FOUR

🎤There's only one thing, two do, three words FOUR youuuuuu... I love you. 

- Plain White T's                     

#idontthinkicankeepupthisthememuchlonger

We are halfway through chemotherapy treatment!  FOUR treatments done!  I know you are probably thankful you don't have to read these cheesy song references much longer. 😉  Mom is currently sleeping, or trying to sleep.  While the rooms are private, the hallways tend to be loud and the rooms don't have doors (only curtains), so getting a solid nap is pretty difficult.  Benadryl helps a little - she's definitely drowsy enough to sleep, but like I said.. constant noise, and doors closing (slamming), people talking, etc.  That's probably my ONLY complaint about this facility.  Because clearly, it's all about me. 💁

So, mom had her big Vegas trip since her last treatment and she had a great time.  Honestly, she said she felt pretty terrible the first 2-3 days that she was there, but after that, she said it was like flipping a switch and side effects were mostly minimal.  She also said that with each treatment, it progressively gets worse.  She knows what to expect now, but the "sick" feeling is more pronounced each time.  Since this is her last treatment with these 2 drugs, we're hoping that the side effects with the next 2 maybe won't be as bad.  The Dr can't really say though because everyone reacts differently, but he anticipates much of the same.  One good thing is that instead of the 7-8 hour infusion we've been having, the next 4 treatments should take half that much time to infuse, if that.  So that's good news!  It makes for a really long day here at the Treatment Center.

But, back to her Vegas trip - she didn't hit any big jackpots, but she had a great time with the cousins.  It's her favorite vacation spot (besides laying on the beach, somewhere tropical), so even though she was feeling badly the first few days, I knew there weren't many places she'd rather be!  I was relieved that she felt confident enough to have some time away that didn't involve her treatments.

Debbie sent me this picture of Mama that I love.  I have no doubt that there were people swarming around inside the Bellagio, but this picture looks so tranquil, like she's the only person there..  and she looks so happy. 💞

It's Easy As 1, 2, 3...

🎤  Simple as do, re, mi... A, B, C.. 1, 2, 3.. baby you and me, girrrl.. #newopeningnumber

via GIPHY

Chemo treatment #3 is under way and she's her normal happy-go-lucky self.  Maybe a little more loopy than "normal," since that benadryl is now kicking in. 👍🍷

Her last treatment went as expected - no huge happenings.  The side effects snuck up on her a little faster than the previous treatment and she experienced nausea 24 hours after her treatment ended.  She was able to fight it off with a zofran and didn't need to take anything for nausea anymore after that.

She still experienced the same side effects from last time too - body/muscle/joint pain (often rather intense and lasted for a while), numbness (neuropathy) in fingers and hands (lasting longer than last time), and gastro-intestinal issues (but not as bad as last time).  So, I'd say that she managed it all much better than the first treatment, so that's progress! 💪 After this treatment, she has 1 more with these 2 chemo drugs, and then she gets 2 new chemo drugs for 4 more cycles (every 3 weeks), with her last treatment being on December 20th (Merry Christmas to us! 🎄🎅).

We met with the radiation oncologist today (we've had appointments allll morning, only to have chemo alllll afternoon and not finishing up until 9pm or so tonight) and discussed different survival rates associated with mom's particular type of breast cancer, based on lumpectomy + radiation vs mastectomy.  In summary, we are more than likely looking at the "generous" lumpectomy approximately 2-3 weeks after her last chemo treatment.  Then radiation 2-3 weeks following her surgery.  The radiation would be 5 days/week for approximately 5-6 weeks.  

Mom will have some decisions to make as we get closer to the radiation portion.  She would need to be here in GA for almost all of those 5-6 weeks and that can be tricky considering how mom helps take Grandmama and Grandaddy to all of their various appointments.  Also, we feel better when we can have someone staying with Grandmama these days just because you never know (shoutout to mom's cousin, Angie who has been keeping Grandmama company while we travel to ATL! 🙌 ).  Grandmama's health is okay, but if she were to fall or something completely random were to happen, she would be in a bind if mom is gone for days at a time.  It's just a lot to consider, but we like the idea of mom getting her radiation here, simply because we feel they offer the best care.  

So, that's where we are for now.  We hope that the rest of the journey goes as smooth as it has gone so far.  Mom gets to go to Vegas next week with her cousins, and is SO excited to be able to travel for fun, instead of chemo!  Send up some prayers and let the positive vibes flow that the side effects remain mild with no complications, so that she can get some relaxing time away from the current reality!

#ispywithmylittleeye 👳😉