Third Week of Treatment - 8/31/24

Just giving another update in my third week of treatment.  There were SO many highs this week!

Starting last Sunday, my parents and I went to a local brewery to meet up with family, friends and coworkers.  It was great to see so many people. Many loved ones who are there for me and support me in this fight.  I know that not everyone could make it in person, but I know that you were with me in spirit.  This get-together was also a personal mini fundraiser for The Hope Chest of Minnesota.  With the help of friends and family, we donated $600 in total to financially help Minnesotans struggling with breast cancer!  Overall, it was a really nice time that made my heart incredibly happy. 

On Monday we went to my 3rd chemo treatment.  I slept really well after visiting with everyone on Sunday and felt good going into my next week of treatment.  My dad ended up taking me this time, and I got to show him the ropes of how it all works.  They first did some lab work to make sure I was approved for treatment.  The nurse Lydia was really nice and she ended up getting my port working perfectly! It did sting a lot going in and was very sore for about an hour, but then the pain subsided.  It was relieving not having to have another needle be poked in my arm vein.  This port may be my new favorite thing!  After drawing labs, we met with a physician to go over my tolerance to treatment.  They review every week or two to make sure I don’t have any horrible side effects and can keep handling these toxic drugs going into my body.  I would say overall I think my tolerance to treatment has been going well.  I do feel I am not completely the same however, the biggest ones being weakness, just grogginess or zombie like feeling, headaches every now, a dry nose, dry mouth, brain fog and blurry vision.  I guess now when I type all that out, that is a lot of side effects! Everything though checked out with the physician, and we were good to go for treatment next.  My white blood cell count was lower than normal this time around, but they still went ahead and approved me for treatment.  My body did well in taking my 3rd week of chemo and there were no issues the rest of the appointment.  I was a little more tired after my initial appointment on Monday and took a good nap to recover. 

On Tuesday my sister came into town and had my whole family here at my home.  Lots of love in a small two-bedroom townhouse!  Obie of course loved all the attention and extra playtime with my dad and sister.  This week we got to do many fun things with the four of us that brought me so much joy.  We went to Minnehaha falls, took some nice photos, ate on the patio in the nice weather and pedaled our way on a four-person bike (Double Surrey) around the park.  I was driving and could have really used a horn to honk as we were flying (I guess kind of like my driving - minus the honking, that is annoying)!  So many good laughs and memories of this day.  We also went out to a farmers’ market, went shopping and played bingo.  My dad played bingo for the first time this week and he won twice!  Rarely do you even win once, but that is what bingo does to you and now he is hooked. 

This week I’ve also started losing my hair more.  I decided that I wanted to just shave it in preparation for it falling out and to save me and my vacuum the hassle of cleaning it up everywhere.  For me, shaving my head is a symbol of something bigger than just hair and body image.  To me, shaving my head is symbol of strength and new beginnings.  It was time, and it was time for me to do an act that for myself in front of my family and friends by my side that feels uncomfortable but is the comfort I need in a time like this.  My best friends Kelsey and Kevin planned an intimate shaving head party for me on Friday.  I never thought that shaving my head in front of my loved ones would bring me so much joy, but it did.  Honestly, this day was one of the happiest days for me since my diagnosis.  There was a lot of love, laughter and tears.  I am sharing the pictures from this day because it meant so much to me.  My closest guy friends even shaved their heads for support, to know that I am not alone in this and that made my day.  I seriously have the best support and couldn’t ask for anything more.  This was a day I will remember forever! 

I do plan to buy a wig soon as I went wig shopping at Nedia’s salon in Minnetonka with my mom, sister and best friend.  I found one that I LOVE.  It is made of real human hair, is high quality and know it will last me a long time.  The wig looks pretty similar to my original hair, maybe just a little thicker! I have a small head, so trying on these wigs with really thick hair was a fun change of pace, but made my face look like it was drowning into the abyss.  This one wig I love looks perfect.  The downside though is it’s $6,000.  Of course it is ha. I fell in love with it and then she mentioned the price and I was like holy cow!  I called insurance and they actually only cover up to $350 a year, so basically no insurance on a wig.  So, I am torn between getting this wig, which will cost me an arm and a leg, or finding a cheaper one.  I am leaning towards buying it because it is a good investment and I deserve it.  I know looks are not everything to me, but I want to be able to enjoy life and feel a little more normal once in a while when I go out for a nice night or something. 

As far as how I am feeling this week - This week I have had more energy than the last two weeks oddly enough.  I don’t know if it is because my family is visiting, full house shenanigans or what, but I am feeling better than I thought I would.  Of course, I still have some side effects I notice, but overall, it has still been minimal.  I do think it helps a ton though that I am eating extremely healthy, drinking extra water to stay hydrated, getting a good amount of exercise and sleeping well too.  I also decided recently that I plan to take an extended period off from work to prioritize my health and well-being.  I love my work family so much and know I will miss them, but right now I need all the energy into fighting this cancer by focusing on my health and spending time with friends and family.  It was the right decision for me and over time I will evaluate based on how I am doing, when the right time is to integrate back into work. 

This coming Tuesday after Labor Day, I meet back with the oncologist.  I will likely be setting up a PET scan soon to see how the treatment is progressing in my body.  The goal is to have these damn tumors shrink at least!  I know we are still very early into treatment, so I must be gracious with myself if there isn’t yet much progress.  The good news is I did get my liver biopsy results back and the tumors in my liver are the same HER2+ as in my breast, which means I am getting the right treatment right now, which I was relieved to hear.  They are doing further testing to check for genetic mutations to determine if they can do more targeted treatment.  I think on Tuesday I will be hearing more from my oncologist on that.  I am continuing to say very hopeful!  I am also trying to stay off Google and not read about the statistics as much as possible.  HER2+ cancers are the most aggressive and fastest growing, they say it’s also worse on younger women.  I know I am fighting against the odds, but I also believe in faith and believe that I can heal.  I will be doing everything I can to live as long as I can!  I must – I have SO much of my life still yet to live.   There is an EDM song I love called “Superhuman” by Slander and I have been listening to it on repeat at the gym.  I want to keep myself in the state of mind that I am Superhuman and God chose me because of this, and I have a story to tell. 

To end for this week, I just wanted to say thank you all for the continued prayers and support.  I have been receiving your cards, care packages, sweet notes, etc. and know that I am so thankful.  I put all my cards in my room on a shelf near my lucky bamboo plant.  Feeling the love from near and far and grateful to be alive today.

Love, Stacy