to.

I was more or less stunned. My husband was so overwhelmed, he cried. 

There are two other "non-mass enhancements" that did not test positive for cancer when the needle biopsy was done last year. But continued follow-up is recommended, and that will include a consultation with a surgeon on May 12, when I will learn a lot more about what comes next.

I also will have one more chemo treatment in four weeks, finishing out the six CMF infusions.

So, this is not over, but things are definitely moving in the right direction.

The rest of my birthday was, of course, pretty darn happy.

MRI again … and adjusting to the new diet

I had my third MRI. My oncologist wants to determine how much effect the chemo has had since my last MRI three months ago and an ultrasound doesn't give her enough information. I will review the results with the doctor next Monday and we will decide whether or not to continue chemo treatments.

An MRI is a rather tedious and unpleasant experience. The noise the machine makes is loud, but I can deal with that. However, being face down for quite a while is awkward and hard on my ribs. It helped that I took a Valium beforehand. 

My new dietary regimen is paying off. I have lost several pounds in the past ten days, which should move me toward my goals: reduction of blood sugar, inflammation, chemo side-effects, and ankle-swelling; and overall improvement of my health. 

Of course, I am not thrilled with all the extra food prep that avoidance of all processed food entails, but it helps that I have stocked up on a lot of vegetables and fruits, as well as things like kefir and cheese and raw nuts. 

To help me decide what to prepare, I picked up a copy of "Good Food, Great Medicine" by Miles Hassell MD, and Mea Hassel. It has a lot of information about nutrition and also a lot of recipes. (I made a cauliflower custard that was really good.)

The biggest challenge is avoiding grain products. Eventually I can add whole grains back into my meals, but treats like cookies and muffins will be few and far between. My birthday cake this year may exist only in my imagination.

A pretty good week

After a lot of sleep, I woke up the day after chemo feeling pretty good, and in general this week has been OK. I am still having some neuropathy pain, but it's manageable.

Later in the week, I met with a naturopath for the second time. He said I look and sound much better—and much "feistier"—than when he first saw me three weeks earlier. 

I have to admit that his "prescription" to get out and walk at least 30 minutes a day has been a good one. I also think the B vitamins are helping with my energy level. Between the exercise and the melatonin I'm also sleeping better … although I still have some unpleasant dreams about being disorganized and frustrated. 

We had discussions about chemotherapy side effects, cholesterol, statin drugs, allergies, and dietary modifications.

Over the next month or so, I am going to make a special effort to eliminate grain products and sugar from my diet. With some modifications, I'll be following a "Mediterranean diet." It means eating even more vegetables than I usually do. I'm glad I can just throw at least some them in my Vitamix blender, because I am not that thrilled about cooking. After 50+ years of kitchen duty, the bloom is definitely off the rose.

The goal is to improve my overall health as much as possible, so that I can deal better with the chemo drugs and am in a stronger position when surgery finally gets on the radar. Bring on the beets!

Chemo back on track

My blood test this morning showed that my white blood cells rebounded enough so we could go ahead with my chemotherapy treatment… my fourth on CMF. 

They gave me an intravenous  dose of Valium before the chemo drugs, and this afternoon when I got home I couldn't stay awake. I slept until 5:30 or so… interrupted now and then by Pixie barking at "dangers" in the hall.

I continue to walk at least 30 minutes a day, although today I didn't make it out before having to leave for the clinic this morning. I didn't sleep well last night. I had a lot of weird dreams and at one point awoke because my teeth were chattering. That was weird! Anyway, I woke up very tired and a walk was not something I could handle. 

I hope I feel OK tomorrow, although I tend to droop the two days following chemo.

Next up is an MRI in a couple of weeks to see how much the tumors have receded. After that, it will either be two more chemo treatments or on to surgery.