Quick Update (Post #46)

 

This random blossom thinks it's summer. 

Obviously, I need to turn the plant so it can see outside! 😁

I thought I'd provide a quick update regarding my recovery from radiation therapy and other pertinent news...like hair growth!

After my last radiation appointment, I started using the Mepitel on the area my radiation oncologist considered of greatest concern. I'm so glad I did; I should have slapped it on everywhere! 😖 I ended up getting radiation dermatitis on other parts of the radiated area, specifically, where skin rubs against skin. I did use Mepitel on most of the radiated area once I realized how much it was helping. Thankfully, the pain was easily controlled; I think I only took Tylenol twice, and that was just for the night. What I did experience and am still experiencing is itchiness. This is a good thing, as it means that I'm healing, right?  Unfortunately, I do look a bit like a flea-ridden dog as I scratch away! 😊

Radiation dermatitis is graded on different levels, demonstrated here in order of worst to best outcome. I ended up in the middle, slightly closer to A, so it certainly could have been a lot worse! (Obviously, this is not me...😄) Also..."Tobacco use (in any form) and excessive alcohol consumption are the two greatest risk factors for developing throat cancer. Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is increasingly linked to throat cancer as well, especially in younger people." (Source: www.yalemedicine.org) I saw many people with these exact burns. 

I signed up for MyChart a while ago. Through the app, I can access most of my test results, and even better, I can keep track of my many appointments! 😊 (Thankfully, these have greatly decreased.) I recently looked up the results of my last echocardiogram and was relieved to see the word normal multiple times (and yes, that's about all I could understand 😬). So when Dr. Zhu, my oncologist,  called me on Wednesday, I was a bit surprised to hear from him. Apparently, I have a "sluggish lateral heart wall." It's not a huge deal, but I will need another echocardiogram in mid-March. If Dr. Zhu is still concerned, I would potentially have to stop my Herceptin infusions, and that would be a rather big deal. Many patients receiving Herceptin will develop some sort of cardiac issue, though most resolve once treatment is stopped. So why take such a cardiotoxic drug? Well, the benefits still outweigh the risks. Yes, even with many patients having issues (I've seen stats indicating 25%-58%, so I'm not sure what to believe). HER2+ breast cancer does not mess around. It's always Grade 3/3, though if caught early enough (Stage 1 or 2, I was Stage 2) the outcomes are pretty good...provided the patient receives Herceptin. 😬 

Herceptin is considered the gold standard treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer. Previous research published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that adding Herceptin to standard chemotherapy treatment led to a 52 percent reduced risk of recurrence and a 33 percent improvement in survival. (Source: https://www.everydayhealth.com)

So yeah, I really don't want to stop it! It's quite possible that they're just over-calling the whole cardiac issue out of an abundance of caution, and that it's really nothing. That's my prayer! (Oh, and yes, this means that I will continue masking as I don't want to contract any illness that might stress my suddenly precious heart!)

I'm happy to report that I am feeling more like "the old Heather" every day. The fatigue has become more manageable and my memory has improved by leaps and bounds. I still struggle with brain fog, but I'm hopeful that it too will soon lift. ⛅ Okay, so I think I've improved greatly; my family may have a different opinion. 🤷‍♀️ (Yes, I do push myself too hard and end up on the couch, and yes, I like to pretend that I'm back to my pre-cancer self; do you blame me? 😊)

Warning: bald head pictures are below! They can be a bit jarring, especially as I haven't shared any since I initially shaved my head. Suffice it to say that I have much less hair now. Oh, I never was as bald as a bowling ball, but it was close!

My hair is growing! I have hair now!! Okay, so I might be overly enthusiastic about this weird, frizzy, crimped-looking silver fuzz, but it's hair! It's certainly more than I had a month ago. I'm actually not wearing a hat around the house as much, as I no longer freeze without one. (I'm not sure how people who shave their heads survive! ⛄) I'm uncertain when I'll start growing actual, normal hair, rather than this weird chemo-curls stuff, but, hey, it's progress!  Interestingly, my hair is not coming back evenly, not on my head, or anywhere else. (Remember, chemo knocks out ALL your hair follicles. 💪🦵) It's become a bit of a game of discovery! 😁 I must admit that I did not miss the whole hair removal thing...🧔

Hopefully, it's obvious that the top photo is the "after" 

and the bottom the "before." 

If you can't see it, keep it to yourself; 

I don't need such negativity in my life. 😁

And yes, I will be wearing my wig for the foreseeable future. 

Tomorrow is my birthday, not something I'd usually share, but it's another "first" since the day I almost died. I've been rather surprised at how emotional these occasions have been; even Valentine's Day made me a bit misty. So you can imagine that my birthday comes with a multitude of emotions. However, one feeling trumps them all; gratitude that I'm here to celebrate my birthday with my family. We've all heard the platitude "Each day is a gift we should treasure," and while it's true, such truisms tend to go in our ears and out our eyeballs. That changes once you've come a little closer to heaven than is comfortable. Oh, I'm not skipping through each day with a perpetual smile on my face (I am not happy that it's snowing again!! 😑), but I'm much more cognizant of how fleeting and fragile our lives really are. This is a good thing. (Not that I recommend such a medically dire experience; you can hit "restart" on your life without such an event!) In the past I've made a big deal over my birthday; there was no way my family didn't know the exact date, and they never had to wonder what to get me. This year is different. While I won't say no to cards and gifts 😏, I feel like I've already received the greatest gift imaginable: life with Jesus at my side. So as I sip my free Starbucks latte tomorrow, my thoughts certainly won't be all about me, I'll be thanking God for saving me, body and soul.