The C word
Well, I haven't updated for awhile. Been busy.
Here's my saga, should you care to read.
Last spring I thought about turning 45 (cuz I wuz). Soo, I thinks to myself, "Self, you need to get some check ups and prepare for the next half of your life."
I answer, " Good idea."
Anywho, I make dentist appointments, gyn appointments, etc.
Dentistry was going well. I had found an awesome dentist who caters to cowards, or those of us over 40 who had been wrong by the archaic dentistry of the sixties and seventies(shudder).
Thought I found a good group of gynecologists. Maybe not. I am menopausal and asked for something for hot flashes, mood swings, etc.
He put me on hormones. A week later, my breasts are swollen, one is lumpy and my period is back. Stupid me, clueless. So I called them. They had me on a stronger hormone than I needed, cuz they had written my birth date as 1951 and not 1961. So I get a lesser dose.
Period still there of course. But the lumpy breast still there too. I still hadn't done a mammogram because of the lumpy. In the meantime, because I live out in the wilderness, I have a tic on same boobie, engorged cuz I didn't catch it till that night.
I got him off of there and put on betadine. It heals no problem.
August comes around, Daddy and I need to see regular doctor about our meds. We're both depressive sorts. He's on Lexapro, I was on Celexa, plus my blood pressure meds. I mention to nurse-practitioner all of my boobie problems. He (hesitantly) looks at boobie, and prescribes duricef.
Like a good girl, I take the medicine. Nothing much changes. Then, it's bee season, so a bee stings me on said boobie. I'm never gonna heal! or get the damned mammagram.
Time to get ready for holidays, put boobie in back of my mind. Holidays done. Boobie swells, lymph nodes swell, left arm swells. Not only do they swell, they hurt like crazy. Okay! I'm going back to the doctor.
"I think I have Lyme's disease or inncurable(sp) cancer." I say to nurse-practioner.
"No, you don't!" he assures me. "It's mastitis and cellutis."
I am sent home with more pills and must endure two shots of rocefin(sp) which hurt my arse.
No improvement. I am put in hospital for tests. Lyme's, staph, things I can't pronounce. I am given ultrasounds and xrays. No masses, one simple cyst which I am not to worry about. I am on iv antibiotics (unisyn) I think. I am sent home.
I visit the actual doctor in a month. No improvement. "Well, I least we can rule out cancer!" he pronounces with a handsome smile.
I have stopped trusting these doctors. I make an appointment with a very nice surgeon I met in the hospital. Keep in mind that I've been trying to research my condition online as well. I come across something called inflammatory breast cancer. It looks alot like my own ailment, but is supposed to be very rare.
The surgeon looks at the boobie and schedules me for a biopsy because she's thinking the same thing I am. Above mentioned rare cancer. She assures me that it probably isn't.
Thankfully, I only have to wait over the weekend for the biopsy, cuz I was waayy freaked out.
She wakes me up from surgery stupor to tell me it IS cancer. I am sent to a cancer center where I meet an oncologist. Very nice people there. I am given a PET scan, CT scan, bone scan.
Cancer is in left breast, lymph nodes under the arm, lymph node between lungs and lymph nodes left neck. Neat-o Stage 4.
I did my first dose of chemo three weeks ago after having a porta-cath placed in my chest. Chemo sucks. I don't throw up, but I am sick. and weak. I am told I will lose my hair. They send me to the hospital for a free wig and other head coverings. Nice program.
About a week a half later, I felt good. I still feel good. My blood levels are normal right now. I have to go back this Friday for more chemo. Six doses, once every three weeks. That will be followed by mastectomy and radiation. At this point I am not curable, but manageable.
I'm kind of angry. I don't drink, smoke, do drugs. I try to be a good person. I guess that sure doesn't make me exempt.
I shall try to update more regularly now.
Here's my saga, should you care to read.
Last spring I thought about turning 45 (cuz I wuz). Soo, I thinks to myself, "Self, you need to get some check ups and prepare for the next half of your life."
I answer, " Good idea."
Anywho, I make dentist appointments, gyn appointments, etc.
Dentistry was going well. I had found an awesome dentist who caters to cowards, or those of us over 40 who had been wrong by the archaic dentistry of the sixties and seventies(shudder).
Thought I found a good group of gynecologists. Maybe not. I am menopausal and asked for something for hot flashes, mood swings, etc.
He put me on hormones. A week later, my breasts are swollen, one is lumpy and my period is back. Stupid me, clueless. So I called them. They had me on a stronger hormone than I needed, cuz they had written my birth date as 1951 and not 1961. So I get a lesser dose.
Period still there of course. But the lumpy breast still there too. I still hadn't done a mammogram because of the lumpy. In the meantime, because I live out in the wilderness, I have a tic on same boobie, engorged cuz I didn't catch it till that night.
I got him off of there and put on betadine. It heals no problem.
August comes around, Daddy and I need to see regular doctor about our meds. We're both depressive sorts. He's on Lexapro, I was on Celexa, plus my blood pressure meds. I mention to nurse-practitioner all of my boobie problems. He (hesitantly) looks at boobie, and prescribes duricef.
Like a good girl, I take the medicine. Nothing much changes. Then, it's bee season, so a bee stings me on said boobie. I'm never gonna heal! or get the damned mammagram.
Time to get ready for holidays, put boobie in back of my mind. Holidays done. Boobie swells, lymph nodes swell, left arm swells. Not only do they swell, they hurt like crazy. Okay! I'm going back to the doctor.
"I think I have Lyme's disease or inncurable(sp) cancer." I say to nurse-practioner.
"No, you don't!" he assures me. "It's mastitis and cellutis."
I am sent home with more pills and must endure two shots of rocefin(sp) which hurt my arse.
No improvement. I am put in hospital for tests. Lyme's, staph, things I can't pronounce. I am given ultrasounds and xrays. No masses, one simple cyst which I am not to worry about. I am on iv antibiotics (unisyn) I think. I am sent home.
I visit the actual doctor in a month. No improvement. "Well, I least we can rule out cancer!" he pronounces with a handsome smile.
I have stopped trusting these doctors. I make an appointment with a very nice surgeon I met in the hospital. Keep in mind that I've been trying to research my condition online as well. I come across something called inflammatory breast cancer. It looks alot like my own ailment, but is supposed to be very rare.
The surgeon looks at the boobie and schedules me for a biopsy because she's thinking the same thing I am. Above mentioned rare cancer. She assures me that it probably isn't.
Thankfully, I only have to wait over the weekend for the biopsy, cuz I was waayy freaked out.
She wakes me up from surgery stupor to tell me it IS cancer. I am sent to a cancer center where I meet an oncologist. Very nice people there. I am given a PET scan, CT scan, bone scan.
Cancer is in left breast, lymph nodes under the arm, lymph node between lungs and lymph nodes left neck. Neat-o Stage 4.
I did my first dose of chemo three weeks ago after having a porta-cath placed in my chest. Chemo sucks. I don't throw up, but I am sick. and weak. I am told I will lose my hair. They send me to the hospital for a free wig and other head coverings. Nice program.
About a week a half later, I felt good. I still feel good. My blood levels are normal right now. I have to go back this Friday for more chemo. Six doses, once every three weeks. That will be followed by mastectomy and radiation. At this point I am not curable, but manageable.
I'm kind of angry. I don't drink, smoke, do drugs. I try to be a good person. I guess that sure doesn't make me exempt.
I shall try to update more regularly now.