Monday, February 13, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Meet My Plastic Surgeon
Just had a whirlwind trip to Salt Lake City for another "expansion" (aka "inflation"). I will have one more on Feb. 24 before my reconstruction surgery on March 12.
I found this video of my plastic surgeon, Dr Jay Agarwal, on the Huntsman Cancer Institute website. It is SO informative, but you have to be really interested in reconstruction surgery to watch the entire 32 minutes. However, even if you just watch a few minutes of it, you will get to see why I like this doctor so much!
Following is the link to copy and paste into your browser:
http://www.huntsmancancer.org/index.php?tmpl=component&option=com_jedirectory&view=lightbox_dis&itemid=305&f_type=4&vimeolink=1&Itemid=99&f_name=aHR0cDovL3ZpbWVvLmNvbS8yMzA0NjYxMA%3D%3D&video_w=600&video_h=450
I found this video of my plastic surgeon, Dr Jay Agarwal, on the Huntsman Cancer Institute website. It is SO informative, but you have to be really interested in reconstruction surgery to watch the entire 32 minutes. However, even if you just watch a few minutes of it, you will get to see why I like this doctor so much!
Following is the link to copy and paste into your browser:
http://www.huntsmancancer.org/index.php?tmpl=component&option=com_jedirectory&view=lightbox_dis&itemid=305&f_type=4&vimeolink=1&Itemid=99&f_name=aHR0cDovL3ZpbWVvLmNvbS8yMzA0NjYxMA%3D%3D&video_w=600&video_h=450
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Inflation con't
A beautiful sunny, blue sky day here in Montana. Got a little snow, but need more. But it sure is pretty!
I was at Huntsman on Friday morning, Jan. 20 for 2 appointments. First with my plastic surgeon for another "inflation," and lots of questions, which he answered. I will have 2 more inflations before my March 12 surgery. So far, so good.Stretch, stretch, stretch that skin!
Then I met with the Family Cancer Assessment Clinic about the BRCA1 and BRCA2 test. I had filled out all the family history papers this past week and sent them in. The BRCA test is a genetic test to see if there is a genetic mutation that has caused my breast cancer. My sister, who also had breast cancer, had this test and it was negative for her. But my oncologist wanted me to have it to see if it might be positive for me. After going over all of my family history, the Clinic decided that my risk of being positive is so low that it really was not necessary to have the test. Fine with me!
I also got the results of another test I took. It is called the Oncotype DX test. It measures a panel of 21 genes taken from my cancer tissue, and looks at this group of genes to see how active they are, which can influence how a cancer is likely to grow and respond to treatment. A genomic test (oncotype dx) is different from the genetic BRCA test. The genetic BRCA test looks for mutations (unusual changes) in genes that are inherited, or passed from one generation to the next, whereas the Oncotype DX test looks at cells that might be behaving abnormally, which can often be traced back to unusual activity by certain genes.
Looking at this set of 21 genes can provide specific information on: how likely (or unlikely) my breast cancer is to come back; and predicts the likelihood of benefit to me from chemotherapy treatment.
Based on this analysis, Oncotype DX assigns a breast cancer Recurrence Score, which is a number between 0 and 100 that corresponds to a specific likelihood of experiencing breast cancer recurrence within 10 years of my initial diagnosis. The lower your score, the less likely the cancer is to recur. The higher the score, the more likely the cancer is to recur.
So my breast cancer recurrence score was 15, which translates into a 9% average rate of distant recurrence within 10 years. A Recurrence Score lower than 18 suggests that I have a low risk of recurrence. The benefit of chemotherapy is likely to be small and will not outweigh the risks of side effects.
Good News! That's all well and good, and I am happy about these results. But what about my first cancer and the fact that I DID go through chemotherapy already? Guess I will never know, since the Oncotype DX test is pretty new, and I didn't have it the first time around. Although the results of this test are good, I still don't put a lot of faith in statistics and tests, especially since there was only a population of less than 700 women in this study. And especially since I was told that my risk of having recurrent breast cancer was pretty low anyway, and look what I got!
Sorry for the long entry, and this is probably MORE than anyone wants to know. But it IS pretty interesting what new things are happening in cancer research, even if I AM a bit cynical… . Happy January!
I was at Huntsman on Friday morning, Jan. 20 for 2 appointments. First with my plastic surgeon for another "inflation," and lots of questions, which he answered. I will have 2 more inflations before my March 12 surgery. So far, so good.Stretch, stretch, stretch that skin!
Then I met with the Family Cancer Assessment Clinic about the BRCA1 and BRCA2 test. I had filled out all the family history papers this past week and sent them in. The BRCA test is a genetic test to see if there is a genetic mutation that has caused my breast cancer. My sister, who also had breast cancer, had this test and it was negative for her. But my oncologist wanted me to have it to see if it might be positive for me. After going over all of my family history, the Clinic decided that my risk of being positive is so low that it really was not necessary to have the test. Fine with me!
I also got the results of another test I took. It is called the Oncotype DX test. It measures a panel of 21 genes taken from my cancer tissue, and looks at this group of genes to see how active they are, which can influence how a cancer is likely to grow and respond to treatment. A genomic test (oncotype dx) is different from the genetic BRCA test. The genetic BRCA test looks for mutations (unusual changes) in genes that are inherited, or passed from one generation to the next, whereas the Oncotype DX test looks at cells that might be behaving abnormally, which can often be traced back to unusual activity by certain genes.
Looking at this set of 21 genes can provide specific information on: how likely (or unlikely) my breast cancer is to come back; and predicts the likelihood of benefit to me from chemotherapy treatment.
Based on this analysis, Oncotype DX assigns a breast cancer Recurrence Score, which is a number between 0 and 100 that corresponds to a specific likelihood of experiencing breast cancer recurrence within 10 years of my initial diagnosis. The lower your score, the less likely the cancer is to recur. The higher the score, the more likely the cancer is to recur.
So my breast cancer recurrence score was 15, which translates into a 9% average rate of distant recurrence within 10 years. A Recurrence Score lower than 18 suggests that I have a low risk of recurrence. The benefit of chemotherapy is likely to be small and will not outweigh the risks of side effects.
Good News! That's all well and good, and I am happy about these results. But what about my first cancer and the fact that I DID go through chemotherapy already? Guess I will never know, since the Oncotype DX test is pretty new, and I didn't have it the first time around. Although the results of this test are good, I still don't put a lot of faith in statistics and tests, especially since there was only a population of less than 700 women in this study. And especially since I was told that my risk of having recurrent breast cancer was pretty low anyway, and look what I got!
Sorry for the long entry, and this is probably MORE than anyone wants to know. But it IS pretty interesting what new things are happening in cancer research, even if I AM a bit cynical… . Happy January!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Inflation....
In Salt Lake last Friday I started my first "inflation" (i.e. part of the reconstruction process) as the adorable, gentle, plastic surgeon (yes, he is the most adorable, nice, doctor I've ever met!) shot me with 30 ml of saline solution to each tissue expander in each boob. 30 ml is approximately 0.126 cups, or about 1/8 of a cup. I've gotten all sorts of stories that it would hurt, would feel tight, etc etc etc. I couldn't even feel it, and it doesn't feel any differently than it did before I had it. So much for listening to everyone else.
I go back on January 20 to do it again, and maybe one more time after that. I have chosen to have smaller boobs than my originals, so it won't take much "expanding!"
We set a date of March 12 for my next big surgery, which will be when they rebuild my right breast (the one that had radiation) with tissue, muscle and blood vessels from my back. Due to the fact that radiated breasts have damaged skin, you need to use your own skin, etc from another part of your body for the reconstruction. Pretty amazing process, but I am NOT looking forward to it, no matter how amazing it is. They did tell me, however, that I have gone through the WORST of it all (the bilateral mastectomy, which I can attest to, was more difficult than even I expected it would be…), and that this won't be as long to recover from, and I'll only have 3 grenade drains instead of 4. Like that is something that should make me feel better…?
Speaking of "so much for listening to everyone else." I am now going to have a BRCA1 and BRCA2 test, for the specific purpose of how genetics can impact family cancer risks. My sister had one, and it was negative. Hopefully mine will be too. There's another test that they want me to do, but I will leave that for separate blog entry at a future date. This is all such a crapshoot, and the statistics that they have thrown at me for the past 5 years have all turned out to be wrong. Every question I ask, I never get a definitive answer, and I don't care how many degrees and letters behind someone's name (sorry if I have offended anyone, but I really don't care), no one seems to know much of anything when it comes to cancer…, even with all the "advances" that we are told about.
So here is what it all comes down to, and I have to keep telling myself this, over and over again:
Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive anyway.
I go back on January 20 to do it again, and maybe one more time after that. I have chosen to have smaller boobs than my originals, so it won't take much "expanding!"
We set a date of March 12 for my next big surgery, which will be when they rebuild my right breast (the one that had radiation) with tissue, muscle and blood vessels from my back. Due to the fact that radiated breasts have damaged skin, you need to use your own skin, etc from another part of your body for the reconstruction. Pretty amazing process, but I am NOT looking forward to it, no matter how amazing it is. They did tell me, however, that I have gone through the WORST of it all (the bilateral mastectomy, which I can attest to, was more difficult than even I expected it would be…), and that this won't be as long to recover from, and I'll only have 3 grenade drains instead of 4. Like that is something that should make me feel better…?
Speaking of "so much for listening to everyone else." I am now going to have a BRCA1 and BRCA2 test, for the specific purpose of how genetics can impact family cancer risks. My sister had one, and it was negative. Hopefully mine will be too. There's another test that they want me to do, but I will leave that for separate blog entry at a future date. This is all such a crapshoot, and the statistics that they have thrown at me for the past 5 years have all turned out to be wrong. Every question I ask, I never get a definitive answer, and I don't care how many degrees and letters behind someone's name (sorry if I have offended anyone, but I really don't care), no one seems to know much of anything when it comes to cancer…, even with all the "advances" that we are told about.
So here is what it all comes down to, and I have to keep telling myself this, over and over again:
Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive anyway.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
To Salt Lake City
This afternoon I am flying to Salt Lake for appointments on Thursday and Friday at Huntsman with my surgeon, plastic surgeon, and oncologist. I should know more answers to questions by the time I return late Friday night (like what my schedule will be over the next few months).
On Monday the last two drains came out, and I am a NEW person. I can actually tuck my shirt into my pants, don't have tubes hanging out of my sides and grenades hanging from safety pins on the front of my t-shirt. Three weeks of that got pretty old.
However, the tissue expanders that were put in right after the mastectomies feel like I have a very uncomfortable underwire bra attached inside my chest. I never wore underwire bras in the first place. I'm afraid that these will be with me (for the purpose of expansion)for quite some time.
Will be back here with real information after my return from Salt Lake!
On Monday the last two drains came out, and I am a NEW person. I can actually tuck my shirt into my pants, don't have tubes hanging out of my sides and grenades hanging from safety pins on the front of my t-shirt. Three weeks of that got pretty old.
However, the tissue expanders that were put in right after the mastectomies feel like I have a very uncomfortable underwire bra attached inside my chest. I never wore underwire bras in the first place. I'm afraid that these will be with me (for the purpose of expansion)for quite some time.
Will be back here with real information after my return from Salt Lake!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Good Things This Week
OK, I have to keep looking at the good things that have happened this week:
- I am now able to feed my horses again. I've missed having hands-on contact with them. I really appreciate and thank everyone who has helped me feed them since my surgery;
- So many of my neighbors have brought me soup and other goodies. Thank you! Thank you!;
- The 3rd grenade drain is almost ready to come out. Oh happy day. Then only one more to go;
- So many people, who know me well, have been encouraging me to be PATIENT and to REST. And I've actually listened to them (difficult as it may be for me to sit still);
- Happy New Year, and to everyone reading this, you've all been very special in my life.
- I am now able to feed my horses again. I've missed having hands-on contact with them. I really appreciate and thank everyone who has helped me feed them since my surgery;
- So many of my neighbors have brought me soup and other goodies. Thank you! Thank you!;
- The 3rd grenade drain is almost ready to come out. Oh happy day. Then only one more to go;
- So many people, who know me well, have been encouraging me to be PATIENT and to REST. And I've actually listened to them (difficult as it may be for me to sit still);
- Happy New Year, and to everyone reading this, you've all been very special in my life.
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