Yew and me

enchanted by Cate

Monday was to be a magnificent day. I was scheduled to go in to the Breast Cancer Center and have a few blood tests and a chemo teach, then meet with the study director to get myself enrolled in ALLTO that same day. Low and behold, another pothole in the road! Someone screwed up when they ordered my tests last week. While I was indeed supposed to have the ECHOcardiogram (a sonogram of the heart), I was also supposed to have an EKG (ELECTROcardiogram). My bad - I thought the echo was an EKG, but hey, I'm no doctor. And then they said I needed it done the same day to get into the study. I was fuming! Too many administrative mistakes with these people, and then they make absurd excuses instead of fessing up. There is not one character trait that I hate more than a dirty little liar. A poor one, at that. So, we ran around all day, working out the kinks and getting things done. And they did.

Tuesday, I received the news about the study. I made it into the group that receives only Herceptin, which is the standard of treatment without the study. I was randomized, and fate (in the form of a computer) led me on this path. I am content with fate's decision and am rather comfortable not being a guinea pig (though I would have done that as well). I am happy to contribute to medical science in this instance. Most importantly, not being in one of the Lapatinib groups leaves the door open for, knock on wood, using the Lapatanib in the future should it be necessary to further my treatment.

Come today, I started off the day (early!! 5:15a.m.) with some fresh-squeezed OJ, hecho con amor, and a delicious pita with almond butter and Bonne Maman strawberry jam. Yum! A delicious way to start out the day. We headed to the doctor for my 8:30 appointment and I had my first infusion of the new drugs - Decadron and a hideous amount of Benadryl to negate an allergy to the chemo, Taxol, and Herceptin (the hormone therapy). Taxol is "a complex di-terpene purified from the bark and needles of the Pacific yew tree. Approximately one gram of pure taxol is available from three to four trees, each 60 to 100 years old." Thank you, yew tree. I owe you one.

I was stuck at the doctor, literally, until 2pm! It was a long infusion day, since they do it very slowly the first time around. Herein starts the treatments once a week, though next week will be the normal three hours.

My favorite cousin Dani and my new cousin-in-law Victor are here from San Diego, and we're about to have some authentic homemade Mexican cuisine... so I'm off to be a glutton... chao, amorcitos!