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 👳😉
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