Tuesdays With Naqvi--Results

Well, people.  It's official.  I'M CANCER FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I got my final results in, and all of my blood work is completely normal.  It was so nice to hear such amazing words from Dr. Naqvi this morning.  All of the pain, suffering, time, and sacrifice has paid off.  I am officially a survivor!

As is fitting for my life, the appointment didn't go quite as planned.  I expected this appointment to be no big deal.  I knew everyone was quite confident about the results, so I assumed I would show up, walk in, get my results,  and walk out.  Because of that assumption, I didn't bother with trying to find someone to watch Evan.  THE ONE TIME I take him with me, you can imagine what happened.  EVERYONE ELSE also decided to have an appointment today!!!!  I waited for an hour and 40 minutes to see the doctor for 5!!!  WITH A TWO-YEAR-OLD!!!!  But, Evan was very good.  I had plenty to keep him entertained for a hour, and then we walked all over the halls until my name was called.  I got many, MANY compliments on his behavior, so---we fooled 'em all, Evan!  And then I did get my results and walk out happy!  Plus, I got to have someone from my family there to celebrate the moment I heard the good news.

Now what?  For the next 2 years, I will go back for blood work and check-ups every 3 months.  After that, I graduate to once every 6 months.  Eventually, it will be just once a year.  Although there is some concern that cancer could return, mostly because of my type and my age, I feel confident in knowing that I will be closely monitored for the rest of my life and even if something does come back, most likely we should catch it quickly.

   
 Dr. Naqvi's only real concern for me now is to lose weight.  The Tamoxifen I take---and will continue to take for at least 10 years---blocks Estrogen, thus making my metabolism basically nothing.  So, not only have I been taking steroids for a year, now I'm on a drug that suppresses my metabolism.  No wonder I feel like I'm going nowhere!  Here's the *great* news on what I have to do:  fruits, vegetables.  No fat.  No sugar.  Get sugar from fruit and maybe honey.  No cheese.  No fried foods.  No pizza.  1,000 calories a day.  Just when I was really starting to like everything Dr. Naqvi was saying about me beating cancer and being officially cancer-free and stuff, she has to go an say something like "no cheese," and totally blow it.  I guess I will just have to work that much harder since my body is working against me.  But, I can do it.  I'm a survivor!

 
  As for now, I am looking forward to feeling more "normal," or more like my normal self.  I feel blessed and grateful for all the love, support, and service that helped me survive this journey.  I will always be on the defensive against cancer.  I will have to take some sort of drug for the rest of my life to help block my receptors and try to prevent this disease from attacking me again.  I have fought a good fight and will continue to guard against a return.  It feels good to survive the war!
 

Portless

I had my port removed yesterday, and there is something so freeing about that!  Part of me wonders if we pulled it out a little prematurely, as I haven't yet received my final labs and complete cancer-free clearance, but I guess Dr. Naqvi is so confident that everything will come back clear that she gave the go ahead to take the darn thing out. 

After the full-on surgery it took to put the port it, it's amazing how non-serious the removal was.  I simply went into Dr. Pollack's office, changed into a gown, and got up on the table.  In came Dr. P and her nurse, and we were ready to go. 

The worst part was at first, when they shot up the area with a big needle full of lidocaine.  I stung and burned a little, but nothing terrible.  I was under the impression that I would have to wait a bit for the drug to take effect--maybe because I have to wait for the lidocaine cream I used before chemo to work for an hour.  I guess that just shows the difference in potency.  There was no wait time.  Dr. P turned around to put down the needle and came back with a scalpel.

It was such a strange experience, lying there and watching the whole procedure.  I couldn't feel any pain, but could feel pressure and tugging.  I could see a little blood every now and then and just tried to stay completely still.  At first, Dr. P had to search a little for the port.  The nurse joked about how, "well, we know it's in there!"  Once it was located, she began to remove it.  She pulled and pulled, and finally the nurse said, "It's out!"  {I kept thinking of so many references to some kind of alien creature busting out of my body.}  

After a little pressure and blood stoppage, Dr. P stitched me up, and I was ready to go.  Months and months of this contraption under my skin and 20 minutes to get it out.  {I've had teeth removed that took longer.}  I'm free!

Dr. Pollack was the first specialist I saw on the day I found out about my diagnosis.  I've come a long way since that day!  

 

Inked

I can cross "getting a tattoo" off my bucket list. Today, I got two of them, but they will never be seen by most people. I'm now a person with hidden tats!

The final step of my breast reconstruction involved the tattooing of the areola around my constructed nipples. Even though I don't have much sensation in that area anymore, I was instructed to use numbing cream before the procedure.  Once I got to the office, they measured and marked me up. Then came the process of mixing a color. We wanted to get just the right balance of brown and pink, using my natural coloring before surgery as a guide. After the color was right, it was time to ink away. My skin is pretty sensitive, which means it took the color well, but also bled quite a bit.  Because of that, the nurse wasn't able to do one final pass over the left side.  I might have to go back for touch-ups if I'm not happy after the saturation fades. 

What a journey it has been to complete this surgery!  They asked me today about my overall experience, and I know I made the right decision to go with Dr. Boutros. I have been so happy with the results. However, I was in no way prepared for the severity of the surgery. I was not sufficiently humbled about the recovery, the pain, my inability to function for a significant length of time, the emotional roller coaster accompanied with that recovery, the costs, and the overall length of time required. I would not choose a different path, but I wish I had understood a little more about what to expect. 

So many of the steps of this process are all coming to an end. There has been so much waiting and trudging along and hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, I've finished chemo. I'm through with surgery. My breasts are totally reconstructed. I get my port out next week. I'll do labs on the 20th and have my official date of freedom on the 27th. It's really happening, and I don't even feel like I'm jinxing it by talking about it. 

Because I'm that confident, bold, and daring.  I've got tattoos, remember?

All ready for tattoos---there's the machine behind me. 

Katie did a great job!  

Hooray for easy procedures!

Tuesdays with{out} Naqvi

 A whole week has gone by since I finished my last chemo!

I kept meaning to post these pictures of my cancer team, but the week has been BEYOND crazy.

Here are some of the people who helped me on my way to being a cancer SURVIVOR!!!

Dr. Naqvi:

Jane and Lily.  Jane was at the practice when I started last year, left for a few months, and now is back.  It's like the circle of life.

There have been 2 other nurses who helped in my treatment process, but these 2 have been there from the beginning and saw me to the end!!

What a great feeling it is to be done!!!!