When I saw my regular doctor last Wednesday, we had some time to sit and chat, which was nice. This doctor prescribes my diabetes meds and keeps track of my general health. Today he took some blood to check my A1c and to run a panel for cholesterol, liver, kidneys, etc., things that my oncologist doesn’t look at every month.
We discussed my fatigue and depression, and he suggested I get B12 shots. He told me to look it up online when I got home, and if it is something that I want to do, to call my oncologist and ask if I can have B12 shots while on iBrance and Faslodex. I have been suffering for months, so I am willing to try anything to feel better and not so disconnected from myself.
There is an overwhelming amount of information about B12 online. Some of the data is favorable, and some is not, depending on your general health and reason for taking B12. My doctor has had very positive results with his patients who are suffering from both fatigue and depression like I am. B12 shots will not interfere with iBrance or Faslodex, so I decided to go ahead and try them, hoping to improve my overall well-being. Today I had my first shot, and I will have four more over the next month.
A healthy intake of B-12, whether in a normal diet, through a supplement, or via injection, can help a cancer patient recover. It can also help reduce the risk of cancers in healthy people. In most cases, the body only absorbs the amount of B-12 it needs and naturally discards the rest.
I will keep you updated on my results over the next few weeks.
I had my second PET scan on Friday since starting iBrance and Faslodex. I wasn’t nervous about the scan; that part is relatively easy; it’s the uncertainty and having to wait to see my oncologist for the results that is the most difficult part. I also deal with pain during my scan because ever since my first surgery in April 2019, I have had pain when raising my arms over my head, which can become very uncomfortable when I have to stay still in that position for more than a few minutes.
Unfortunately, PET Scans are not as quick and easy as getting X-rays. From checking in to registering, going through the scan process to leaving, I was there for 3 hours. I go alone to the appointments because my husband can’t go back with me while I am being scanned, so it doesn’t make sense for him to be there. He goes with me to my oncologist appointment after my scan, so he will be with me when I get my results. I never know what to expect, so it is comforting to have him with me, no matter what the results turn out to be.
Until I faced breast cancer in 2019, I had never had surgery, a biopsy, a CT Scan, a Bone Scan – Nuclear Medicine, or a PET Scan. I have learned so much in the last three years and eight months about things I wish I had never had to experience. I share as much information as I can with my readers because I want you to not only understand what I have been through and what I am going through now as a stage 4 metastatic breast cancer patient but also to help those who are going through the same journey. It is terrifying when you don’t know what to expect, and you are overwhelmed with information. I try to make it a little easier for those interested in getting the information needed to help themselves through whatever they may be facing or helping a friend or loved one through a difficult time.
What is a PET Scan?
A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that can help reveal the metabolic or biochemical function of your tissues and organs. The PET scan uses a radioactive drug (tracer) to show both normal and abnormal metabolic activity. A PET scan can often detect the abnormal metabolism of the tracer in diseases before the disease shows up on other imaging tests, such as computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The tracer is most often injected into a vein within your hand or arm. The tracer will then collect into areas of your body that have higher levels of metabolic or biochemical activity, which often pinpoints the location of the disease.
Why it’s done
A PET scan is an effective way to help identify a variety of conditions, including cancer, heart disease and brain disorders. Your doctor can use this information to help diagnose, monitor or treat your condition.
Cancer
Cancer cells show up as bright spots on PET scans because they have a higher metabolic rate than do normal cells. PET scans may be useful in:
Detecting cancer
Revealing whether your cancer has spread
Checking whether a cancer treatment is working
Finding a cancer recurrence
PET scans must be interpreted carefully because noncancerous conditions can look like cancer, and some cancers do not appear on PET scans. Many types of solid tumors can be detected by PET-CT and PET-MRI scans, including:
Brain
Breast
Cervical
Colorectal
Esophageal
Head and neck
Lung
Lymphatic system
Pancreatic
Prostate
Skin
Thyroid
Heart disease
PET scans can reveal areas of decreased blood flow in the heart. This information can help you and your doctor decide, for example, whether you might benefit from a procedure to open clogged heart arteries (angioplasty) or coronary artery bypass surgery.
Brain disorders
PET scans can be used to evaluate certain brain disorders, such as tumors, Alzheimer’s disease and seizures.
Risks
For your PET scan, a radioactive drug (tracer) will be injected into a vein. Because the amount of radiation you’re exposed to in the tracer is small, the risk of negative effects from the radiation is low. But the tracer might:
Expose your unborn baby to radiation if you are pregnant
Expose your child to radiation if you are breastfeeding
Cause an allergic reaction, although this is rare
Talk with your doctor about the benefits and risks of a PET scan.
How you prepare
Tell your doctor:
If you’ve ever had a bad allergic reaction
If you’ve been sick recently or you have another medical condition, such as diabetes
If you’re taking any medications, vitamins or herbal supplements
If you’re pregnant or you think you might be pregnant
If you’re breastfeeding
If you’re afraid of enclosed spaces (claustrophobic)
Your doctor will give you detailed instructions on how to prepare for your scan. A general rule is to avoid strenuous exercise for a couple of days before the scan and to only drink water after midnight before the day of the scan.
What you can expect
The PET-CT or PET-MRI scanner is a large machine that looks a little like a giant doughnut standing upright, similar to CT or MRI scanners.
From start to finish, the procedure takes about two hours to complete and typically does not require an overnight hospital stay. When you arrive for your scan, you may be asked to:
Change into a hospital gown
Empty your bladder
A member of your health care team injects the radioactive drug (tracer) into a vein in your arm or hand. You may briefly feel a cold sensation moving up your arm. You rest and remain silent in a reclining chair for 30 to 60 minutes while the tracer is absorbed by your body.
During the procedure
When you are ready, you lie on a narrow, padded table that slides into the part of the scanner that looks like a doughnut hole. During the scan you must be very still so that the images aren’t blurred. It takes about 30 minutes to complete a PET-CT scan and 45 minutes for a PET-MRI scan. The machine makes buzzing and clicking sounds.
The test is painless. If you’re afraid of enclosed spaces, you may feel some anxiety while in the scanner. Be sure to tell the nurse or technologist about any anxiety causing you discomfort. He or she may give you a drug to help you relax.
After the procedure
After the test you can carry on with your day as usual, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. You’ll need to drink plenty of fluids to help flush the tracer from your body.
Results
A doctor specially trained to interpret scan images (radiologist) will report the findings to your doctor.
The radiologist may compare your PET images with images from other tests you’ve undergone recently, such as MRI or CT. Or the PET images may be combined to provide more detail about your condition.
I hope this explanation of PET scans helps you to understand what is involved and what cancer patients go through as a regular part of their care. Depending on the type of cancer and the treatment plan, most cancer patients are scanned every three to six months. I am scanned every four months because my cancer, in both 2019 and currently, has proven to be aggressive, so my oncologist feels that every three months is too often, but every six months is too long between scans, making both him and me nervous.
I will post again once I have my results, but in the meantime, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. Thank you for being here! 💕
So a few days ago, I had my monthly oncologist appointment to chat with my doctor, have my blood checked, and get my Faslodex injections. I know that my doctor worries when his patients lose weight, so I was quick to tell him that my hubby and I have been doing Keto for the last three weeks. He was both happy and relieved to hear the news because it explained my 7lb loss since my appointment a month ago. Overall I am feeling much better, and a lot of it is thanks to Keto. Eating fresh food 95% of the time has made a big difference in my well-being. It takes a lot of planning, and it has easily doubled our grocery bill, but we are not eating out, so the cost increase is really only due to the ridiculous price of food.
I have been posting pictures and recipes on our Facebook page, M&M Bistro Recipies, for a few years, and now I am adding some of the Keto recipes we have recently discovered as we change our lifestyle to a healthier way of eating.
As far as my bloodwork is concerned, it is a little worse. My white blood cell count dropped a little more from last month, so my ANC dropped as well to 1.3, and it should be at 1.5 or higher. There is no need for significant concern at this time, but if it continues to drop, I may have to change to the weaker dose of iBrance, which would be from 100mg to 75mg. There isn’t anything I can do to help my white blood cell count rise, so we will wait and see where it is in September and go from there. My red blood cell count is lower, but that only affects my energy level, which has not been the best but is improving thanks to eating healthier.
I have had quite a few people reach out to me recently to ask me questions about my experience over the last 3 1/2 years concerning going through breast cancer, being cancer-free, and then having cancer return. I am always open to helping others through such a difficult and confusing time as it can be with a breast cancer diagnosis. With that said, please do not hesitate to contact me, and as always, thank you for being here.
I am sorry that I have been away from here for over five months. I have been dealing with some complicated things, and it has been challenging for me to come here and write about them. This is where I can release my thoughts with the hope of feeling better, but I haven’t been able to do that until now. Even now, I might not share everything with you because I feel like I can’t. I know I said that I would always be very open with my readers when I started this blog, but some things have happened that I am not comfortable with sharing just yet, and I may never be. With all of that said, here is a quick recap of my appointment with my surgeon in September and my oncologist in December of 2021.
In September, I had my annual mammogram and ultrasound followed by an appointment with my surgeon to find out the imaging results and have my yearly checkup. My imaging was clear, and my exam went well. My scars are fading; everything has healed beautifully and looks as it should, so that was excellent news! I have noticed that many women I know who have gone through breast cancer have a mammogram and ultrasound every six months, where I have them every 12 months, so I asked my surgeon about it. He said that it is unnecessary to have them more often than 12 months unless I notice an issue. As usual, my surgeon answered my questions and put my mind at ease, reminding me that I have the best doctor for me and my needs.
My appointment with my oncologist in December was both good and frustrating. Around Thanksgiving, I started having pain on the left side of my head, and at times it hurt so bad that I had to take some of the oxycodone that I had leftover from my surgeries and chemo. The pain went from just outside of my ear, up the side of my head, and over to the top of my head. My oncologist wasn’t overly concerned about me having a tumor in my brain but to be sure, I had an MRI just before Christmas. My MRI came back clear, so that was frustrating only because I had no explanation for the pain and discomfort I was in 24/7 by that time. So the pain continued until suddenly, one day in mid-January, I realized that the pain was gone, and it has not come back since. I still have no idea of what was causing me so much pain, but I am so happy that it is gone. The good parts about my appointment are that my blood panels came back normal for the first time since I started chemo in May 2019. Even more good news is that on October 3rd, the day of my final chemo treatment in 2019, I reached my first significant milestone; I made it to my second anniversary of being cancer-free! I am incredibly grateful that I have made it through the first two years, and I am hopeful that I will continue to stay healthy and cancer-free until my next milestone in another three years, at five years.
If you know me on Facebook, you know what has happened in the past two days; if you don’t, please read my next post which will be posted later tonight, where I explain what is happening with me now.
When I had my appointment with my oncologist on August 5th, I was hoping that my red blood cell count would finally be in the normal range, but it isn’t quite there yet. I wasn’t too surprised as I have been tired lately and not feeling the greatest. At this point, nothing but time will help, so I am trying to be patient.
I am still having a lot of issues with my memory. It seems like only my short-term memory is being affected, but it is starting to drive me crazy. My oncologist asked me if I am still “fuzzy,” and I said that yes, I am still having issues. So, I am taking a week off Anastrozole to see if it helps clear my head or not.
Once I have my next appointment in December, I will finally be on a different schedule with my oncologist. I will switch from seeing him every three or four months to every six months. I am making progress, and it feels good!
Hi, I can’t believe that we are already in July and that it has been over three months since I published a post here! In my defense, I can tell you that I have had a lot going on since the middle of April.
In early May, I started looking for a house to move to because with the housing market going crazy, I was sure that the owner of the house we had been renting for the last six years would want to sell. About a week later, my suspicions were confirmed by a phone call from the owner. Finding a house was challenging because the home would be listed online, and not even 24 hours later, there were multiple applications on it. Right before we were due to leave on vacation, we went to see a house, and it was perfect! At first, we didn’t know if we had gotten it, but right before we flew out of town, we received the news that we had been approved and would get the keys on June 1st after we returned from vacation. So, my time was filled with stress from looking for a house and then getting ready to go on vacation, but it was worth it because we have moved into a house that is perfect for us and our vacation was wonderful!
While on vacation, we renewed our wedding vows on our 17th anniversary, and everything was perfect on our special day! Ocho Rios, Jamaica, is one of our favorite places to relax and reconnect with each other, so why not renew our vows while there. We were supposed to renew our vows two years ago, but between my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in 2019 and Covid causing the world to stop in 2020, we had to post phone our trip and ceremony until this year.
I will update you with everything that has been going on over a few different posts in the coming days, which will include a huge milestone, a follow-up appointment with my surgeon, and how I am doing these days.
I will be back soon! 🙂
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