I got some really good news today, and I wanted to share it with everyone. My "FISH" test from surgery (fluorescence in situ hybridization) came back showing me as HER-2 Neu negative and not positive as was first told. This means the cancer is not as aggressive, and I will not be taking Herceptin as one of my chemo drugs. This was also the one they were going to tack onto the end of radiation with 14 more treatments of just Herceptin (one every three weeks). The plan now is eight rounds of chemo, 6 weeks of radiation and then pills for five years.
But alas, tomorrow I still have chemo with the lovely drug/poison, Taxol, and it's just about guaranteed to make me hairless very quickly. The oncologist did say that since they won't be giving me Herceptin, Barry and I may be home around 1:00 tomorrow.
My good friend, Janie Baber, has already brought soup for dinner, and she's bringing a fresh pan of cornbread to go with it tomorrow afternoon. I hope I want to eat some of it, because she's a good cook! Janie also brought me the book, "Jesus Calling", and I'm looking forward to reading the daily devotions in it. Nothing like a friend to give you what you need both physically and spiritually.
Although I've acted somewhat lighthearted about cancer treatment, I do have many fears. One of my main fears is being in a fog, because I am someone who likes to think things through or play the tape through. I like organization and for things to make sense. Will chemo be my undoing? I'm afraid of that.
Fall is usually a fun and busy time of year for me, because I'm usually doing the things I want to do, but this year my life has been hi-jacked, and I have to do just about whatever I'm told to do. The good thing about tomorrow's treatment is that Taxol is going to help take out a few of the hi-jackers, and I'll be back on course soon.
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