January 21

Well, as most of you know by now, my surgery this past Monday did not take place. This was the second time the surgery had to be canceled. I was originally scheduled for my mastectomy on New Year's Eve day, but due to "suspicious" areas that showed up on my CAT scan, it had to be delayed.
I needed to PET scan at that time to rule out the spread of cancer, and luckily that scan came back with the "all clear" and the surgery was rescheduled for January 19 (two days ago). Well, I made it into the O.R. but came back out with my breast still attached and right were I had left it! Sadly, my surgeon noticed swelling and took a skin biopsy, and found that the cancer had spread to the skin in my breast, and could not perform the surgery. I had already had a skin biopsy, only four short weeks ago, and it came back clear. The cancer is aggressive, however, and spread in that short time. I was back home Monday afternoon, and was told that I would need to start chemo right away to stop the cancer from spreading. They could not wait the three weeks that I would need to recover from surgery....we need to stop it now! I met with my oncologist yesterday, and was given my chemo "plan." I will be starting this Friday morning at 11:00, and will be on a "dense dose." Which means the first drugs, adriamycin and cytoxan, will be given every two weeks, for two months. These are the "big guns" and will cause me the most side effects, whatever they turn out to be for me. After those drugs are finished, I will begin taxol, which will be administered once a week for twelve weeks. I know...a long time...but it's the road I must travel. I was told yesterday that one of the "givens" for the first round of drugs will be hair loss by the second session. So, in preparation, I'm getting my long hair cut short tonight. I plan to send my hair off to Locks of Love, in the hopes that someone else may get some use from it. Hopefully, the short hair will be "easier" to lose (ha) than the long.

This afternoon, also in preparation for the chemo to start, I must go back (again) to the hospital for a new scan this time (I've had so many it's hard to keep track!). This one is called a Mugascan, which will give the doctors a baseline on my heart. The drugs I will be taking can affect the heart, and to keep "tabs" on my heart, they must have this baseline scan. Looks like tomorrow I will be free as a bird! No tests, doctors, or medicine. Sounds like a SHOPPING DAY to me! :-) And since I've been told not to drink any alcohol during chemo, I need to get in my last mango margarita for quite some time.

Onwards and upwards....let the journey begin.