Report Card, Housekeeping and a Word from Our Sponsor

Report Card
Sheila aced another test-- "All clear on bone scan" read the text message she shot to me late this afternoon. Not sure I've ever received a more positive text message! Way to go, girl!

Housekeeping
So, as I stated I am working out the kinks of the blog. I am SO not technical so thanks for bearing with me.

Some of you have asked how to post a comment. You should be able to click on the comment link on the bottom of each post and a page will be opened up for you to post a comment in a box located off to the right. You will then be asked to choose an identity. You can either sign up for a google/blogger account (it's really no big deal, trust me--remember, NOT a techie here!) or you can simply click the bubble next to "name" to comment or you can choose the "anonymous" bubble to comment anonymously (which is not nearly as fun for us voyeurs!)
In terms of creating a google account there is a link to click on that simply reads, "sign up here."
Once you draft your comment and determine your identity simply click publish your comment and you're done!

Holler if you need any more instruction and I will do my best to guide you or I'll at least tap into my techie friends for a clue...

Update from the star of our show~ Sheila!

January 21, 2009
News back from Monday’s MRI is great: no other lumps or lymph node involvement other than what we already know. For the first time in a week I have been able to sleep a full night. Tuesday’s bone scan brought good news as well – no cancer detected. I have a strange, giddy feeling about this – but then I remember: I still have cancer. It’s an odd place to be.

Monday’s MRI
What a surprise it was to walk in the procedure room and be immediately taken aback by the MRI machine. It was a tunnel about five feet long, and I got a funny feeling in my stomach the second I saw it. The patient lies flat on the table and is rolled into the tunnel. Both ends remain open, but the machine’s diameter is small and the top of the cylinder is only a few inches from one’s face. As I started rolling in, I began to panic and I immediately asked the tech to roll me back out. We went through this three times. I began to think that I was not going to be able to do it. We finally compromised: if I took out the earplugs and removed the head positioned, I felt less confined. Being in the tunnel for 20 minutes was not fun, but I just kept my eyes closed and tried not to notice how confined I was. Rebecca came with me and was able to come into the room and calm me. That helped.

Tuesday’s bone scan
Piece of cake. After a shot of dye, Katie and I were able to go get a scone and a mocha at Starbucks. It was there we watched Obama’s inauguration. Truly a historic moment and one that was quite symbolic for me: a new beginning for our country, and hopefully a new beginning for me. The machine was a stockier version of the MRI, but not nearly as confining. The procedure took about an hour. The scanner moved over the top of me as I lay on the table. Results came back today: all clear!

Today: genetic testing
Interesting counseling session. My age and the fact that my tumor is ER/PR and HER2/neu negative means there’s a 20 percent chance I carry one of two breast cancer genes. If I carry these mutations, there’s a 40 percent chance I’ll eventually get breast cancer in the other breast, and a 20 to 40 percent chance I will develop ovarian cancer. In fact, of those women with the gene mutation who opt to take out their ovaries, one in five will already have early stages of ovarian cancer (detected once the ovaries are out and examined). Unfortunately there is no test to detect the early stages of ovarian cancer. Once you have it and it’s detected, it’s almost always too late. The surgery is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 2, although the genetic testing results will take three weeks to come back. It will be up to my oncologist to decide whether to wait for the test results or go ahead with the surgery as scheduled.

The ER/PR and HER2/neu business is still a bit of a mystery to me. I do know that if you are positive in these areas, it means your tumor is fueled by estrogen and progesterone. In that case, patients are often given a drug that blocks the production of estrogen and sends them into early menopause. I’m thankful that this isn’t the case for me – all I need is more cycle-related mood swings! I have heard that being ER/PR and HER2/neu negative (“triple negative,” it’s called) results in a more aggressive tumor, which is nothing we didn’t already know – the pathology report showed that my tumor scored a 9 of 9 on the aggressiveness scale (I’ve got a bad-ass tumor – yeah!). Aggressive tumors do respond best to chemo, though, so I have that going for me.

Tomorrow: the PET CT – a full body scan. Preparation started today – no sugar or starches and nothing to eat after midnight tonight. Shannon felt my pain – we had plans to indulge in a scone and a mocha after the genetic test, but I got a reminder call (just in time!) from the PET CT office to remind me of the “no sugar” rule. So, we had some noodle soup without the noodles – and it was great! Of course all I can think about now (7 p.m.) is the Fran’s chocolates that Lorna brought over last night and the remaining cream puff Anne made. Self control was never one of my strong points.

Friday it’s time to celebrate. NK moms – are you ready? :)