Hurray for Wednesday!

Today, another visit to HCI - the radiation oncologist. Dr. Kokeny was very informative as she presented us with lots of facts, data, quoted research studies, and answered our many questions. The bottom line: a course of radiation is recommended after the chemotherapy is completed. All of this is pending the PET scan tomorrow. Hopefully we will have results by the end of the day. Stay tuned . . . The medical and radiation oncology information has been very helpful, but it is also very overwhelming! I am surprised at how emotionally fatigued I feel (I am usually pretty resilient). 

Tomorrow is a very special day - our first anniversary! One year ago - May 1st, 2013 - I married Blake Beckstrom, the most incredible man I have ever known. What fun we have had being together over the last year. And what a pillar of strength, courage, and support he has been for me through all sorts of challenges: broken arms, a busy job, choir practices and tour, kids and grandkids, ailing parents, and now cancer. Indeed, Blake is the wind beneath my wings, and he provides the strength, encouragement, and confidence I need to soar. I love you, Blake!

Huntsman Cancer Institute: My Home Away from Home!

This morning was another visit to Huntsman Cancer Institute for recheck with the plastic surgeon. It was a great visit because I got the last drain (my companion for three weeks)  REMOVED. I am no longer tethered. I have to be careful to not move my arm around too much for the next few days (no small task for me) - but I promised that I would be careful! Reconstruction will have to wait until all other treatment is complete.

Tomorrow is a visit with the radiation oncologist, and Thursday back to HCI to spend a good share of the day in a PET scan. The parking attendants at HCI, the staff at the front desk and the medical assistants of Clinic 3A all know me well. The "feeling" at HCI is a good one. It feels like a place for the most modern, up-to-date treatment, and for healing. There is a fabulous library with helpful librarians, a delicious bistro and cafeteria, beautifully displayed art work on the walls, and the view is spectacular! It is also very humbling to walk through the halls and realize there are many people within the HCI walls who are dealing with very difficult challenges! For so many years, work has been my "home away from home." But this week (and maybe more weeks to come), HCI has become my "home away from home." It is a little over one mile from my office, and I can easily walk to appointments if I want. How lucky I am to have such a great place within my own backyard. 

Recent History

April 29, 2014

I have never ventured to create a blogspot before, but I know that I have many friends, family members, associates, and neighbors who are concerned about and love me.  So I decided to write this blog to keep you informed about what's happening in my life. 

As many of you know, the first week in March I discovered a lump in my breast and decided I had better have it checked out, despite having a "clean" study at my annual mammogram 10 months earlier.  That day began with a medical exam by my doctor, who agreed that I should have another mammogram.  The mammogram led to an ultrasound, and that led to a core biopsy of the lump.  A few days later it was confirmed that I had breast cancer.  Following consultation with Dr. Ed Nelson (a surgeon at Hunstman Cancer Institute) we determined the best treatment option was to have a mastectomy and  removal of sentinel lymph nodes for biopsy.  That surgery took place on Monday, April 7th (right on the heals of a glorious General Conference weekend). The surgery went very well and I was home 24 hours later.  The surgeon identified seven sentinel lymph nodes and removed them for testing.  Five of these were tested for the presence of cancer at the time of the surgery and they were all clean.  We felt extremely blessed with these results.  However, the pathology report we received the week after the surgery showed that subsequent testing of the other two lymph nodes found the presence of cancer! 

My case was reviewed by a panel of doctors called the "Tumor Board" (sounds rather ominous and anonymous, I know) and recommendations were made for me to meet with a medical oncologist, Dr. John Ward, and his staff (nurses, nurse practioner, etc.) at Huntsman Cancer Institute yesterday morning. They reviewed the pathology report with Blake and me.  We were told that  my type of cancer cell is the easiest to treat. It is richly estrogen receptive, it is slow-growing and well differentiated, and the tumor was considered small (1.6 cm).  The stage of cancer would have been considered stage 1, except they found the cancer in the two lymph nodes--that then puts it at stage 2A. They still say that there is every reason to be optimistic about my treatment and complete recovery, which we are! 

I am scheduled for a PET scan on Thursday, where they will scan to see if there are any signs of cancer spread anywhere beyond the lymph nodes.  They don't believe that there is any spread, they just want to make sure. The next step is to surgically place a "port" under my skin that makes it easier to administer chemotherapy in people who have "difficult" (aka non-existent) veins. Then I will probably have four rounds of chemotherapy spaced three weeks apart. About three or four weeks after that I will probably have four or five weeks of radiation treatments. (We are scheduled to meet with a radiation oncologist on Wednesday morning to see what her recommendations are.)

I know I am the luckiest girl ever! But this situation is very difficult for me emotionally.  I know that I am well-loved by many family, friends, associates, and neighbors and I really appreciate your desires to provide love, support and encouragement.  However, it is really hard for me emotionally when I have to re-share the details of this story with all of the friends who want to personally express concern, or offer support, and sympathy.  I would love to have everyone treat me like they would if they didn't know anything about this cancer. That would help me stay positive and upbeat which I need to do. 

So I plan to use this blog to share details about what is happening in my life and how I am feeling.  You can subscribe and keep up to date as you wish.  Thanks for your love, care, support and prayers.