“When someone tells me “no”, it doesn’t mean I can’t do it, it simply means I can’t do it with them.”  – Karen E. Quinones Miller

 

I’m driven by this statement.  I don’t know what it is, but there is something about being told that “I can’t” that makes me say that “I most certainly will – and I’ll show you!”  When my two older children say, “But Mommmm…..I can’t,” I tell them each and every time, “You can do anything.”  I believe that.  I, personally, have never been the smartest or the fastest or the prettiest or the best at anything.  But, I can tell you that I give 110% of myself in everything that I do.  I’ve far surpassed many people who were blessed with natural abilities just because I’ve worked harder.  Completing this journey with dignity and beating cancer will be no different.

Sal and I have been blessed with so much help throughout this roller coaster ride , especially these past few weeks.  I’ve been so fortunate in having family and friends helping me with Cameron Monday through Friday.  It’s been so nice seeing many people that I don’t get to spend time with routinely.  Many of my friends who live out of town and have their own families to care for have been driving up solo to spend the day with me.  You guys will never know how much I appreciate having you here with me.  Sal and I would much rather be on the giving end so it’s very difficult for us to accept help.  Just saying “thanks” doesn’t seem sufficient but I’m at a loss for what else I could possibly do to express my gratitude.

I completed another Herceptin treatment today.  It went very well.  I’ll be doing this every 3 weeks until the end of October.

Sal and I had four excellent meetings at the University of Pennsylvania yesterday.  We first met with Dr. Serletti, my plastic surgeon.  He was very pleased with the way that everything looks.  I’m healing nicely and will continue to improve as time progresses.  We met with Dr. Czerniecki, my breast surgeon, who is also very pleased with the way that everything looks.  He’s working on a cutting edge vaccine that is preventing breast cancer recurrence.  I may qualify for this upon completion of my Herceptin treatment.  We met with Dr. DeMichele, my oncologist at Penn, who is always so sweet.  She’s an angel, actually.  She explained everything to us very well.  She was pleased with the results of my surgery and once again gave me a good prognosis.  Many of Dr. DeMichele’s statistics are specifically for ER+ premenopausal women, so that’s very promising.  Doc even made it a point to tell us that she’s not sugar-coating anything.

I do need to have another procedure done in March.  Remember the blood test that I asked Dr. Saidman to do for me a few weeks ago?  CYP2D6?  It indicates how well I would metabolize Tamoxifen which in turn would indicate how well it would work in my body.  Well, I am a slow to intermediate metabolizer of CYP2D6 which means that Tamoxifen might not work well for me.  This part of my therapy, the hormonal part, is just as important as everything else that I’ve done up to this point.  So, I need to have an oophorectomy (have my ovaries removed).  I’m actually happy about this.  I asked to have it done back in August, but physicians prefer not to do this unless it’s absolutely necessary because this procedure will put me into early menopause which leaves the potential for osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.  They usually do this procedure in women who carry the BRCA gene which I do not, but my cancer was highly fueled by estrogen and Tamoxifen might not work so why take the chance?  Female bodies have 2 main sources of estrogen, really – our ovaries and fat cells.  Since my ovaries will be removed, we zap that source.  I’ll then take a drug called Arimidex, an aromatase inhibitor, for the next 10 years that will work on suppressing any leftover estrogen that might be floating around and will also, hopefully, prevent estrogen from being produced.  I’ll be meeting with a gynecologic oncologist at Penn in the next week or so and hope to have the procedure done at Penn before I begin radiation.  This is an “easy surgery” and is usually done same day which means that I won’t have to stay overnight in the hospital.  It’s done laparoscopically which means that it’s minimally invasive using small abdominal incisions.

Our last appointment was with Karen Wagner, a dietitian who specializes in preventing breast cancer recurrence.  She gave me many tips on what I can do to decrease my chance of recurrence.  Dr. DeMichele went over a lot of this, too.

– Having a normal BMI (body mass index) is important – remember what I said about estrogen and fat cells?

– Limiting alcohol to 1/2 glass of red wine three times per week max.  I can’t remember the last time I drank once in a week!  It’s been a while.

– Eating organic fruits, vegetables, and meats when possible.  She gave us a great website to review the pesticide amounts in produce.  The website is updated yearly and is a wealth of information.

– Eating lots of vegetables, namely broccoli, cauliflower, and kale

– Limiting soy – this is controversial, but there is debate on the link between soy and breast cancer recurrence

– Have Vitamin D level checked and add a calcium and Vitamin D supplement (I had my blood drawn yesterday for my Vitamin D level)

– Get plenty of sleep, don’t smoke, reduce stress and be sure to exercise.  In women who go through early menopause, weight training is just as important as cardio because of the risk of osteoporosis.

So, for many reasons, especially what I discussed above, I’m going to start Weight Watchers tomorrow or Saturday – whenever I have more time to get weighed in.  I don’t go to the meetings – I have 2 apps on my phone that I use to keep track of my points.  My goal is to lose 20-25 pounds.  I’m also going to start walking on the treadmill everyday until I’m cleared to run and start lifting weights again.  This will probably happen in 3 weeks when I see Dr. Serletti again.  I have a goal of running a 5K before the end of the summer.  I hate running for no reason.  Give me a soccer ball or a basketball and there is a purpose.  But, I’m forcing myself to do this.  Completing a 5K will probably be more difficult for me than kicking cancer’s ass!

I can’t find the words to express to you how important it is to be your own advocate.  Ask plenty of questions and become familiar with your bodies and your diagnosis.  Read up on things.  If you’re unable to do this yourself, find someone who the knowledge who can help you.  It’s so important.  It’s your life so take charge of it.

 

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.”  – Vince Lombardi Jr.

LIVESTRONG and God Bless!