Hmmmm a Head CT

Last Friday turned out to be an adventure. It started off at the inhuman hour of 7:30 when I had to be injected with the radioactive tracer for a bone scan. That took 4 pokes. The nuclear medicine tech diagnosed me with self-preserving veins.  My veins look beautiful and feel great but as soon as the needle pokes into my skin the vein disappears. Yay.
The scan itself was uneventful and I'm happy to report that yet again I did not get squashed.

The needle fun continued Friday afternoon with my herceptin treatment. Four more pokes.

I'm going to blame it on dehydration since it has been warm here for a while. It is definitely not an indicator that it is time to get a port. I'm positive of that.

My parents were in Victoria for the weekend so Ian and I had weekend access with the pets.  Thank goodness when we get the animals back we will be in a house. I suspect they would both rebel if we tried to move them back into a condo after their summer at Pender.
I can just see Orchid riding Jasper as they try to find the ferry to go back to Pender. Although, I could also see that after they pack their food they both decide to dive into their kibble and gorge themselves so they don't get very far.

On Monday I had recovered sufficiently from my needle trauma and I decided to try making fig newtons. Mmmmmmmm........they turned out fantastic. I'd be really nice and post the recipe for anyone that would like to give them a try but I mashed about 7 recipes together and then made some changes, sorry :-P

And......that brings us to today. I know, I'm skipping Tuesday but that's because Tuesday was totally uninteresting. Ian did make a yummy ling cod curry, but that was the only excitement.

Today I got a call from my oncologist with the results of my bone scan.  There was something suspicious that showed up near the base of my skull on the right side. The scan wasn't totally conclusive, but was a flag that more investigation is needed. Sooooo, that means I am on the list for a head CT scan. I assume it is the same as a regular CT it just scans my head. We shall see.

There was also a little more brightness in a couple places on my spine but my oncologist is not totally convinced that means anything. It is always more difficult to compare scans done on different machines so there is always a chance that is part of the issue.

For now I just wait for the CT scan and then we go from there. If there are signs of progression it may mean dropping the tamoxifen and moving on to an aromatase inhibitor which will continue to decrease my estrogen production. Goodie, that means the wonderful hot flashes will continue but at least that isn't more chemo.

As a fun activity, I am heading to Portland in a week and a half with a couple of friends to take in the Portland International Beerfest. I can't wait! It will be a great way to have time pass while waiting to find out what is going on in my skull.

Ok, my hot flashes seem to be in a lull so I can get some sleep. Good night :-)

2 Years

July 13th went by very quietly for me. Two years ago I received my initial breast cancer diagnosis. I know many breast cancer patients who celebrate each year on their cancerversary to mark that they have managed to beat the disease for another year. I am so thankful that at 2 years I am stable, my treatment is tolerable, and a can lead a somewhat normal life.
At the same time I wish I didn't have to celebrate this anniversary. Truly an anniversary that is a double edged sword.

Ian and I are now officially living in Victoria. We emptied out our condo

and put most of our stuff into storage as we have taken over my parents' condo. The pets are having a wonderful summer at Pender, and Jasper looks pretty impressive with his haircut

At the end of August we will be moving into our new to us house.  We have found a place out in Central Saanich so we are close to the ferry and the airport. It's not an 18 minute train ride to the airport like it was in Vancouver, but it is close enough. Our front window looks out over a horse farm with a red barn so it will be a big change from downtown condo living.
I wonder how long it will take for Jasper to stop barking at the horses.

In the mean time, Ian and I drove down to Manzanita, Oregon for a wedding.  The weather was pretty horrible on the way down but the rain went away in time for the beach ceremony.

We are now settling into island life. It is definitely more relaxed than Vancouver and even going for treatment is different. In Vancouver the chemo unit was divided up into about 15 rooms containing 2 to 4 infusion chairs per room. In Victoria the infusion area is one big room with 12 or 14 infusion chairs.

I have my own volunteer that I share with a couple other patients. My volunteer meets me in the waiting room and points out which chairs are empty for me to choose from.  The volunteers also get us patients coffee or warm blankets or magazines if needed.

I apparently made an impression before I had my first treatment. When I went to chemo reception to get checked in for my first treatment in Victoria, I got an "Ohhhh.....the lady that just moved here from Vancouver....." That didn't sound promising. Turns out the Vancouver Centre was very slow in sending my chart over and the receptionist didn't receive it until the afternoon before my scheduled appointment. I was warned the receptionist and clerk will be keeping their eyes on me to make sure I don't cause more trouble. :-P

I have also been enjoying the beautiful weather and the Songhees Walkway

 and I have been visiting the inner harbour, the Parliament Buildings,

the Empress,

and the random totem poles.

The next big thing is a bone scan next Friday. I am aiming for another stable result.