Moving forward...

Yesterday, I met with Dr. Albertini to discuss starting inteferon. I first had lab work (came back normal). I also had a chest x-ray. The chest x-ray revealed a small, subtle spot on my right lung. The doctors are not too concerned about it because it is so faint. It showed up on my front to back x-ray, but not on my side x-ray. When I got home yesterday, I called Dr. Albertini to remind him that I had a chest x-ray prior to my surgery. He called me back and said that he compared the two chest x-rays and there was no spot on my right lung two months ago. So, next week, I will have another CT scan to rule out anything on my lung.

So, we discussed the inteferon. I guess I will be getting a heavy duty dose, so the doctors are preparing me for the worst... basically a month of having a bad case of the flu and being exhausted. The treatments will last 40 minutes each day. And, then, I will have weekly labs and visits with Albertini to monitor how things are going. After getting the whole run down from a room full of doctors, I said, "O.K., so now tell me something POSITIVE!" The doctors are all about preparing for you for the worst, which is quite draining to sit there and listen to. Dr. Albertini said the positive was that I am doing the absolute best thing to prevent the cancer from coming back.

Radiation is almost done... only two treatments left! I'm experiencing a lot of discomfort. My skin is really red and raw. My skin is blistering in the creases of the skin on my neck, which is very uncomfortable and woke me up a lot last night. The radiation will continue working for a week after my treatment ends. My doctor said my skin might get worse before it gets better. So, I'm prepared to deal with the discomfort and inflammation for another week or so and then on to healing. :)

My treatment starts on Monday, March 2nd. So, now we begin preparing for that month... meals, childcare, etc.. It's so hard to know what to expect and how much help we will need. Todd is considering taking a little time off of work (maybe a few half days or something). My mom will also be staying with us the first week. I am also going to meet with an Acupunctuist to help manage the side effects... hopefully it will help!

So, that's the update on the next phase of my treatment. Please continue to keep our family in your thoughts and prayers!

Much love,
Kim