One Suburban, Two Suburban, Three Suburban, Four... No More! 3/6/17

NYC happens to be the land of Suburbans, or just over-sized SUV's period, but mainly suburbans. Last week we traveled to Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC to get a second opinion.
She thinks I have breast cancer. Can you believe it???
Well that's not really what we went for, we actually went to give Ben the experience of tall buildings, constant horn beeping and the land of black apparel (seriously do these people own anything with color?)
But we had a good experience, Ben actually enjoyed the city for the few short hours we were there (I'm not a fan.) My dear aunt Stacie graciously chauffeured us for the entire day and treated us like the middle school kids she usually chaperones for trips to NYC.
The waiting room of Sloan was a little unnerving at first. I had mentally prepared myself for a room full of cancer patients, but Ben was a little caught off guard. Stacie, who sat in the waiting room while we visited with the doctor, actually found the room inspiring as she listened to the women around her sharing their stories with each other. Should you stumble in off the street, the room might give you pause as you take in the multitude of women with canes, no hair and worried companions. But Stacie is right, they were chatting about their stories, sharing experiences, feeling a bond. That's not to say that I didn't have nightmares that left me unable to sleep, but that's just my freakish mind, not from a lack of warmth and beauty in that room.
I have been brought into a fold of women I barely knew existed before now, women who offer to show you scars or missing nipples, women who offer to ship you their hair, women who recommend doctors, books, tricks and tips. It's an incredibly generous and welcoming group.And the love from those around me, near and far, is still very overwhelming.
Suburbans...Ben announced every stinking one he saw, and he probably saw 30-40 in one freaking day. You might see 5 in a week in our neck of the woods, but down there we saw one every other minute. He was hyper-aware because I picked up my Honda the night before and we are committed to trading the Suburban in on a pick-up, his heart is breaking. I don't miss it, but that man loves that car.

Anyhow, my prognosis. Dr. Sanford from Sloan Kettering recommended a different course of chemo. The regimen she recommended is more harsh, but she feels is more successful for my Estrogen +, Progesterone + and HER2 + (Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2) Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. This treatment will consist of 4 rounds of AC chemo (Adriamycin and Cytoxan) once every 2 weeks (so 8 weeks total for the math flunkies) plus a steroid the day after the AC in a patch so I don't have to travel two days in a row. Then 12 weeks of weekly injections of either T (Taxol) or H (Herceptin) and P (Perjeta) or a combination thereof. Then a break of a few weeks, surgery, and back to the THP regimen for 40 more weeks. Plus, most likely, radiation sometime after surgery.
This regimen is different than the other prescribed plan primarily because of the AC, a harsher combination but one that Dr. Sanford says she feels comfortable recommending for someone my age vs a much older woman. Dr. Siva expressed concern about the implications for my heart, Adriamycin has high cardiotoxicity and can cause leukemia or other issues, but she is willing to provide this treatment.
Dr. Sanford recommended finding an oncologist closer to home since the second portion, the THP, will be weekly and she believes the less upheaval in my life from time away from home, the less stress and the better the response. T (Taxol) is another chemo drug, but Herceptin and Perjeta are actually hormonal treatments and a recent trial called APHINITY has shown that one year of H&P is superior, but they still need to wait for the FDA and then insurance companies to follow suit and allow this regimen. Both doctors admit that there are no head to head studies on the AC-THP regimen vs the TCHP plan that was originally prescribed.
After some thought and some tears and some nightmares, I have decided on the AC-THP, judge away, but Dr. Sanford made me confident with her confidence in this. She drew me pictures and mapped out the plan in a way that made us totally confident, Ben may have even shed some happy tears on his way back out into that waiting room.
So Friday I did the CT Scan, Bone scan and Echo. AND I nearly shit my pants in Wegmans!
I had planned on going to Wegmans after the tests to get some food for a gathering of crazy little boys at my house on Saturday, but I wasn't aware how bad the Barium Sulfate would a) taste b) affect my digestive system. I made it to the restrooms, multiple times, but it was not an enjoyable shopping trip.
Again, at Lourdes there were inspiring women in the waiting room! They forewarned me about the upset stomach and the disgusting drink. I think I should start a rating system for hospital gowns/robes/oversized dickeys. Lourdes would get a 4.5 out of 5. The Nueman Center at Upstate would get a 7 out of 5 for the plush terrycloth robes they provided, but that was only in the imaging offices. Someplace else had lovely plush robes too, but I can't seem to remember where. Cortland Mammo department gave me an oversized napkin with a head-hole and snaps, but it didn't even come down to my bellybutton, nor am I self-aware enough to know not to wave my arms around as I talk.

Sunday we celebrated Ben's 35th Birthday - woot woot!!

Today, Monday, I went back to Upstate, not sure of whether we would start chemo today or not. Dr. Siva offered to start the THP portion of the plan today and then do the AC after the 12 weeks, flip-flopping the plan, or start the AC after I get my port because it is too harsh to do without the port. I decided to wait and do the AC on Friday, the idea being that we get the AC done first, while I am feeling my strongest, and hit the hopefully easier THP afterward.
My echo cardiogram was good, the bone scan was good and the ct only showed one nodule in my lungs that is less than half a centimeter and could very well not be cancerous, plus the obvious growth in my breast (MRI measured 6.4 cm but they tend to overestimate) and 4 suspect axillary lymph nodes (armpit). Dr. Siva is also trying to coordinate the transfer of my care to Broome Oncology, several people have recommended doctors in that practice, who work out of both Lourdes and UHS. Thanks for all the input!!
My cancer is called Stage III by Dr. Siva, I think based on the MRI sizing of the tumor, and IIB by Dr. Sanford, because she prefers the ultrasound sizing. Either way, it is what it is and the chemo is going to blast that crap right out of there.

So the remainder of this week will bring - Colton's Birthday, Port on Wednesday at Wilson, a trip to the accountant on Thursday, groceries tomorrow so I don't have to shop post-chemo for a while, and chemo Friday after I drop off records at the other accountant. Chemo here we come, ready or not!! Accountant here we come, whether I'm ready or not!!

If you can't sleep - try counting suburbans!