Tag Archives: chemo

REMISSION!, Chemo #5 & Radiation

5 Replies

I mentioned in my previous post that because I’m no longer pregnant, my doctors would be able to fully treat me without holding back. I finally had my first PET scan on Monday and I went in expecting the worst so I wouldn’t be disappointed. I thought I would have progress on my mass shrinking, but I expected my oncologist to change my regimen to something more intense. To my complete shock, it came up negative for cancer cells. This means after four chemo treatments, I am in REMISSION!

This is not the end of my cancer journey though. I still have to finish my remaining chemo treatments (had treatment #5 on Wednesday and the the sixth and last one is the first week of April) and as well as have radiation. This will help reduce the chances of the cancer returning. But knowing I’m in remission is amazing, motivating news that a huge milestone has been met. Roberto and I wept when we received the news and are still in complete shock.

Chemo #5 (Singing this to the tune of Mambo #5)

My oncologist informed me we will not be changing my chemo regimen. There wasn’t enough information to know if changing the regimen would prove to be beneficial, so we would continue with R-CHOP. I’m finally able to have chemo done outpatient now, so I can get the whole infusion in a day and sleep in my own bed at night! Leading up to this, I feared changing my regimen as it would have been 5 day regimen done inpatient that would keep me away from my newborn and family.

I had my treatment on Wednesday. Overall, getting R-CHOP done post pregnancy and outpatient was fortunately uneventful. I had no reactions to the drugs and I was done in 6.5 hours. It’s hard to believe I only have one more chemo treatment to go after this. Last treatment is April 5!

My mass has shrunk from 16cm down to 4cm after 4 chemo treatments. The remaining 4cm is assumed to be dead cells since the PET scan came up negative for cancer cells. One of the doctors showed me my CT scan from when I was initially diagnosed. The mass was huge, taking up space between my heart and lungs, wrapping itself around airways and blood vessels. It grew aggressively and quickly. I’m fortunate I did not pass out or have something worse happen due to lack of oxygen or blood to my body.

Radiation

After I’m done with all 6 chemo treatments, I will start radiation. This is probably set to start around the end of April and finish sometime in May. have a consultation with radiation oncology once I’m done with chemo to learn more. I hope to be done before my maternity leave is over at the end of May.

Family Life

Joel has been a very easy baby. He sleeps a lot and eats well. This has made the transition to 2 kids easier because he doesn’t demand too much attention (yet). Maybe I’m more relaxed because he’s not the first baby. Camila is still warming up to him. She likes to touch his feet and bring him toys. She’s okay with me holding Joel but got jealous when Roberto held him.

Top row is Camila and bottom row is Joel.

Prayers Answered

There have been dozens, if not hundreds, of people praying, thinking, rooting and sending their positive vibes to me and Joel. People I don’t even know and have never met were hoping for Joel’s healthy birth and that I overcome cancer. I’m so grateful for all this support. There was a moment last week when Roberto and I felt defeated. We wanted all this to be over. Although we are not done, some of our prayers have been answered and it gives us hope to continue. I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. My cancer journey isn’t over yet but I have a healthy baby and the wonderful news that I’m in remission!

Four Down and Baby Comes Next!

3 Replies

I had my fourth chemo treatment on February 8th. This is my last chemo treatment before delivering! After I deliver, I will then complete 2 more chemo treatments. There are a lot of changes coming up for my family and I.

Treatment #4

Things went pretty smoothly for my fourth treatment. I had no immediate side effects from the chemo and I felt like back to ‘normal’ after I left the hospital. In a way, each treatment is kind of unknown how I’ll be. Maybe I’ll be tired, maybe not. So far I’ve made it this far with only a handful of days feeling fatigued, so I’m grateful for this success. You really wouldn’t know I had cancer if it wasn’t for my bald head!

I think what I hate the most about chemo treatment is getting poked with the huge IV needles. Even though I’ve done it a bunch of times, I still cringe at the thought of it each time the needle goes in. This really isn’t much to be upset about in the grand scheme of things.

Here Comes Baby

As of now, the plan is to deliver the baby at 36 weeks, on or around the week of March 4th. It’s hard to believe we only have a couple more weeks as a family of three. Once the new baby is here, our family dynamics and routines will definitely change. I’m certain I’ve totally forgotten how to take care of a newborn and I’ll have to figure it out all over again. I’m currently in full on nesting mode and making Roberto move furniture and get things out of storage.

I’m hoping I’ll be able to maintain my same energy level I’ve had throughout my cancer treatment and I won’t be hit with fatigue or other side effects with the upcoming chemo treatments. My doctor is considering changing my chemotherapy regimen after I deliver (from R-CHOP to R-EPOCH). This is the preferred regimen for my diagnosis and is more intense. It wasn’t an option for me to do while I was pregnant. I’ll find out once I do a PET scan after I deliver.

The CDC recommends for expecting mothers to get the Tdap vaccine during the third trimester of each pregnancy to help protect the against whooping cough. The mother is able to pass on the antibodies to the baby. I wasn’t sure if the Tdap was okay for me to get because I’m immunocompromised. I learned that the Tdap can be given to cancer patients, but wasn’t sure about pregnant cancer patients, if it made a difference. After consulting with my doctors, I learned that there isn’t enough research out there to show that the Tdap will act the same way for me and pass antibodies on to the baby like it would for a healthy pregnant mother. However, they said getting the Tdap wouldn’t hurt me. So I decided to move forward and get the Tdap in hopes it will benefit the baby.

Unexpected News

My doctor gave me some unexpected news that I will likely need radiation after the 6 chemo cycles are done. I don’t view this as a bad thing, but yes, it does make my cancer “to do” list longer. I’m hoping the radiation can all be done while I’m on maternity leave. Although I heard radiation can be painful and leave you fatigued, I am looking forward to not dealing with chemo side effects anymore. Hopefully, my hair can start to grow back and I won’t have to worry so much about a weakened immune system.

Cold & Flu Season

Everyone knows how bad the flu is this year. This is the worst time of year when it comes to getting sick. I’m continuing to have to be extra cautious not to get sick from being around people or touching things in public. I wash or use hand sanitizer on my hands probably well over 20 times a day. I wear a face mask when around people. I don’t know if I’m being super paranoid, but I can’t risk getting sick with a weakened immune system. I can’t wait for the cold and flu season to be over already! And as a PSA: please wash you hands, cover your cough, and stay home if you feel sick symptoms!

Ongoing Support

My coworkers extended my meal train so we have food through the month of March. I’m so grateful for this because it makes things way less stressful each day when we’re done with work and don’t have to worry about cooking or meal planning.

I’ve also gotten so many supportive cards from people, ranging from friends, family, acquaintances, to even total strangers. It’s very kind of people to think of me during this time and I’m still so humbled by all the support. Here’s a giant card my family made me:

My next update will be as a mama of two! Stay tuned for the much anticipated announcement of baby boy’s birth! He’s estimated to be about 6 lbs when I deliver at 36 weeks so he will he will be a decent size!

Ending 2017 with Chemo Round #2 and Looking Forward to 2018

6 Replies

2017 is over and I can happily say that we are now 1/3 done with my chemo treatments. Celebrating small milestones is really what is getting me through this long journey.

For my second treatment, my doctor wanted to have it done inpatient one more time to monitor me. I was admitted on December 27th in the early evening and fortunately this time things went much faster and the entire chemo treatment was able to be done in less than 24 hours.

Sherrie came to the hospital to keep me company while I waited to be admitted. We chatted about babies, life, and other random stuff  it was nice to just socialize face-to-face because I’m not able to get out as much now.

Chemo Time

I got a room at 6:30pm and had to wait for all the chemo orders to be put in before we could start. This time, they started with the rituxan (the R in R-CHOP) first at 11:30pm. This is the drug that has the most side effects and also takes the longest to administer. Last time, the doctor wanted to be conservative and minimize side effects so it was administered very slowly where it took 13 hours. This time, the speed was increased slightly so it was done over 8 hours overnight. I had a different reaction this time. I felt like I was covered in ants crawling all over me and was very fidgety. I had to have Roberto put an ice pack on me or rub my back because I felt so weird. I asked the nurse for Claritin and this ended up helping me and I was able to get some sleep. The rituxan ran until 7am and they have to check my vital signs every hour! So I didn’t get great sleep that night. That’s okay though because I rather get things done faster and go home sooner.

The next morning, I received the rest of the chemo drugs (the CHOP portion in R-CHOP). Like last time, I had no reaction to these drugs. We were done with all of them by noon! We ate lunch and waited to be discharged. I didn’t need a blood transfusion this time because my hemoglobin counts were fine. Side note: MD Anderson is in need of blood donations.

I was discharged by 2:30pm and we headed home. Since the chemo treatment, I’ve felt pretty good. Over the next 3 weeks until the next chemo treatment, the doctors will continue to monitor my blood counts. Last chemo cycle, I did become neutropenic (low white blood cell count) and did have to get an injection (Neupogen) that stimulates white blood cell growth in my bone marrow. While I am neutropenic, my immune system is especially weakened and I have a higher  risk of infection occurring so I have to be extra cautious. It’s expected that this  will likely happen every chemo cycle. My next treatment is January 18 and will be done outpatient this time.

Here I am working on my team’s year-end performance reviews the last week of the year while getting my chemo infusion.

Notable Progress From This Round

  • Normalized blood pressure. Prior to this my blood pressure was low (like 100/60) and now it’s closer to the normal range of 120/80.
  • Lowered heart rate. My heart was working hard to pump blood with the mass in the way, so my heart rate was around the 90s at rest (previous to this I had a resting heart rate in the 50s!). It’s now down to the mid-70s to 80s.
  • Increased lung capacity. My spirometer readings continue to improve!
  • Not really progress, but something notable. More hair loss. Yes, it is upsetting, but the chemo is working. I’m glad I cut my hair.
  • Baby continues to grow and is healthy. Last ultrasound he was at 73 percentile in growth! I am currently 27 weeks–third trimester here we come!
  • Increased energy levels. I’m walking more with my longest walk up to 45 minutes. I’ve also added in light resistance training 3x a week to maintain muscle tone and strength.
  • Because of my increased energy levels and Camila has been healthy, I’m able to spend more time with her.

Ringing in 2018

I was still able to have a little fun ringing in 2018. I’ve been feeling conflicted whether to go out (and risk getting sick with this crazy flu season) or stay in. I went to my aunt and uncle’s house to have a little New Year’s celebration with my family (and when you have kids you celebrate it at 8pm anyway).

As I reflect back on 2017, it really was a great year for me despite my diagnosis. We traveled to Scottsdale, Sedona, Clearwater, and Austin. We had all of Roberto’s family come visit us and Camila got to meet her first cousins for the first time. We’re expecting a baby boy! I continue to enjoy my job. We survived Harvey with minimal issues. Camila is healthy, thriving, and happy. My love for Roberto has grown stronger. I’ve been filled with so many blessings in my life that even despite my diagnosis, I still feel incredibly fortunate.

I’m pumped for an even better 2018 filled with more love, memories, adventures, another baby, and kicking cancer’s ass. Happy new year to you and here’s to a great 2018 ahead!