Hairless in Menomonee Falls (both of us)

Well, we knew it was coming...now it is here. Cynthia said her head was getting very sensitive to the touch last Sunday. By Tuesday, she noticed a few extra hair follicles in her brush. But on Wednesday, it started some serious exodus. I left early on Wednesday morning and drove 28 miles to work only to find out that our office was closed one extra day for the Thanksgiving holiday. I received the e-mail but forgot to put the extra day on my calendar. Well, it was a nice day for a drive. When I returned at around 10:45, I found the sink that she dries her hair in front of filled with hair. I knew I was going to be playing Floyd the Barber later that day (like the Andy Griffith reference).

Now, I cut my own hair from time to time with a Wahl electric trimmer and I use a number 1 blade guide. Since I have a fairly wide center part in my hair, I don't have too much to worry about. However, I was nervous about cutting off Cynthia's hair for some reason. So I set up a little barber shop in the lower level bathroom and when Cynthia got home, we got to it. Using a number 7 blade guide, I proceeded to give her the shortest haircut she has had in a long, long time. Although I thought she would be a little weepy during this process, she was actually fine. She said she was ready. Cutting it off was better than having it fall out during meetings at work. Actually, I was the one who was a little weepy. But we both made it through the process. Then, as a reward for a job well done, we treated ourselves to a beverage (yes, they included alcohol).

This experience led to our first outing with her wig on...Thanksgiving at Uncle Frank and Aunt Joanne's. Cynthia, her mother and I made the trip to Pewaukee on Thursday and had a very nice Thanksgiving with the family. Had we not told anyone, no one would have noticed that she was wearing a wig. However, she was very happy to get it off when we returned home. Her head is still sensitive and probably will continue to be until it is all gone.

No other major issues related to the treatment at this time (thank goodness). Her next treatment is Monday, December 1st. They say to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Well, we are both very hopeful that future treatments will be as relatively uneventful as the first. However, we are also planning for new challenges as she continues with this journey.

Thank you all again for all of the well wishes and prayers. Cynthia is very appreciative of the support you all have given her. She wanted me to send a very special thanks to Lynn Steinle. The bracelet that you made for her is beautiful. She may stop by and see you to have some adjustments made in the near future.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and wish you well for the upcoming holiday season.

Bobby

Whew...No major side effects

We have been very happy to learn that Cynthia has tolerated the first round of chemo treatments with no major side effects and especially, no nausea. She has had a few minor issues including fatigue, but nothing that has kept her from work. She has gone in every day except the treatment days and has felt good while there. She gets tired earlier in the evening (but not much...she would always fall asleep halfway through the news...now she falls asleep at the beginning). She had enough energy to make a pot roast for her Mothers birthday on Sunday. While that was cooking, and the Packers were waxing the Bears, my son Steven and I put the lights on the tree in front of our condo. Actually, Steven put the lights and I made sure that I was the cushion that he could land on if he fell off the ladder (thank goodness no major incidents). Here is the result of his hard work.

By the way, if anyone is ever looking for someone to decorate a tree like this, he is for hire (sorry for the shameful plug).

Finally, Cynthia was told by her medical oncologist that she could not drink during the treatments (6 months). So I told her that if she was not drinking, I would not be drinking. We are now a week and a half into this and, you know, it is not that bad. Although I do miss a good glass of wine now and then.

So all is good for now and we are looking forward to Thanksgiving. Her second treatment is the week after but we feel a little better going into this session now that we understand the process.

We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and will be in touch soon.

Bobby

Welcome Friends and Family

Well, here is the first entry in our blog. Most of you are already aware but here is little history for those who may not know...

Cynthia found a lump in her right breast back in June of this year. It was very high...about 3" below her collar bone. She saw the doctor in early July and was then scheduled for a mammogram and ultrasound. They could not see the tumor on the mammogram because it was too high. They did the ultrasound and that is when they saw it. She was then scheduled for biopsy at the end of July. The biopsy unfortunately was positive. It was a Stage 1 tumor (under 2 cm in size and had not spread as far as they knew).

Here she is the weekend before the surgery enjoying a cool beverage at Water Buffalo.

She had lumpectomy surgery to remove the tumor (the remaining breast was left in tact) on August 18th. The surgeon got clean margins on the tumor site and the lymph nodes were all negative (whew). However, the tumor was a grade 3 tumor (very fast growing and aggressive). It was also hormone resistant. These factors have determined the remainder of the treatment...both radiation and chemotherapy.

Radiation is always recommended for lumpectomies. Normal protocol for women under 50 is whole breast radiation for five weeks. This is typically performed after chemotherapy. However, Cynthia elected to participate in a clinical trial for partial breast radiation. This involved two treatments twice a day for five days. She was selected for this protocol so she had the radiation first. She started Monday, October 6th and had two treatments a day for five days and finished on the 10th. Although there was some difficulty getting her positioned just right each time, she made it through without major difficulty.

The doctors had her wait four full weeks before she got to start chemotherapy. Prior to starting, she needed to have a port surgically inserted in her chest. They use the port to administer the drugs. She had this procedure on the 30th of October. Which brings us to this week. Her treatment schedule is Monday and Thursday, every three weeks for four rounds. This will take her into mid-January. After that, she will start a new drug that she will get every week for 12 weeks. This will take her into mid-April. If all goes well, that will be the last of the treatments.

Her first two treatment this week are complete. She had the first treatment on Monday and seemed to tolerate it well. Her only real symptom now is fatigue. She went to work on Tuesday and Wednesday. Her Thursday treatment went well but she is feeling tired.

So that is where we stand. It is expected that she will lose her hair about the time of the second treatment although she is really pissed to learn that she will not lose the hair on her legs. She has a cute blond wig and is ready for that adventure when it comes.