Count Down to Chemo #6

First things first, I have some thank you's to catch up on.

First, to Andi's Mom for this super sweet blankie...all the way from the UP!

Next, to Tim for these beautiful flowers.

And last but not least, to Rob for my gorgeous new Tory Burch satchel. I have been coveting one of these for months - ever since my co-worker Val turned me on to the brand - and I really can't think of any better end-of-chemo gift.

Today was another big day of appointments.

Starting with a CBC and CMP - still anemic (me and a basket of laundry going up the stairs could have told you that), but overall counts are good enough. Followed by a check up with the medical oncologist. Chemo side effects from the last few rounds have been pretty tolerable. Fatigue, muscle weakness/soreness/tightness, hot flashes, weight gain/fluid retention/edema, dry mouth/metal taste, drippy eyes and nose. But all the really weird stuff - nose bleeds, acne, headaches - haven't been around in a while. So all is well and Dr. F is pleased. Tomorrow will be my last round of Taxotere and Carboplatin. Which is awesome 'cause the big T is just a nasty little bastard. I can also say uh-buh-bye to those Lupron injections. I'll still have 11 more rounds of Herceptin. But that's all good in the hood 'cause the big H over there is pretty harmless to me.

And...I'll start getting my hair back! Can I get a HELL YEAH?!?

Next stop was the surgical oncologist where we talked surgery options again. Lumpectomy and mastectomy have the same survival rate relative to the current cancer. My survival, that is. Not the cancer's. We're kicking its ass, remember? Try to stay with me. But the younger you are and the more breast tissue you have, the better chance you have of the same cancer coming back or of getting a new cancer. And that really does not sound like my kind of party.

So the evil twin and the good twin have got to go!

Now you might be thinking, "The good twin, too? What's she ever done wrong?" Well nothing yet. This is a preemptive strike. Not to mention, it's a lot easier for the surgeons to keep the girls even that way. So just like Kanye, I'll be better, faster, stronger.

And speaking of better, faster, stronger - now seems like the perfect time for a shout out to the Young Women with Breast Cancer group at Inova Alexandria. It was great to meet such a kick ass bunch of ladies last night! Now where was I before Kanye distracted? Oh, yea... bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. So Monday 29 October is the big day. Who's got a suggestion for a pre-op party theme? I'll have 6 of these drains hanging around for about a week after surgery, so there have got to be some good Halloween costume ideas out there. UPDATE: My new surgery date is Monday 22 October!

There's got to be an easier way to smuggle your own booze into Fed Ex Field.

I've just been all over the map with this post, so I'm just gonna go ahead and leave you with Kanye stuck in your head while I go catch up with Mel while she's in visiting from the left coast. Have a great evening everyone!