Today was my 10th treatment of Taxol, only 2 more to go. Oddly, I had a small reaction to the pre-med of Benadryl this time around, which I've been receiving for the past 9 weeks without issue. Chemo is weird that way. Things can change quickly. It was controlled quickly, my blood pressure came down, and we proceeded with treatment. They will lower the dose of Benadryl next week.
I had 4 appointments today, so it was a busy day. I met with my oncology provider, lab, and infusion which are part of the normal process, but in between those appointments, I also had an appointment with a surgeon. Surgery is an inevitable part of this process and one I haven't talked much about yet. With other forms of breast cancer, often surgery is done first (often a mastectomy) and then chemo is done afterwards to kill what ever cancer cells are left. With triple-negative breast cancer, in many treatment plans, the opposite course of action is taken. It's chemo first and surgery last due in part to the aggressive nature of this form of cancer.
I was nervous about this appointment today because I'm very unsettled about the decision of surgery. The surgeon I met with today was the first provider I met when I was diagnosed back in November. She delivered the news to me and gave me the details about the diagnosis. It didn't go that well. She was very nervous about telling me that it was triple negative breast cancer, and I was very confused about what that meant and why I was meeting with a surgeon if I was going to have chemo first. No one has talked to me about surgery since that day 5 months ago, so I didn't know what to expect for today.
With my previous apprehension, much prayer, and Greg at my side, I met with the surgeon today, and God answered many prayers in that appointment. I did know ahead of time that the choices in surgery would be lumpectomy or mastectomy. If I choose lumpectomy, it would be followed by a course of radiation. If I choose a mastectomy, it would be followed by reconstructive surgery. I wasn't excited about either of these options.
The surgeon couldn't have been kinder or more compassionate in today's appointment (she even asked to hug me at the end of it). She spent a lot of time with the two of us and answered all our questions. She gave me referrals to all the team members (plastic surgery, radiation oncology) so I could gather more information before I made a decision. Surgery can't be done until at least 4 weeks after chemo ends (to give the body some time to recover), so it will take place sometime in June but has not been scheduled yet. By the grace and provision of God, I feel more ready to make a decision about surgery and a little more at ease.
It was a full day, and I was grateful to have Greg with me through all of it. It has become our habit to take a picture together at each chemo appointment and today was no exception.
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