Yesterday was another six-hour-long day at the Cancer Institute. One of the doctors was back from a week's vacation and so the lab was hugely busy, even at 9:30 in the morning. After waiting more than an hour, I finally had my port accessed and labs drawn. More than an hour after that, I was called back to the infusion chair, where eventually the nurse confirmed with Dr G that my counts, although a smidge low, still permitted me to receive treatment.
My friend G had been visiting with me until this point, and then another friend came by. We shmoozed while waiting for the pharmacy to prepare my drugs. I ordered us some luch from Mediterranean Kitchen, which J was happy to pick up.
I started the Avastin infusion around 1 PM, and it ended around 2:15 PM. (Next time the Avastin will shorten to only 30 minutes, which is where it will stay.) Then we changed over to the Abraxane (the actual chemo), which only takes 30 minutes. I was unbuckled from the chair around 3:15 and went home to crash.
I slept for three hours on the sofa, at which point I decided to just get into bed. I thought this cocktail was being given with Decadron (a steroid) AND Zofran (an anti-nausea drug), but evidently I didn't get the Zofran the first time, and there were no orders for it this time. So I toughed it out, but I was nauseous by 6 PM. I took some of the oral Zofran I have at home, and will be sure to ask Dr G today about including it in future orders.
I got up again at 9:30 and ate a piece of pizza and drank some water, then went back to bed. I was really woozy walking around the house last night, which was likely due to all the drugs floating in my bloodstream. I experienced a little abdominal pain, which is associated with the Avastin, but nothing else.
I slept until 7:45 this morning and feel better today. I took the dog for a walk and am about to head off to see Dr G and get last week's the brain MRI results. Will post more when I have info.
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Hi - I found your site when I was searching through breast cancer sites. My mother has Stage IV and just got done with Avastin I think. Sometimes I send her your blog posts to remind her she's not alone. Keep on fighting and keep on blogging! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJill,
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about why you haven't had a mastectomy or bilateral mastectomies. I have Stage IV BC bilaterally w/Bone Mets & am just finishing my last chemo treatment after 7 long months. I will have a PET Scan & possibly a surgical consult after that. I worry that if I have mastectomies done, I will just leave the door open for the cancer to recur in major organs (lungs, liver, brain)once the breasts are gone....do you feel that way too or are there other reasons why you have not had surgery? Carol
Carol, I originally had a lumpectomy in 1999 when first diagnosed with early stage cancer. After 6 years of bone mets, when new lumps appeared in both breasts, my surgeon and onc agreed that I didn't need mastectomies since I was already being treated systemically with aromatase inhibitors and later, chemo. Indeed, the breast lumps have practically disappeared. It's the bone, liver and now brain mets that are worrisome.
ReplyDeletePS I was petrified of developing more lymphedema if I had mastectomies. My surgeon listens to me and convinced that procedure wasn't medically necessary.