To answer the first of the checklist questions, I'm feeling great! I've made a dramatic change in my diet over the past month and believe that it's making a considerable impact already. At my doctor's recommendation, I'm doing my best to eliminate my intake of soy. The estrogen-like substances (isoflavones) in soy may stimulate the estrogen receptors of breast cancer cells and make them grow. Take a few minutes reading the labels of the items in your pantry...allmost 60% of processed foods have soy in their ingredient list. Since soy is one of the top 8 food allergens in the USA, the good news is that there is a labeling law requiring that if soy is an ingredient in a product, it must be listed on the label.
I never took the time to read labels and certainly never went out of my way to eat nutritious foods. Now, I've been purchasing as much local organic produce as I can and have learned how to freeze most of it. (This must be how squirrels feel as they start to store nuts to prepare for winter!?) Those who know me, know that I usually can't stand going to the grocery store, but I've actually enjoyed investigating the natural food aisles. We even went on a family adventure this weekend and explored several local farms where we can purchase organic beef, chicken, milk, and eggs.
To answer the second checklist question, I have no new symptoms other than those associated with medically induced menopause! In fact, the only symptom that I have ever had is the original breast lump. It's too early to undergo any medical tests to tell if the current treatment is working, but Dr. Cream thinks that the original lump feels softer. This is a good sign because it means that the cancer cells may be starting to break up. I'll have my first full-body scan (PET) in early November which will show the effectiveness of my treatment.
After meeting with my doctor, I received my first treatment of Zometa. This medication will stimulate healthy bone growth to fill in the holes left behind as the bone tumors shrink. It is a 15-minute infusion (through an IV line) that I will receive monthly. All of my treatments will be at the new Cancer Institute building at Hershey Medical Center. http://www.pennstatehershey.org/web/cancer/home/aboutus/newpscibuilding
Dr. Cream had explained that a small percentage of women experience minor flu-like symptoms as side-effects to Zometa. I would soon found out that I fall into that small percentage. (seriously, why can't my body just cooperate?) I developed a 102° fever, was nauseous, and now have a brand-new insight into what it means to have “bone pain.” Here I was, shivering with goose-bumps from the fever while having a hot flash on the inside. Fortunately, the side-effects subsided within 36 hours and I'm told that I may not experience similar side-effects with future treatments. My next Zometa treatment will be September 29. Bring it on!!!
My actual treatment took only fifteen minutes, but I was in the waiting room for two hours until it was my turn. I watched patient after patient being called back for various treatments. As the song by Jack Johnson goes..... “I'm just people watching the other people watching me.” (it's from the Curious George soundtrack, my kids love it!) Some were there for the first time (like me) and others had been there so many times that they knew all of the nurses by name, some were young and some were old, some looked healthy and some looked very sick, but there was something that everyone seemed to have in common.... everyone had such a positive attitude.
Hmmmm......a positive attitude....now that's a topic for another day!
