Official Updates

I finally spoke to Dr. McAndrew Tuesday night about my scans.  I wanted to make sure that the breastfeeding wouldn't negatively impact the results of the scans and find out when my scans were scheduled.  She wasn't concerned about the breastfeeding making the scans hard to read; she said the the tissue would "light up" but that since they were using the contrast dye regardless all the important organs they need to check wouldn't be affected.  I told her that we had discussed having my scans the second or third week of January and that her scheduler Carla had said I wasn't scheduled to meet with her until the 31st of January, which sounds very late.  She reminded me that the second week of January is NEXT week.  Yikes. That gave me an instant reality check.  Next week!  That means I actually have to undergo those stupid-ass fucking scary scans in short order.  So Carla is suppose to call me with the schedule... I'll wait until I see Dr. McAndrew in person to ask her all my other questions (once a week chemotherapy or once every three weeks, hysterectomy, lumpectomy and radiation vs. prophylactic double mastectomy, tamoxifen, menopause, etc, etc).


Yesterday I went to see Dr. Daly for my two week post-surgery check up.  I weighed in at...yeah right. I'm not going to tell you. Let's just say I've lost less than 20 lbs since giving birth not that I'm really paying that much attention to something like that.  The clothing situation post pregnancy and while nursing is really abysmal. It's annoying to get dressed in the morning to take Abby to her classes.  I know I can't expect to go back into my old clothes immediately but shit, I'm really annoyed by the fact that I have to play a game of memory in my closet each time I get dressed. Did that fit? Did that make my c-section scar uncomfortable?  Oh crap, who put this shirt back in here? I swore I put it in a pile for the goodwill. Oh hey, there's that missing sock. Should I wear the stupid Brooke Burke belly wrap? Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Then after the humiliation of getting dressed I have to go put on the wig. Anyway, you can bet that after those two major steps I'm not putting on any make up or jewelry.  Screw it!! 


Dr. Daly says I'm looking good and my hemoglobin was 13.8, which is apparently very good.  She wanted to do an exam of my breasts post pregnancy.  She agrees with me that you can barely feel the tumor. She said "well, you have such large breasts that are lumpy and so even if I felt it before it would have just felt like the other lumpy tissue and given that you are so young it wouldn't have raised any red flags"...basically the pregnancy was a blessing to help us discover the tumor.  I asked Dr. Daly her opinion on getting a hysterectomy and she said "a hysterectomy or an oophorectomy?"  I said "a what now?"  She said that in women with my situation they usually do an oophorectomy to remove the ovaries as well.  I didn't know about that.  Anyway, that made me really sad.  At the end of the day to be thinking about major surgery like this before I turn 35. WTF?!?!?!?  She said I definitely need to talk to Dr. McAndrew about it and the same for the breast surgery issues as well...


Last night on the home phone I got the message from Karla from Dr. McAndrew's office... F U C K.  Violent shift into reality. Bone scan this Tuesday January 11th, check in at 9:10AM, cedars sinai imaging center, 9:40AM injection, leave then return at 1230PM for scan, out by 130PM, need to pump and discard for 48 hours, oh and since I'm radioactive I can't be around the kids for 24 hours!!  I have to check into a hotel or something for the evening.  

Next, a PET/CT next Thursday, January 13th - done at Tower Oncology's offices 830AM, can't be around baby for 8 hours after scan. need to pump and discard milk for 24 hours.  Prep for scan - no exercising/massage for two days prior, no carbs, sugar, coffee, tea - only protein and water for 24 hours prior to exam, on day of exam water only for 6 hours prior.

Brain scan is also going to be scheduled but not sure when...

Most difficult for me has been the attempt to go vegan.  I don't know where to start. I don't know how to feel satisfied without the meat.  The dairy isn't an issue (oh wait, does that include goat cheese now too even though Dr.'s Mao and Kumiko agreed that I could eat?).  It's the eggs and fish.  Red meat and pork I've given up already.  But I heart veggie frittatas so much.  How do I give up my morning eggs?  Oatmeal and cereal only in the mornings?  It's fine....I've been fine having this in the mornings but I am really craving a frittata full of veggies like mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, peppers and tomatoes. Waaah. So that's the egg issue.  The other issue is sushi.  You just can't make me give that up. Not go to sugarfish anymore?  That's sacrilegious (FYI - Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object)!!!  Perhaps I am going to be a eggs-a-pesca-tarian.  Crap.  More research needs to be done.

Still need to buy more vegan cookbooks, watch "Crazy, Sexy, Cancer" and read her blog and video blogs, Jeanne turned me on to the most delicious food from Veggie Grill today...exciting!, so need to research a few more vegan and vegetarian restaurants, do my Dr. Block survey and GET my consult STAT, finish reading through Life Over Cancer and the China Study.  TOO MUCH TO DO!!


Buck up Sister!!