Starting Friday, October 16th, I will go to MGH (Massachusetts General Hospital) for chemo every other week: 8 doses over 16 weeks. I've plugged the dates into the calendar on the LHH web site, although they may change once I'm "officially" scheduled at MGH. (So, I'm not sure if I will really have chemo on Christmas Day...)
I had intended to participate in two trials; however, one has been suspended and I'm not going to wait for it to restart. (In that trial, the first of November would be the earliest I could start chemo as it required a 5-week wait after surgery.)
The trial I will be in focuses on treatment after chemo and radiation. I'll have a 50-50 chance of receiving the standard 5-year medicine or the new drug over the same time frame.
How am I? I feel great. I've recovered well from the surgeries, which is why the oncologist is willing to start chemo earlier than the standard 4 - 6 weeks after surgery. I'm not sick. As I see it, I have a disease (hopefully very few cancer cells at this point!) that I need to control with the help of doctors and medicine.
How do I feel about chemo? I feel like a 777 having flown from Chicago to Hong Kong, now in a crazy holding pattern waiting to land. ...Getting started is the only way to get it done. I have several new friends, strong & formidable women, who have already walked this path. Individually and as a combined force, they have been a true inspiration.
Staying strong, Linda