Last of the Neulasta

Mostly good news to report today. I had another Taxol treatment yesterday, and my liver enzymes were back to a reasonable level, albeit still higher than normal. The Doc thinks the spike last time was due to the Neulasta, so I jumped on that and said "So I don't have to take it again?", to which she replied "Ah, no. Nice try, but I do want to you get the Neulasta one more time." She didn't think my white blood cells would come back in time for the next treatment without it, but the good news is that it is definitely the last time since next time around will be my last chemo and I can rebuild on my own after that. It's almost hard to believe that this part of my treatment is almost over, and the timing couldn't be better. The days are getting longer, we've had a sustained thaw with several sunny days in a row now in the 40's - it just feels like I am joining with the world in coming back to life and seeing the end of a long winter coming into focus.

Thanks to my Valentine's Day chemo buddy RoxAnn and thanks Mom for the replacement hat. I wouldn't have blamed you for putting the "if found return to:" tag in it since I did lose the first one!

Not a Mutant

I finally got some good news from a test! I do not have any mutated BRCA genes, which means my risk of future cancers, while still higher than someone who has never had cancer, isn't super high. This is also good news for my mother, sisters, and niece, who don't have much higher risk than anyone else. It also means that I don't have any increased risk for ovarian cancer, which is linked to the BRCA genes, so having those genes would put a person at high risk for both breast and ovarian cancer.

Now if I could just shake this headache from all the driving I've done this week!

Out in public

I packed up my compromised immune system and ventured out to a meeting for work yesterday. It's kind of funny because I usually complain about having to travel to meetings and stay overnight, yet as soon as I was unable to go to any meetings I started feeling deprived of the interaction and company of my co-workers. I rationalized that this would be a fairly small group and my risk of getting sick from them couldn't be worse than say, going shopping at Walmart. Of course, as soon as I arrived I started hearing about all the nasty flu bugs that are going around, but no one there seemed to be obviously sick, so I'm optimistic that I will survive the trip. It was nice to be there, to see my colleagues, and to feel like things will indeed return to some semblance of normalcy soon.

Now I'm back home and in a tag team with Rob, he is gone for his work for a couple of days. The rest of this week should be interesting too, since tomorrow I will go see the genetic counselor to find out the results of my BRCA gene test. I'm trying to be prepared for either result. Even though the odds are that I don't have the bad genes, the shock and horror of my original diagnosis was so much worse because I was convinced that I couldn't possibly have cancer. So I want to be open to the idea that I might have the bad genes, or I might not, tomorrow we will know.

I'm also anxiously awaiting my blood work on Friday. On my last blood test my liver enzymes were pretty high. The nurse-practitioner who I saw before treatment said nothing was too far out of line, but my Naturopath was very concerned when she saw my labs since one of the liver enzymes was almost 6 times the normal level. Then, after my second round of Taxol, I noticed that my urine was really dark for almost a week after the infusion. I asked Dr. Google about that symptom tonight I found that it is a sign of liver problems as well, and on several of the Taxol information pages that I looked at this is listed as a serious problem where you should notify your doctor right away. But when I looked at the information sheet they gave me to bring home, it isn't mentioned at all. So I plan to give the clinic a call tomorrow and see how my blood looks on Friday.

Aside from this troubling problem, I still feel much better than during the AC part of chemo. Aside from some joint pain that lasts for a few days and sinus headaches that seem to be coming up regularly, I feel pretty close to normal. Oh, and I'm also tired and having hot flashes, but other than that...it's all good! Looks like I'll have more to post this week - stay tuned!

No shot this time : )

Had another slightly snowy trip to Fargo yesterday for my second Taxol treatment. The good news is that my white blood counts were sky high so I don't have to get the nasty Neulasta shot this time - yay! I've been feeling a lot better so far than on the AC, and have even felt my normal energy level returning at times. Of course, I still have to remember that it isn't all day energy, as I have been tending to expect it to last and it doesn't. But it sure is good to be feeling fairly normal again, even if it is for half the day. I've also been going through my first menopause. I say first because in all likelihood it won't be permanent, but I get to have hot flashes and all that fun. Actually, hot flashes when it's subzero weather and you are 90% bald aren't such a big deal - I take off my hat for a few minutes and the problem is solved. It has been more of a pain at night, when I'm kicking off the covers, then wanting them back, then kicking them off, then pulling them back...At any rate, I'm sure glad it's January and not July! The other good news is that my fingernails are returning to normal. It's nice to be able to pull up my socks without pain. Hope everyone else is having a good week - enjoy the snow, as it sounds like most everyone will be getting some!