4/27/2010 - Katrina is off to Kentucky and the Oncologist has a Plan

Katrina is headed to Portland and then on to Kentucky with Francis, Ingrid and Vincent - to the baptism of Miette Barnickel and watch the Kentucky Derby. They're taking the red eye tomorrow night and flying back on Sunday.

I got to meet the oncologist today - I really liked - he is young, Italian, with red hair and blue eyes, very knowledgeable. He is planning on doing the TCH regimen (no not THC),click this link if you want to read some info on this treatment, http://www.cancernetwork.com/display/article/10165/1164019, followed by radiation and hormone therapy (Arimidex).

The TC is for cancer
The Herceptin is an antibody that they give you if your tumor is HER/2neu positive, and mine is.
The Arimidex is used for Estrogen and Progesterone receptor positive tumors, it stops your body from making estrogen to help make sure that the cancer cells starve.

The TC (Taxotere & Carboplatin) will be given along with H (Herceptin) via my port every 3 weeks for 4 months, they will continue with the herceptin every three weeks for a full year. Within a couple of weeks of the last TC treatment they will start radiation, I haven't seen the radiology oncologist yet, but have heard that I will receive radiation 5 days per week for 5-7 weeks. Not sure when they start the Arimidex, but you take that for 5 years, this is a pill.

The visit with the surgeon went well, my incision is healing well, and he said I wasn't retaining lymph fluid. I see him again on 5/7 and if everything looks good I will again be able to raise my elbow above my shoulder and maybe even take a bath, instead of just a shower. I also have my first visit with the radiology oncologist on May 7, and will probably start chemo the next Monday, May 10th. Sometime before then they want to do a baseline echocardiogram, and also a CT of the chest and abdomen, and a bone scan, just to make sure that I don't have it anywhere else. The oncologist doesn't think that I do from my test results and the physical exam, but just wants to makes sure, plus these also serve as a base line for the future.

It looks like I might be able to receive some of my chemo treatments in Florence!!!!!!


Love and God Bless,

Linda