I had bloodwork and an appointment with my medical oncologist today.

Dr. Sehdev walked in the room and was shocked to see I still have a full head of hair!! (My hair was really big today – you all know what that looks like!!). He said “maybe you’ll be one of the 2% that doesn’t lose it.” Wouldn’t that be nice!!

My blood results were good. My white blood cell count only dropped by a very small amount (meaning my body is responding to the Neulasta), my platelets dropped but are still at a good level. My hemoglobin has dropped below the normal level but not by too much. It is only the white blood cells and platelet level that can delay chemo. If my hemoglobin gets low they just give me a transfusion. Overall, Dr. Sehdev was very happy with my blood work. Therefore, chemo is a go tomorrow.

Now for the breast best news – both biopsies in my left breast were benign!! (Happy Dance!)

There’s just one new small challenge.  When I go to an appointment I meet with the Resident first. He asks a ton of questions and examines me. I mentioned that I had a headache for 4-5 days after chemo.  Chemo can do that.  However the headache came back.  I’ve been waking up with a splitting headache the last few days.  I never get headaches.  I mentioned this really not thinking it was a big deal at all.  However, it could be.  Therefore, Dr. Sehdev has ordered a brain MRI.  His concern is that triple negative breast cancer tends to metastasize to the brain.  He said that a headache after chemo can be normal but it shouldn’t come back.  There’s no way chemo would still be causing the headaches the last few days.  Of course it could be a number of things but he feels it’s important to rule this out.  I was totally taken aback!!! Not for one second did I connect the headache with anything other than the fact I’ve been going through a lot and likely my body is still being affected by the chemo.

It has set me back a wee bit.  I’m sure like the breast biopsy it will be fine.

It makes me realize that every little thing I feel or unusual pain I have, is going to set off an alarm. It’s a bit of an unnerving way to live.

I couldn’t muster up the will to go for my planned skate. Maybe tomorrow before chemo.

I check my pillow every morning now. I was told I should start losing my hair anytime from day 10 onward (it is now day 13) . No signs yet!

I had a great weekend. I am feeling so much better so I really took advantage of it. For all I know I may not feel like this again for a year.

I went to a second wig shop on Saturday. I have a couple of good options.
It turns out I have somewhat of a limited selection since most wigs don’t have as much hair as I do. I have been advised to hold off buying a wig until I start losing my hair since they don’t fit properly right now. Once I start losing hair, I will get my head shaved. Some people are proactive and get it shaved before it starts falling out… I can’t bring myself to do that. Instead, every morning I check my pillow and try to come to terms with all of this.

After wig shopping I bundled up and went for a cold but FABULOUS 15.2K canal skate with a friend. (We are so lucky to live in this great but cold city.) I am certainly not moving at my normal speed but still passed a lot of people which made me feel strong (but as I have to keep reminding my friends – “I am not competitive”). I NEED to feel strong right now!! I find I can’t get my heart rate up too much – just doesn’t feel right.

It was -30 with the wind chill so I had every body part covered.

Sunday was a full day, starting with a Home Care appointment to clean and flush my Picc and check my biopsy sites. Then out for breakfast with a friend, Costco (right at store opening to avoid the crowds), snow shoveling (lots of snow but a friend helped), cleaned and organized the garage, laundry and house work. Getting ready for my next Chemo is like getting ready to go away for a few weeks! I feel pressure to get everything taken care of.

I then went for solo skate on the canal. Once again if was in the minus 30s with the wind. It was tough, there was a lot of snow on the canal and the wind was a challenge – made it downtown and back but didn’t go as far as Saturday. After the skate I headed to a friends for dinner. I got home just as my Aunt Debbie arrived. She has come to stay with m until Jan 24th to help for the the post chemo days.

I fell into bed exhausted. It was worth it. I had a day much like a pre-chemo day. That felt so good for the mind!!

I am really hoping I can get one more skate in before Chemo tomorrow. Current temperature is -24, -39 with the wind chill. So I will wait for late afternoon when it will be a balmy -30 with the wind.

Today, I am off to the Cancer Centre to see my Medical Oncologist, have some blood work to ensure my white blood cell and platelet levels are high enough to have Chemo tomorrow, then off to the hospital pharmacy to pick up all the home drugs I need for this round. I am hoping the cancer blood lab is willing to do my genetic testing blood work as well. It will save me a trip back to the CHEO blood lab and yet another poke in the arm. (FYI, the blood lab can’t use my Picc line for taking blood – which sucks).

I have been feeling so much better the last three days. My energy level is way up. Yay!! I have done a bit of baking, cooking and grocery shopping. My appetite has come back which is good because I lost 5 pounds last week.

Monday one of my friends picked me up so I could attend book club. I wasn’t able to read the book (I couldn’t read, watch Netflix or basically move last week) but after being house bound for so many days I thought it would be great to get out. It was! So nice to be surrounded by these wonderful ladies.

I managed to get out for a skate on the canal on Tuesday night with a couple of friends (Dow’s Lake to the end and back). Invigorating for my body, mind and soul!!

Wednesday I tried to skate ski at Mooney’s Bay but the wind gusts were crazy. There were mounds of snow covering the groomed section. It was particularly challenging given I can only ski with one pole (I have a Picc line in my right arm that is used to administer chemo and I am not to do any repetitive movements), so I abandoned the effort after 20 minutes. I was satisfied with 20 minutes – still better than nothing.

I came to the conclusion that I need to take a leave from work. I had hoped to try and do some work during chemo but given the first round pretty much took me out for 6 days with crushing fatigue. I just didn’t see how I could do much work. Particularly, since my chemo is every 2 weeks (versus the typical 3 weeks) and I have doctor appointments and tests in between. Basically, I realized that fighting cancer is a full time job! I have spent the last couple of days working that out with my company and figuring out the paperwork required. The company has been INCREDIBLE, so supportive. I am very grateful that I work for such a great company. There is a reason Sparkrock has won the “Great Place to Work” award for 3 years in a row.

https://www.greatplacetowork.ca/images/article/Globe-and-Mail-Best-Workplaces-2018.pdf

Today, I had my Genetic Testing appointment. I met with a doctor for over an hour who did a detailed interview to gather my family and health history and then went over all the details of what they look for, what kind of results you might see and the pro’s and con’s. Quite complicated. The process will be expedited in my case – since it could impact surgery decisions. Apparently I will have results in 8-10 weeks. I just have some blood work to complete.

After that appointment I went to the “Look Good, Feel Good” session at the Regional Cancer Centre to learn about personal care during cancer treatments. Things like makeup, how to draw on eyebrows and eye liner. It was informative, particular around the treatment of makeup. During chemo you can’t apply lipstick normally. You should use spatula. You have to throw out mascara monthly (or use the disposable brushes). Basically, ever application needs to have new tools. Theses sessions are funded by cosmetics companies.. I received a huge bag of product.

I also learned about wigs.. which apparently I will need to start wearing next week.

This is a long post, but stay with me to the end folks…this could save someones life. At a minimum, it could save them going through what I am going through.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women [1]. It is well established that early detection reduces breast cancer deaths [2]. Estimates indicate a nearly 40% breast cancer mortality reduction when screening women annually starting at age 40 [3].

Last night I worked on my blog page on Breast Density (still needs work, but it is a start ). The goal is to spread the word on the need for women to understand their breast density. Density is related to both cancer risk and the challenge of catching cancer at an early stage. Women with dense breasts, like myself, need more frequent scans. Mammograms alone don’t cut it since a tumour can be obscured (picture looking for a snow ball in a blizzard). Europe is way ahead in terms of the scanning protocol for women with dense breasts. The US finally got there in January 2018. Thirty states now have “density notification” laws requiring women to be informed of their breast density, many mandating that women be informed that additional screening can detect cancer not visible with mammography [10]. Unfortunately, Canada is WAY behind and women are at risk because of it. The challenge is our medical system is already so stressed!

The issue of dense breast tissue and its impact on both breast cancer risk and mammographic limitation is increasingly being featured in the media. In Canada the Dense Breast Canada is lobbying for change:

http://www.densebreastscanada.ca/

I don’t only want this blog to be an avenue for keeping friends and family informed of my journey. Nor just a cathartic outlet to help me deal with my many emotions and random thoughts. I also want to share information that can educate and help others. I am curious by nature and interested in a great many topics related to health so I figure this can be an opportunity to share what I have learned and continue to discover.

Ok, now that I have that off my chest (tee hee hee)… to get to my point:
Despite everything that I have explained, Canada is taking a step backwards. There are proposed changes to the breast screening program that will put more women at risk…

New guidelines anger breast cancer experts, saying more women may die. @JoanneCTV reports #ottnews https://t.co/zgfTIgaXwo

— CTV Ottawa (@ctvottawa) January 18, 2019

You can view this here as well:

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/breast-cancer-experts-urge-women-to-get-mad-over-new-breast-cancer-screening-guidelines-1.4258391

We need to take action to stop the changes proposed to the breast scanning program in Canada. We need to get involved. Please read the above article, watch the video and share with friends and family. Let’s stop these changes!!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton