Cathy's Journey

Time to Celebrate!

On November 4th my family had a great celebration to mark the end of my treatment. For me it is definitely a time to breathe a sigh of relief that I’m done and allow my body to heal. My energy level through radiation was my biggest challenge. Eight plus hours of sleep are still needed for me to get through the day.

I’m extremely thankful to everyone who supported, prayed, and helped me during the last 8 months. I'm not sure I could have gotten through it without you. I now start the fourth stage of treatment which is taking the anti-estrogen drug Femara. I will take this for 5 years. Let’s hope I can tolerate the side effects because its proven to have a greater reduction of breast cancer reoccurrence in certain groups of women. I can only hope and pray that will be the case.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for following me in this journey.

Cathy

Radiation is over! 11/11/11

The third phase of cancer treatment started on September 20th and finished October 27th. Dr. Jeffrey Herman was my radiation oncologist during this time. He prescribed 28 radiation sessions marking three different areas on my chest and under my arm. I got my first tattoo! Well maybe not exactly the kind of tattoo you show off. The markings help them line up the radiation beams for the each session; making each visit after the first couple 10 minutes long. I was happy to get the first appointment of the day at 8:00am allowing me to get in and out with great ease and get to work by 8:45 or so. The first four weeks were fairly uneventful, but the last two weeks and beyond my skin started turning very red, like a sun burn I’ve never seen. Some of the areas around my neck and shoulder remained open, and I had a tough time getting them to dry out and scab over. The doctor recommended a salt/water solution that sounds terrible, but it actually worked. I used a pure aloe gel every where else my body was just red. It’s been three weeks and my skin is shedding like a lizard. It’s not uncomfortable any more, but I’m sure I’ll go through several more layers before I’m done.

Chemo Conquered!

There is great cause to celebrate. I’ve made it through 16 weeks and 8 sessions of chemo. When this part of the journey started, I wasn’t sure how I would make it through such a long process, but along with my family and friends, I made it. Yeah! A special thanks also goes out to the amazing ladies on my oncology team. I brought them treats for my last day and told them I never wanted to see them again. They laughed and hoped for the same.

I took the week of August 29th off from work thinking I would celebrate, but instead, I’ve been dragging around the house. The doctor says it’s a cumulative thing, so even though this was my last chemo session; I’ve built up a lot in my system. He gave me a bit of a reality check by mid-week; it will take time before I feel better. Okay, so I need to relax and know that time is what will heal my body. I'm even more reminded by this when I realize the rash and skin peeling that appeared after the last chemo sessions has appeared again this time on my arms and feet. It makes me more conspicuous as I go out and about; definitely looks like a disease. I’m sure it’s just the chemo working its way out of my body and after a week or so it will hopefully clear up.

It was nice last Sunday to celebrate my grandson Nolan’s 4th Birthday with family and friends. It was a pool party at Kelly & Robby’s new place. Watching Nolan and Nathan grow up is great motivation for me to keep going through this treatment.

The doctors and nurses keep telling me I’m doing remarkably well through the surgery and now finishing the chemo sessions. 2/3’s done with just radiation left which should begin mid September, I can’t wait. Thanks again for the cards and well wishes, it continues to lift my spirits.

Round 7 (By Kelly)

It’s another Thursday in the long summer countdown. But this is the seventh Thursday. After today only one more round of chemo remains, and the end that once seemed so far away is now in sight. This fact alone has my mom walking and talking with a bit of optimism this morning. For the first time, in maybe this entire process, she is 100% confident she will get through this. While we drive to the hospital, she’s laughing and joking. Bring it on.

As we walk into the the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute, I feel more like I’m walking into a spa. The building is brand new and from the exposed brick and hardwood floors to the green and gray color scheme, it feels comfortable and retreat-like. We are one of the first to arrive in what I’m told is a busy day here, so we stake out our chairs nearest one of the 6 big screens. Cozy lounger for mom, small chair for me. We laugh as it feels more like we’re getting situated for a flight than a day of chemo- bags, laptop, cooler, magazines under the chairs. Strap us in, we’re ready! Oh wait, she’s got blood to give, tests to pass and doctors to see. It’s all part of the very familiar routine I can tell. She even prompts the nurse to flip her chair on its head as she struggles to draw blood from her port.

2 hours later- the chemo finally starts...

I’m not sure what I expected to see today, but it felt oddly calm and easy. I’ve watched the past 14 weeks as my mom has battled every side effect these drugs could dish out. Times when it has been downright difficult to see her in such pain. The poison that has taken her energy, her appetite, her hair, and at times her will, is so easily administered as we sit around and chat. It feels like an oxymoron. Other than a slight drowsiness I can see in her eyes, its like any other hang-out time together. As I look around the now fully occupied room, some 15 people are going through the same thing. Most with smiles on their face. Between the comfort, technology, abundant snacks, and friendly nurses, I’m grateful these hours can be as relaxing as possible for the patients. The days ahead are sure to be quite the opposite.

I’m thankful for the experience I had today. I’m thankful to have been able to take a day off of work to spend with my mom, despite the circumstances. Most importantly though, I’m thankful she only has one more round left.

Round 6- July 28th

Chemo – Round 6 July 28th

I’m writing this on August 6, realizing I have just 3 weeks left of Chemo Treatments, I can’t wait. I look forward to being more active, drinking a glass of wine, and maybe even getting a good night’s sleep.

The Saturday and Sunday after the sessions has always been tough because the Taxol and Nuelasta drugs kick my butt. The oncologist keeps saying it's going to get easier, and perhaps my memory is either shot or short-lived, but I'm still suffering from aches & pains, along with fatigue most days. It’s hard sleeping at night, and then I’m tired the next day. My bones ache, how strange is that? He says it's the Nuelasta trying to produce more blood cells in the bone marrow. It’s still a very strange feeling. 4 Ibuprofen every 4 hours seems to help.

The tingling in my hands and feet continue and persist throughout the week after getting the Taxol. The dry mouth effects my eating since it’s hard to digest the food. But the biggest impact still seems to be the fatigue. I just can’t seem to get enough sleep no matter what I take or do.

I'm moving forward with just 2 more Chemo sessions left, Yeah! The end is near, and I can almost see it. As tough as this has been, if it means beating this thing, I will keep going strong.

Chemo Round 5 (July 17th)

I was able to recover from Round 4 of chemo with a very relaxing (didn’t-do-much-relaxing) week up north with the family. I’m not sure how I could have survived the “toughest round of chemo” in my normal home/work environment. I was thankful to have the week to sleep, sit by the lake, sleep, be surrounded by family, and sleep ☺

This past Thursday marked the first of my last 4 Chemo sessions. The drug of choice is Taxol, expected to be more tolerable drug than the AC drugs I just finished. It does come with a new set of side effects. This weekend I have already experienced muscle and joint pain, low levels of white blood cells, and most bizarre are the unusual sensations of burning and tingling in my feet and hands. These along with the now common occurrences of low blood pressure, lack of energy, diarrhea and nausea, mouth sores, and hair loss. Oh wait, the hair is already gone, so we can cross that off the list.

I’ve been having trouble all week sleeping at night, but Friday night was the worst. I couldn’t get to sleep, got up out of bed several times, and was even able to greet Michelle when she strolled in at 1:00am after being out with friends. I’m sure I startled her while I was sitting at the kitchen table eating a yogurt. The doctor did prescribe another drug Ambien for insomnia both falling and staying asleep. I’m glad to have the help sleeping but this drug has some interesting side effects like getting out of bed while not being fully awake or doing an activity that you do not know you’re doing. The next morning you may not remember that you did anything during the night. Reported activities include: driving a car, making and eating food, talking on the phone, and sleepwalking! Wow. This could get interesting.

I have so many different drugs now I’ve had to quite regularly text my new favorite pharmacist, Robby Moss, Kelly’s boyfriend to keep them, and the combinations of them, straight. The doctor is generously giving me what I need to take care of whatever ails me, but it does get confusing.

My motto: take it one day at a time, and just deal with whatever comes along. Only three Chemo sessions left, Yeah!

Chemo Round 4- June 30th

I had my last "AC" chemo session today. I feel like crap, but Dr. King was cheering so it must be a good thing. These two “AC” drugs are some of the big daddy drugs of Chemo treatment. My next 4 sessions will only be one drug Taxol, and I should have an easier time, again according Dr. King. Whew, can't wait!

Since I just had this 4th round yesterday, I don’t know exactly what to expect, but I anticipate it may go like the last. I usually don’t feel too bad on the day of treatment, but yesterday I felt extremely tired after, and came home and slept for several hours which was a little different than previous sessions. Some of the continued fatigue may have come from my blood counts going down a little after round 3. But as the nurses said, I'm still within a safe range to get another round of Chemo.

The great news is I’m half way through my Chemo treatments, which is cause to celebrate. I’ll do that next week on vacation with family at Izaty’s Resort on Lake Mille Lacs. The doctor thought that would be a great way to recover from this last session. I may have to make plans at the end of chemo in August.

I'm also sorry if your summer feels like it’s going by too fast with this weekend being the 4th of July which is often considered the middle of summer; this would be my fault. I've been praying for the summer of 2011 to fly by. When it's over, I'm done with this crazy treatment.

Continued thanks for the love and care so many are sharing with me. Giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe; it’s the abundance of this that keeps the energy flowing in me.

Chemo Round 3- June 16th

Sorry for the delay in my update from round 3 of Chemo, this session has been a bit
harder on the body. The ugly part of the previous sessions lasted 4-5 days. I would still suffer from fatigue, but the heavy duty blahs had definitely subsided. After round 3 the ugly part lasted about 10 days. The week of June 27 was a bit rough at work. It’s hard to describe this blah feeling. My head gets fuzzy and I can get a little dizzy. Val Felsch from work told me to lean on the wall while we were waiting for the crowded elevators in the A building on Monday of that week. She thought I looked a little unsteady on my feet. It’s probably those symptoms that add in the fatigue that consume me late in the afternoons. I’ve got to figure out how to manage the number of meetings I have between the two buildings at work, I definitely get my exercise and still try to use the stairs if it’s a short flight or two, but it’s not easy on some days. Naps after work were a must between 5-7:00pm, something light for dinner, a little email work, and then back to bed at 9-9:30pm. On to round 4!

Chemo Round 2 – June 10

My where has the time gone since my last posting. I’m past round 2 and looking down the barrel of round 3 next week, and was even able to celebrate my nephew’s wedding. Congrats Matthew and Amy!

The doctor told me to expect the unexpected after round two of chemotherapy, in other words, what happened after round one may or may not happen again. He was right. My body feels weaker, less energy, more sensitive to smells, and many foods have lost their taste. But the good news is the Neulasta shot was given to me in my belly and has not been an issue this time. So I’m sleeping much better this time, in fact I’m sleeping a lot both day and night. I still need the help of some drugs, but the doctor said have at it, we’ll get you off these drugs when you’re finished with treatment. I hope he’s right, ha!

With a good night’s sleep, I’m able to get through the work day much better. Stepping away from work during April has allowed me to see things with a new light. My mind seems clearer, and I can focus on the important tasks and helping the people. I hope my team feels that way. I still need to slip away much earlier than I’m used to, so this is what eight hours feels like? I generally come home to nap between 5:00-7:00pm, get up to eat and back in bed by 9:00-9:30 for the night.

I’ve heard from some of my breast cancer sisters going through this same battle, remember there’s no easy way around this, you just have to go through it, but you don’t have to do it alone. Treasure the good days, and just sleep on the bad ones there will be another good day.

“Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.” Ruth Ann Schabacker

5/28 First Full Week of Work

It’s been tough this week... the side effects have started. My left arm has been in pain where the Neulasta injection was given. This is the drug that boosts my red cells. From my elbow to my shoulder especially at night, I have a throbbing pain. During the day, I seem to be OK, but the pain gets so intense it wakes me up. I’ve tried three different pain meds, and Oxycontin is the best, it’s also the heaviest narcotic I have. The doctors and nurses are baffled as to why the pain is so isolated, but believe it should diminish.

But as the experts say, the Chemo drugs are working if I’m having these side effects. So I’m going to tough it out, deal with these little issues, and get to the next Chemo session on June 2. Wish me luck!

Chemo Round 1

It's been an interesting first weekend after Chemo. Overall, I'm feeling
OK. More aches and pains than I expected, I think mostly from the
injection they gave me on Friday which goes right into the bone marrow to
create more red blood cells; it prevents anemia and other fatigue issues.
My left arm where they gave me the injection is really achy. Ice & heat
seems to be the only therapy to help.

I have been taking the anti-nausea pills, pain meds, and drinking lots of
water. I'm not sure I've fully figured out the right formula, so I'm
still playing with the combination of drugs they gave me to help ease the
aches, and nausea but trying not to put myself in a coma for the entire
day. I have been sleeping at night about 10-12 hours...it's been a long time since I've been able to do that.

The chemotherapy session itself went reasonably well, barring a few issues.
The newly installed port nestled nicely in a very bruised chest did give
the nurses some problems. They were unable to draw blood from the port
to the extent they needed to fill 7 vials, so I still needed to get an arm
poke. The port did work for the chemo after they tipped me on my head,
rolled me to one side and suddenly all was right with the world and the
drugs began to drip in. I did get to sit upright through the session,
thank goodness. They are certain this will go better the next time. The
session itself took a little over three hours including seeing the doctor,
making notes for the study I'm in, and letting the drugs drip in.

Yahoo! One down and just seven to go.

Continued thanks for all the support.

Cathy

Who Knew The Port Could Be So Difficult... (May 17, 2011)

The port didn't go quite as well as I hoped. The surgeon wanted to put the port on the left side to spare my right side, but couldn't get it in. She had warned me about the blind stick and the trouble she could run into with muscle wrapped around it, and it's location behind the clavicle bone. I woke with pain running up and down my left arm all the way up to my neck (a second stick), but the port was on the right side. Ice packs on both sides. Oddly enough the right side doesn't hurt much at all compared to the left. A 15 minute surgery was 90 minutes.

Here we go again with the pain meds. As I'm just waking up from my fog at 4:00pm. The surgery was at 8:30am.

I hope to be at work tomorrow. Larry may have to bring me, but I'm so determined to starting treatment on Thursday. I can't get done unless I get started.

More to come as the journey continues.

Back to Work & Special Thanks

Back to Work

Dr. Hatfield gave me my walking papers today to go back to work. The
infection has been taken care of, and I'm ready to start treatment. The
port for Chemo will be surgically put in on May 17th, so I can begin
treatment on May 19th.

The first five weeks of my journey have been riddled with ups and downs.
But I continue to move forward and keep only the good momentum going. You
never want a dramatic moment like finding out you have cancer to help you
see life with greater clarity, but I'm not sure you can stop the emotions
and feelings from rushing over you. I love life, my family, my work &
friends, and when you have strong feelings like this, you don't want to
quit, you just want to get better. Getting knocked down has become my
motivator.

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

I plan on attacking this disease with full force, as the large scale effort
to fight breast cancer continues. In that regard, I want to personally
thank all of my family and friends that came out to walk with me at the
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Mother's Day. Yes, I walked the
entire route surprising my doctor because the amount of exercise I've had
in the last five weeks has been so limited. However in all honesty, I was
exhausted once we got home.

To everyone that supported the Pink Ribbon Race for the Cure by donating
time or money, thank you. What's nice about the Race for the Cure is that
it's a local fund raiser, so most of the money stays in Minnesota to
supports the many women who struggle with so many issues that surround this
disease along with the continued research done to find the cure
(approximately $2.8 million was raised). Keep your prayers and good
positive thoughts coming for me, and for all the many women who need your
continued support. I am blessed with a lot of love and support, and know
this will power and guide me through this journey.

Thanks,
Cathy

Slow & Steady

I went to see Dr. Hatfield yesterday, she performed the surgery last Monday
4/25/1,1 to take care of the bacterial infection. She was pleased with my
progress. This is especially good since last Friday 4/29/11, she changed
one of my two antibiotics, giving me another week before I complete the
dosage. The change came after the infection control doctors did the
analysis on the particular bacteria and decided that drug Augmentin would
kill the bacteria. Great, I'll have to do a chaser of Imodium to digest
this drug.

The doctor also pulled out the last of my drains, Yahoo! This greatly
reduces the risk of further infection, but I'm not quite out of the woods
just yet. I get to shower, but have to use what looks like surgical scrub
to wash with, yuk! This doctor will see me one more time next Monday May
9th, and if all is well, she'll give me the clearance to go back to work on
Tuesday May 10th. I'll still have to put the Port in before treatment
starts, but that doctor won't even consider until the week of May 16th,
which is the same week they would like to start Chemo. Once the doctor
gives the green light next Monday, these other to-do's will start to move
forward. Slow but steady progress.

Note From Cathy's Team:
Last chance to sign up to walk with us this Sunday. Cathy's Kick-Ass Cancer Crew would love to have you join us and walk the 5K this Mother's Day. (Sign up ends tonight at 10pm online) Team registration is closed but you can sign up as an invidiual walker, pick up your race materials at the mall and still walk with our team. (Bag pick up times/locations listed on cure website) An option is to walk up and register the day of the event or if you couldn't quite get registered, feel free to meet up with our group. Our group is meeting at 8:15am in front of the outside entrance of Sears. The walk starts at 9am. Parking is chaotic, give yourselves plenty of time. Recommend carpooling, light rail or having someone drop you off. Hope to see you all there.

The Game Plan

On Wednesday 4/27/11, my Oncologist Dr. David King laid out the plan for my
treatment.


But the coolest thing he did was give us a show-n-tell of the PET/CT Scan.
Remember this is the scan that showed no cancer anywhere else in my body.
On the big screen we walked through all of my body parts, as he highlighted
exactly what the scan was showing. That discomfort in my upper thighs when
I work out, he said looks like a little bursitis or arthritis, who knew!
My doctor did X-rays of my legs and couldn't see anything. As much as I
disliked going through the actual test, the results are unbelievable. The
cost of these tests really need to go down, so everyone can get a head to
toe view of themselves.


So here's the plan: I still need to have another pre-op exam before we
surgically have the Port put in. We are waiting to schedule that until Dr.
Hatfield gives the OK from the latest surgery. The Chemotherapy treatments
will begin May 19 with the drugs Adriamycin (Doxorubicin) and Cytoxan
(Cyclophosphamide). This will be a 4 session infusion over 8 weeks. Then
starting in July the drug Paclitaxel(Taxol/Onxal) will be another 4 session
infusion over 8 weeks. Radiation will follow the Chemotherapy.


(All the drug names are for you Robby.)


I'm also going to participate in a study for patients undergoing
Anthracycline-based Chemotherapy to assess the effectiveness of using
biomarkers to detect and identify cardiotoxicity (heart problems) and be
able to provide immediate treatment. So for just a little of my blood
occasionally, they will watch over my heart (by the way one of my strongest
assets per the doctor) to make sure the chemo doesn't damage it which is
their suspicion. There will be 830 people across the country participating
along with me. Hopefully they learn something to help all women using
this drug.

Surprise, Surprise!

Surprises in any project are often hard to predict or avoid. Once something unexpected occurs, you take a deep breath, gather all of your facts, make decisions and keep moving forward. That's what I did this week and it's only Tuesday.

I enjoyed Easter Brunch with my family. We even got my 90 year old Dad at the celebration, which was his first outing since he had pneumonia on March 5th and spent 10 days in the hospital and almost a month in rehab. It was good to see him.

I came home after the brunch and felt lousy. I was having sharp pains that I thought might be from the last drain, so I popped another pain pill having not taken any for a week or so. But even with the pain pill, I got very little sleep that night because I was so uncomfortable (did you know there are good movies on between 2:00am and 6:00am, I saw the Proposal, Jurassic Park, and Twister).

Larry and I went to our already scheduled appointment with Dr. Hatfield on Monday 4/25/11 to get the last drain pulled out, and also further inflate the expander. I had high hopes that with the drain out, I would feel better.
That's when the surprise knocked my project sideways.

By the time we arrived at the doctors office, the drain was full when it should not have been, and it was cloudy instead of clear. Both Larry and I were surprised since we had just drained it at 9:00am that morning when it looked fine, and it's was now 1:00 in the afternoon. The surgical area on my front side was also red and hot.

Crap, it was a bacterial infection. The Dr. sent samples off to the lab, and sent us over to Unity Hospital, while she scheduled an Operating Room (OR). She did not want to waste any time to surgically remove the expander, and clean out the area. This unexpected surgery put me back to where we were three weeks ago. One more night in the hospital, a fresh surgical wound, more pain meds and 2 antibiotics. This latest surgery will now delay my reconstruction until after my chemo and radiation therapies are complete, so only then will she start again. A bit of a bummer.

Larry thought he was on a lunch break when he took me to my appointment; needless to say, he never went back to work on Monday.

You know you're been in the hospital just a little to much when the nurses in the OR area know me on sight and by name. I had a nice visit with the surgical staff given I was the only one going in for surgery. Clearly, they don't schedule surgeries at night.

Ok, this was a temporary set back, I'll have to re-set the plan with the Doctors and keep moving forward. On Wednesday, we'll see what the oncologist has to say about this and discuss the scheduled treatment for me.

Keep those thoughts and prayers coming my way, I don't want any other set-backs or surprises.

Cathy's Kick-Ass Cancer Crew-Don't forget to sign up for the walk today!

You are invited to join Cathy's Kick-Ass Cancer Crew for the 2011 Susan G. Komen Twin Cities 5K Walk for the Cure.

When: May 8th (Mother's Day)

Meeting Time: Meet our team in front of Sears (Mall of America) 8:15am
*The team leader will pick up all bags for the team and have day of walk.

Walk Time: 9:00am

If you'd like to register please click below. If you're unable to join us, please consider donating to this very important cause.

https://www.active.com/register/index.cfm?event_id=1885008&subevent_id=1394501&team_id=966702

Thanks,
Cathy's Team

All Clear!!!!

Great News!

The doctor just called and the PET/CT from this morning came back completely clear. No cancer found any where else in my body. Alleluia!

The mastectomy and clearing of the lymph nodes got all of the cancer found.

Yippee!

Busy Week-Whew!

It's been a busy week back to the surgeons and moving on to the Oncologist.

* Monday: Dr. Caroll Vincent the General Surgeon checked out her handy work, and then went through the final pathology report from the Mastectomy. Lobular Carcinoma, Stage IIIC.

* Wednesday: Dr. David King the Oncologist did a consultation with Larry, Trish, Kelly and me. He confirmed that I have Stage IIIC Lobular Carcinoma. The tumor was just 2.3 cm, but there were 13 positive (cancerous) nodes. Anything over 9 makes the nodes the greatest concern with the possibility of spreading to other parts of my body. In his words, "I'm going to blast you with drugs". Like most cancers, this one is aggressive and fast growing. When I asked if he could tell how long I've had the cancer, his comment was, "you've probably had the bad cells in your body all along, but what triggered them to wake up and start growing and expanding we don't know". "If we knew, we'd stop cancer in its tracks".
* Recommended Treatment: Chemotherapy, Radiation, and Hormonal Therapy in consecutive order probably starting in 3-4 weeks.

* Thursday: Dr. Angela Hatfield, the plastic surgeon she's the lady in charge right now because she's responsible for my healing. She did pull one of my drains, Yahoo! Unfortunately, the second one will probably be another 7-10 days before it's ready to be pulled out. The drain man (Larry), will watch closely, and when the liquid from the drain is less than 30cc in 24 hour period for two days, they will pull it.

* Next Immediate Steps: two more weeks of rest at home for healing with a goal to return to work May 2. During the next two weeks, I've given the doctors the goal (and they have responded) to get all of the tests and procedures done that will be needed before treatment begins. That way when Dr. Hatfield gives the green light, we can start the treatment. So here's what I have to get done: Echo Cardiogram, PET/CT Scan, Drains out, Expander pumped up (this has to be done before I start Chemo), Port Placement Surgery (for easy entry for the Chemo), and get fitted for a temporary prosthesis. Whew!

It's been a whirlwind of doctor's visits, procedures, and tests, but now we know what we are dealing with, and can work through the process. For that I'm grateful.

I want to continue to express my gratitude to those that have personally reached out to me with their stories of courage and hope. I know the fight is long and hard, but with the amazing support group around me, how can I fail? My thanks to everyone.

Cathy

One Day At A Time (Blog Posted by Cathy)

Surgery did go well last week and my healing is on schedule. I worked my way off the Percocet (pain meds) over the weekend and only take it at night to sleep. The two drains in me are a pain in the butt. I hope to get at least one of them taken out on Thursday when I see the plastic surgeon. She'll take over caring for me as I heal from the surgery.

Yesterday, the pathology reports were in, so the General Surgeon moved up our appointment from Friday to Monday of this week to meet with Larry and me. The good news - the surgeon got all of the tumor and was glad she did an entire mastectomy on the one side. Although one suspicious section was not cancerous, it was a fibrous mass that was attached to the tumor. A lumpectomy of just the tumor would not have gotten that section. Whew, skirted that future risk.

The bad news is that the cancer has metastasized, and was found in 13 of 14 lymph nodes taken.

So we move on to the Oncologist and set the course of treatment going forward. The General Surgeon just got that appointment moved up to Wed of this week instead of next Tuesday. (I hope, I'm not being to pushy, but I figure with each new bit of information there's more discussion needed and why wait.)

More to come in the days ahead.

Cathy

Home Sweet Home

Great News! Mom was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon. The Doc's said that she was the perfect patient. After a nice long nap, she was up and roaring to go. (The Oxy Contin may have helped a bit as well)

We all had a nice dinner together last night and even got in a little Wheel of Fortune. (Yep, that's still on) We have a feeling it's going to be difficult to keep Mom from her active lifestyle these next few weeks. Doctor's orders are no real activity for a month.

Dad has become quite the nurses aid: changing the dressing, emptying the drains(completely gross), and helping Mom get out of bed. Who knew that such simple tasks would cause so much pain.

Mom's follow up appointments will be next week. Thursday with the Cosmetic Surgeon, Dr. Hatfield and Friday with the Surgeon, Dr. Vincent. We should have some clarification as to what the next steps will be.

Before the surgery Mom was having a bit of an out of body experience, meaning that the reality of it all hadn't quite kicked in. She is now saying this is now her story, and the reality of what's happening is starting to sink in. She knows she's just at the beginning of this process, but as always she remains optimistic. As you all know this to be true about her, her glass is always half full.

All the flowers received are beautiful and bring a little bit of Spring into the house. Thanks to everyone for your kind words and messages of support.

Cathy's Team
Larry, Trish, Kelly & Shell

P.S. Don't forget to sign up for join our Walk for the Cure team! (See previous post with links)

Join Cathy's Team-May 8th!

You are invited to join Cathy's Kick-Ass Cancer Crew for 2011 Susan G. Komen Twin Cities Race for the Cure.

You can register for this event and join Cathy's Team below:
https://www.active.com/register/index.cfm?event_id=1885008&subevent_id=1394501&team_id=966702

If you can't walk with us, please feel free to donate to this important cause. http://www.active.com/donate/komentc11/CQFarley

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Again, we appreciate all of your support and hope to see you all Mother's Day morning for the walk in honor of Cathy!

Larry, Trish, Kelly & Shell (Cathy's Team)

Surgery was a Success!

Sigh of relief #1.

We arrived at Unity Hospital ready to roll at 10 am. Surgery was prompt at noon. Dr. Vincent (surgeon) finished at 1:30, and she reported to a waiting crowd that they got it ALL, including a bundle of nodes that were sent off to the pathologist. The prognosis of these will determine the stage of the cancer, and we will hear back on these in a couple of days. Dr. Hatfield (plastic surgeon) finished just before 3 pm and reported that her entire process couldn't have gone smoother. This process will take 4-6 weeks, but step one is complete.

Cathy is now getting settled into her room. She describes her pain as an 8 on the 10 point scale, so the nurses are pumping all sorts of fun pain meds in. "Keep them coming!" she says.

She will be here through the night and will be assessed in the morning on whether she can go home.

We want to thank everyone who sent good vibes and prayers our way. Our mom loved the responses we relayed to her. Please feel free to post messages on here for her. I'm not sure when she will be checking her email/text messages.

Thank you so much for reading,

Cathy's Team (Larry, Trish, Kelly & Shell)

Cathy Farley's Breast Cancer Story

Welcome friends & family of Cathy. Cathy went in for a her yearly Mammogram late February 2011 where some abnormal results came back. She was then sent to the Breast Center in Coon Rapids early March 2011 for additional xrays. At that appointment the Radiologist told her that she had a malignant tumor in one of her breasts as well as some iffy spots including within a lymph node on the same side.

Cathy had an ultrasound and biopsies performed a week later that confirmed that the tumor was indeed cancerous. The tumor, lymph node and iffy spots will be removed when they perform a mastectomy on her one breast with reconstruction on April 4, 2011. The cancer hasn't been classified at this point, the staging will occur after the surgery is complete. The staging as well as a thorough Pet scan will allow the Oncologist to recommend the next steps including the most appropriate chemotherapy regimen after Cathy is healed from her surgery.

If anyone can get through this, it's our Mom! 

This Google Blog is here to keep you updated on Cathy Farley's battle with breast cancer.