Hi everyone...
I have to apologize for it being so long since I've last written! I keep putting it off to the next milestone, and it seems that there's always one around the corner, so I keep waiting. I am doing well - finished Round 5 of chemo about 3 wks ago, and am now on a break until 4-6 wks after the baby arrives. Woohoo!! Boy does it feel good to have a little break! I tolerated the first 5 rounds pretty well - very minor symptoms compared to what I read & imagined. I was even able to work 2-4 days/wk & have a pretty normal life chasing after a VERY active little girl.
We met with my Oncologist on Tues, and we have decided to forgo the final round (6th) of the CAF regimen due to the 3 month gap in doses. The docs think it would be more beneficial for me to move on to the next regimen - Taxol + Herceptin. The plan is that I will start when the baby is 4-6 wks old, I will finally have my baseline PET scan done to see if I have cancer anywhere else in my body, and will start going in for Taxol every week for 12 wks - the Herceptin will be every 3 wks for one year. Once I've completed the Taxol, I will start radiation daily - still looking at 38-40 rounds of radiation (8wks). That will take me out until Nov roughly...then I will continue the Herceptin every 3 wks until approximately July '08 & will start Tamoxifin orally for 5yrs. My calculated risk of recurrence right now is approx 17.5% with the chemo & radiation I will/have received. I've decided that I will likely undergo a 2nd prophylactic mastectomy to reduce my risk even further (I'd like to see our kids grown and the lower the chances, the better!!!), and will have to wait on that until at least 6 months after concluding radiation. I will likely have breast reconstruction at that time as well, but haven't firmly decided on that yet. I think it would be nice to not have to wear a bra!! =)
In other news, we have a name for our baby boy! It only took us almost 30 wks to name him, but he will be called Ryland Jeffrey. Jeff & I had a very difficult time deciding on a name - mostly because we couldn't find one that we both agreed on and loved. Ryland is it! He is doing very well in his growth, unlike his big sister when she was still in the oven. We had a growth ultrasound Tues to follow up on him, and he is approx 5 lbs 4 oz at 35 wks gestation. Maryn was only 4 lbs 5 oz when she was born, so looks like we have a healthy boy in there! I had a visit to the OB on Wed, and surprisingly, I'm dilated 2cm already....it could be any time now! Ryland's due date is June 5th, but looks like we will be having a May baby. I've been having a lot of contractions lately, but nothing regular. I will go in 3x/wk now for monitoring & if it looks like Ryland's heart rate drops or that my amniotic fluid is decreasing, the docs will induce me.
We are all keeping busy. Maryn is 100mph all day long when she's awake. We celebrated being off chemo by making a mad dash to our favorite place on earth - Boise, Idaho. We got to spend two wonderful weeks with Jeff's parents & my family and best friend. It was so incredibly nice to relax, enjoy the weather, and know that I had two wks free of doctor's appts. Our trip was amazing (with the exception of the very snowy & cold drive up there), and we can't wait to go back. I'm hoping I'll have another gap in appts after the baby is born, so we can make another trip north before I start chemo again. I won't have a break for 5 months at that point, so we'll be stuck in California for the summer & fall. I think we are going to celebrate the end of all of my treatment by taking a trip to Italy...alone! We'll have to hit up the grandparents & see if they are willing to watch both kiddos, but I think it would be nice to have some quality time with my amazing husband after this roller coaster of a year.
SO, that's the latest news in the Lusk household. Once again, I have to apologize for those I have not written back to....my email inbox is still swamped. While I've read the emails, I haven't found the time to sit down and write back! Life never seems to slow down around our house. =) We hope this email finds you well, healthy & enjoying life!!!
With love,
Leanne, Jeff & Maryn
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