FIrst of all, I wanted to tell everyone that the reason for this blog is to explain to anyone who is interesting in what is happening with me and this cancer..............in detail ......and not need to repeat myself.
No one needs to comment, and I would much rather if you emailed me at jankenb@gmail.com than comment.
I have received so many wonderful emails, and I continue to be impressed by the thought that goes into them. The emails truly help me and make me more confident, so please don't hesitate to write. They also make me refocus when I am down.
Ken and I are on our way home from seeing my Doctor. We are filled with new hope.
Dr Dotters presented my case to the tumour board yesterday morning. Together they worked out a plan of attack. She said that all these doctors were extremely hopeful that we will achieve a cure. She said that years ago when she was a resident stage 3c patients (which I am) often died, however she said she cannot think of a 3c in many years now who has.
The other very encouraging news that she gave me is that many of the studies I have been reading about 5 year survival rates at my stage, are somewhat misleading. (I had read that it was 50 percent)
First of all I am about the healthiest I could be and second of all, they have only been treating stage 3c endometrial cancer with both Chemo and radiation for a few years, and so really that does not really even enter into my situation.
(a funny aside) the nurse who was checking me in said I seemed to be moving about quite easily (for being 2 weeks post op) Ken said" she walked 6 miles yesterday and 4 miles the day before that". She looked shocked, and so I said well the instruction sheet said for me to start walking on the second post op day, and to increase from there...., and so I did......she laughed and said, well no one actually listens to that stuff.
Dr Dotters said that "the team" at the cancer centre had told her to make certain I knew how confident they were in a cure.
THE PLAN
I have a PET/CT scan booked on the 27th, which is to look for any other evidence of disease. This scan would not pick up microscopic disease, and so chemo therapy is necessary.
I will have my consult with radiation oncologist and chemo oncologist in the next few weeks and then I will likely start Chemo therapy the week after the 27th of march.
It will involve 3 treatments with 2 drugs. I will get an infusion of two drugs one day, then likely stay another day for another drug to raise the blood count and then I will have nothing for another 3 weeks, and then it will start all over
So that will take 9 weeks.
Apparently the riskiest times will be 10 days after each dose of chemo, because then I will be at highest risk of infection, so will need to stay away from sick people
Somewhere in there I will receive one dose of internal radiation, which is apparently a brief blast of high dose radiation to a small area internally.
THEN after chemo finishes I will start 6 weeks of radiation to the lower abdomen (once a day 5 days a week)
Then I will do the chemo again for one more set (9 weeks)
and then.........I will be cured and will go on and lead a normal happy life, richer for the experience....... :) maybe with a few songs
that are not about war.....
I have to add a little thing about my doctor. In her office was a letter about her own cancer. She has just completed chemo and radiation for breast cancer, and in her note she said "when her doctors told her that they felt she would need to undergo chemo and radiation she said "bring it on"
I am looking forward to the party on Saturday which is going to be at 5 pm, and I would hope that anyone who would like to would come.
Love and peace
janet
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