5 days later

I was feeling guilty that I hadn't updated this blog since I received my first round of chemo...I got online to tell everyone was Friday was like & saw that I did update Friday night! I don't really remember doing that but the blog is good & I can't find anything I would change so I'll let you know about the days since.

I received chemo on Friday & didn't notice anything irregular. I was tired but attributed that to working the night before & took a normal nap when we got home. Saturday was ok. My energy was starting to fall but I didn't really notice anything else. I did go out & do some stuff with the kids but I think everyone noticed I was running in a lower gear. Sunday was rough. I did manage to make it to church & to lunch, but I fell asleep while we were waiting for our table at the restaurant. I woke up to eat some dinner which I couldn't really taste & then went back to sleep. Monday I was feeling about like I did on Saturday - just run down. I did work on Monday night & while I didn't like it, it wasn't unbearable. Tuesday I slept most of the day but when I woke up that afternoon I felt ok & today (Wednesday) I have really felt pretty normal.

Side effects - the biggest two I was warned about were nausea/vomiting and fatigue. I didn't have any nausea. I have been very tired & very thirsty. I constantly have a glass of water with me. I did notice some differences in how food tastes Sat - Mon. Things were just very bland but I didn't want to eat anyway. I also have had some heartburn, a pretty consistent mild headache, and have felt pretty "foggy" at times  - like I can't remember exactly what I want to say or get the right word out. I've heard all of this is normal so I'm anxious to see if anything new appears when I got back for round 2 next Friday.

I got the call on Monday that my genetic test results are in & I did test positive for the BRCA2 genetic mutation. This mutation means that I'm much more likely to develop breast cancer in the other breast later, as well as carrying a higher likelihood of developing ovarian cancer so the surgeon is recommending a bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts) as well as removing my ovaries. This is the same reason Angelina Jolie had her mastectomy so you might have heard of the BRCA gene. This has been a lot of take in but it doesn't change anything regarding my current treatment & I will continue doing what I'm doing. Surgery was always something that would probably happen in January, now it's just a bigger surgery than what was originally planned.

Tomorrow I have my bone scan & Friday I'll meet with my oncologist again & see how my labs are running. Thanks again for all the thoughts & prayers, cards, and for the two families from church that brought us dinner on Sunday & Monday night. It's such a blessing to know that those areas are being taken care of, even when I don't feel up to it.