7 down!!!

i got my chemo yesterday :) hooray! 5 left till i'm finished. so, if there are no further complications, i should get my last one on november 18th. i see my oncologist again on the 11th. feeling really good today, which is a good thing because i have parent/teacher conferences till 9pm. then i'm off tomorrow with my girls. we're going to get an emissions test- jealous, aren't you???

things that i learned/had reconfirmed with dr. c yesterday:
1. the random muscle pain i have been having is most likely related to the surgery. any pain that would be a red flag for metastisis would stay in one spot and get worse over time, not better.

1a. i've also been veeeery tired, which has been frustrating. i keep thinking that since i haven't had chemo for a month, and my surgery was 3 weeks ago i should be feeling better. dr. c says that i am right on track. it will probably take 3-4 months to get back to "normal" after completing chemo. and in the world of surgery, 3 weeks apparently isn't all that long. he told me to lighten up on myself considering i'm also working full time and have 2 small kids. so, i guess i'll try to stop feeling so guilty/useless.

2. we will do a "baseline" scan at the end of chemo. not sure if it will be a ct, or a bone scan, or what. perhaps it will be a combination of a few scans to make sure we have a good picture of everything. we're still keeping the wierd bone issue from june in the back of our minds, as well as some small nodules in my lungs that they saw in the very beginning, but have never changed.

3. they have checked with everyone they need to check with, and will begin giving my name/email to newly diagnosed women under 40 so that i can get them right into my support group, and help them navigate the early decisions that need to be made when you're still in a fog :) yay! i think that will be a really good way for me to pay forward all of the support i've had through this :)

4. my type of cancer tends to recurr earlier, rather than later. dr. c says that at 3 years we can start to relax a bit. he feels we'll get there :) my remission date will be July 15, 2110. that is one year from my mastectomies- which was when they took the cancer out, and i was considered "cancer free". you are considered "in remission" one year from when no new cancer has formed.

5. everything looks good now as far as the infection goes :) he's checking on getting me another week's worth of antibiotics to "make sure" but is very happy with the way my incision looks. he also checks my lymph nodes, lungs, and abdomen every time i go in.

so, all is going well. i'm tired, but the steroids should keep me zipping till some time tomorrow... i'm hoping for a good weekend :0) we have plans on friday evening, saturday evening, and sunday afternoon. busy, busy, busy. too busy to be sick!!