Taxol, my new friend!

Is Taxol my newest chemo friend?  It's killing the cancer inside of me, and I feel pretty NORMAL!
I hope I am not speaking too soon, but today has been a good day.  I have done some extra sleeping. 

But on the "clothes" scale, I was wearing jeans and out running errands today!  LOL, usually after my chemo's I am in pjs for days, and then I finally work my way up to yoga pants....today was a blue jean day, which I would say is small miracle in itself :)

I am finished with my rounds of the Red Devil (the Adriamycin and Cytoxin cocktail)  I am so glad those rounds are behind me.  The 5 days it took me to get over those drugs were miserable...

I didn't have any of the allergic reactions that 50% of patients experience with the Taxol which is a great thing.  At least I had my own guardian angel there yesterday, my good friend Taft was at Duke South yesterday working, and would have been part of the emergency team if I had gotten into any trouble yesterday.  Luckily, we were able to just hang out and talk and not get all serious with the medical interventions :)
The side effects of the new chemo meds are suppose to hit me on day 3 or 4 and last between 3 and 4 days. All of my at home meds have now changed.   My home meds now are geared towards bone and muscle pain, and also something called peripheral neuropathy. That is tingling and numbness of the fingertips.  This can be permanent in some cases, so I have to stay on top of the 4 vitamins that they have asked me to take to try to combat it.  Alot of diabetics experience this.  If the neuropathy becomes unmanageable they are going to stop the Taxol early.  If it gets to the point where I can't put my earrings in or clasp my jewelry, they want to know.  But hopefully, I can get thru these 4 rounds without that happening, so the Taxol can do it's job....

So my thinking right now is, I can handle the physical pain alot better than the miserable aspect of what the Red Devil was.  I will get back to you on Saturday or Sunday, if that changes.  I hope that I am not a total idiot for thinking that way....

But I have felt great today after my newest Chemo cocktail which I started yesterday.   I will have a total of 4 rounds of the Taxol, one down only 3 more to go!  Come on February 8th, that will be my last day of chemo treatments.  Go ahead and do a cheer, because I sure am! 

Once, I am done with the chemo part of this journey, I am moving on to radiation.  I am thinking I am starting radiation by March, that will last for 6 weeks.  I plan on doing my radiation at Duke Raleigh to be closer to home and to save me from having to drive to Duke 5 days a week.

In February, I have to make some BIG surgery decisions, and I am researching my options.  I have bought some books, and I am hoping that they will make a light go off as to which path I need to take...my surgery list is a big mouthful...

Double Mastectomy

Axcillary Lymph node surgery

Hysterectomy

Removal of Ovaries

Reconstruction surgery-which may take a few surgeries (I am unable to do implants, so I will have to have the tissue surgeries done, which are more involved and take more than one surgery day to complete)

So it looks like the year 2012 will be filled with lots of anesthesia and hospitals for me.  I cannot wait till all of this is behind me.

A big thank you, to Uncle Eric and Uncle Steve for spoiling and taking care of the boys yesterday while we were at Duke.  The twins turned 8 yesterday, and they had a great day, filled with movies, pizza, ice cream, and Kanki.

I love getting all the little cards and trinkets from everyone, it really makes going thru this so much easier!  Yall have really spoiled me! 
I am so LUCKY to have each and everyone of you!