In the Beginning

Here you will find the original e-mails I sent out after diagnosis,surgery, and the beginning of chemotherapy.

Dear Friends,
 
On the advice of a very knowledgeable friend, I have compiled this e-mail list to update you all about my “situation”.  Let me first say thank you for all your caring words and thoughts over the past few weeks.  Let me also say that making this e-mail ‘blog’ about myself goes against my grain as painfully as registering for wedding gifts did. Although I think both practices are completely narcissistic, I understand their necessity and that they make everyone’s life a little easier.
 
Never in my life have I discussed a “private part”( as my mother would call it) with so many people in such a short period of time.  I can only say how grateful I am NOT to be Farah Fawcett and can only imagine the feeling of dread I would feel having to talk in length about my …well you know.
 
With that said here is the latest on FRAN’s BREAST!!!!
 
January 9th; I entered Dana Farber with my posse (Mark, Gina, and my sister Karen). We seemed to be the only people making jokes in the waiting room.  It bordered the absurd as Karen ate Junior mints and did her best imitation of Kramer while Gina tried to justify the fact that her own mother resides in Gina’s basement. One guy was laughing but most seemed relieved when we were called in to the doctor’s office. My posse is great though, and when it comes time to meet with professionals, they do straighten up and ask the right questions.
 
We met with: Dr.. Christian …loved him.  Supposedly he has no bedside manner.  Not True.  He had smiling eyes and told me there was no reason to take away my other breast.  This is the way I had been leaning anyway and he confirmed it.  Just as long as I can get a little “lift” done to match the fake one.
 
I decided w/in 5 minutes that this was the guy for me.  Mostly because he didn’t yell at me.
 
Next we met with the oncologist.  She happens to also do triathlons. PSYCH. So she will understand my need for fast recovery.
She told me what I already knew.
 
I will have to have everything because of the positive reads on both the estrogen counts and the HER2/neu positive count.  This will include:
 
16 weeks of Chemotherapy. Yes I will lose my hair but I will not be throwing up because they have drugs for that.
 
40 weeks (once every 3 weeks) of Herceptin.  Herceptin is a relatively new drug that works great against her2/neu positive cancers.  Mine will be a clinical trial because they have only used it on woman with 2 cm or larger tumors and mine are only 1 cm each. I have researched the drug and feel very confident in it’s effectiveness.  It will be given like chemo through intravenous but has less of the side effects of chemo.
 
After Chemo I will have to heal my body before the second permanent replacement surgery of my breast takes place.
 
Then I get to take 5 years of Tamoxifin (hormone therapy).
 
All in all I should be good as new by say….November.
 
“Enough” you say….alright, already.  If you want to be taken off this God-awful ramble about me let me know.  If you think anyone else has nothing better to do than read about my stupid ailments then by all means, pass it on.
 
I will keep you posted. Surgery will be the end of January.
 
XO