Chemotherapy Treatment #3

Three treatments down, one to go. We had another busy and successful day at the Vermont Cancer Clinic. I was, of course, wearing my official chemotherapy ensemble which has at its foundation the wonderful Believe shirt provided by my friends Rob & Paula. When Charlie called them after my first surgery he used the phrase “we just have to believe we’re going to win, just like the Red Sox” (or something to that effect, I was still in recovery wondering if I was ever going to be able to open my eyes and not want to vomit). Rob got on the Internet and searched for a Red Sox Believe T-Shirt and shipped one up for both Charlie and I. As you can see I have worn this same shirt to each chemotherapy treatment because I do believe I will be a long-term cancer survivor!

Started off with a quick line insertion for a blood test (still loving that port), a visit with Dr. Muss, my Oncologist, who reviewed the blood test results and said I was doing great. Back to the South Pacific Pod to take my pre-med’s, which include a 125 gm pill and 2 bags of IV medication. The massage therapist came by and offered a foot massage, to which I happily agreed. Finally started with my first bag of toxins at 11:30 and finished up the third bag at 2:30.

Dr. Muss’ nurse Jean stopped by to check-in and say hello.

My quilt was quite topic of conversation in the clinic. A number of nurses and patients came over for a look and were very complimentary – both of the quilt and the great friends that put it together. I watched the video before I left home, so I started the day with an extra dose of love!

Good News

That's right, I finally got some good news from a doctor this year!

A few weeks ago I met with a genetic counselor at the Familial Cancer Program with the Vermont Cancer Center at FAHC. My doctor referred me to this program because of the history of cancer in my family. When I met with the counselor, I learned that when two of more relatives in a family have cancer, the family has familial cancer. Familial cancer is sporadic and not necessarily due to the inheritance of a cancer-causiing gene.

Then there is inherited cancer, which means familial cancer results from inheriting a cancer-causing gene - this type of cancer is called hereditary cancer and can be passed on to future generations.

Due to my particular family history, the counselor suggested that genetic testing would be appropriate for me. A blood sample was taken and submitted for testing for BRCA genes, specifically BRCA1 and BRCA2, which if positive, can indicate a higher risk for breast and ovarian cancers.

As you probably have already guessed by the name of this post, my test results came back negative. Due to my family history, I still am at a higher risk that the general population for another cancer event (as opposed to a recurrence of the current cancer I am in the process of eradicating). Due to this higher risk, I will be working with the counselor to determine what the best course of action will be for monitoring and testing as we move forward once I'm finished with treatment.