Pep Talk:
I wasn’t exactly doing back flips going into all these
doctor’s appointments. In fact, I was getting pretty tired of them at this
point. But you know what? You do what you’ve got to do and fight on!
Game 1: Kelly vs. Echocardiogram &
Electrocardiogram
When I learned I needed to visit a cardiologist, I thought
to myself, what’s that all about? Yes, I have a family history of heart disease
(on both sides of the family) but what does that have to do with my cancer? Come
to find out that one of the first chemotherapy drugs I would have, Adriamycin,
can cause a serious but uncommon side effect related to heart functionality.
Specifically, the drug can cause interference with the pumping action of the
heart. Actually, you can only receive a certain amount of this drug in your
lifetime and it can cause heart problems years after treatment has ended. That
“lifetime maximum dose” can be lowered if an individual has certain heart
disease risk factors. Thus, it is important for all patients receiving this
drug to have their heart function checked prior to receiving treatment as well
as after.
I wasn’t too worried going into this appointment. Out of all
of them, I figured this would be a walk in the park. However, as I sat in the
waiting room, my family history started looming over me. I thought to myself -
- Ugh! I shouldn’t have eaten all those
french fries over the years. They are my vice, too good to pass up. Ugh! I wish
I exercised. Why do I make so many excuses? Blah, blah, blah. Finally my name was called and I was pulled out
of my self-criticizing internal battle. I was taken back to a small room and
yet again told to “undress from the waist up, gown open in the front and sit on
the examination table.” Is it just me or are those tables always too tall and
awkward to climb up on? Then again, I’m just over 5’1”, so it’s likely just an
issue for those of us on the shorter side. Not to mention that thin paper
stretched over the table is just plain annoying and noisy!
The male technician waited behind the curtain as I undressed
and told me to let him know when I was ready. I couldn’t help but think of that
scene from the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy visited the Wizard as he talked behind
the green curtain. Once I was ready, the tech started my echocardiogram. This
non-invasive test uses sound waves to produce images of your heart. It is
commonly used to show how your heart is beating and pumping blood. The images
from this test help cardiologists identify if there are any abnormalities in the
heart muscle and valves. It was a bit awkward at first having the tech perform
the test, primarily because he was a fairly young male and I was pretty much
“hanging out” there as he moved the device along various areas on my chest to
capture images of my heart. However, it didn’t take long to naturally ease into
conversation, especially because I asked him a thousand questions. I feel like
I came away from that test with enough knowledge to be the tech myself!
After my echo, it was time for my electrocardiogram,
otherwise known as EKG or ECG. This test checks for problems with the
electrical activity of a patient’s heart. Again, I was told, “undress from the
waist up...” Seriously, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that these
days! I’m not quite sure why I couldn’t just stay in my gown from the previous
test…but whatever! Maybe they consider it “exercise” to have their patients get
dressed and undressed? Ha-ha. Anyway, I lay still on the table while the tech
placed several small metal discs (electrodes) on my arms, legs and chest. While
doing so, I learned all about the steps she has to take when commuting to and
from work. As I listened, my heart ached for the young girl. She continued
talking for quite some time, every now and then quickly chiming in to say that
the machine wasn’t registering anything and that it was likely still warming
up. Meanwhile, I could feel that the electrodes were losing their grip on my
skin. I didn’t want to interrupt her story but I finally spoke up and said, “I
think these things are starting to fall off.” She took a look and saw that
quite a few of the electrodes had indeed come off. She laughed and said, “I
guess we now know why the machine wasn’t working!” After getting everything
situated, the test was pretty quick.
Once my reports were produced and analyzed, the cardiologist
came in for an exam. Luckily, I received a good report and was just told I
needed to come back after completing chemo (but prior to surgery) to check
everything out again.
Game 2: Kelly vs. Breast MRI-Guided Core Needle Biopsy
& Mammogram #2
I had a pit in my stomach when I heard that I needed another
biopsy. My first one wasn’t pleasant and I was still healing from it. Unfortunately,
I was warned that this one would be worse, as it is a more difficult procedure.
Since the doctor knew that most people often have trouble with this type of
biopsy, she prescribed a medication to take beforehand. I’ve never been one
that’s big on taking medicine but after the first biopsy and hearing the warnings
about what was to come, I decided to take the doctor’s advice.
I couldn’t eat or drink prior to my procedure but I was
allowed to have a “sip” of water with the medication, thirty minutes
beforehand. Now, keep in mind that I took 1mg…that will come into play in a
future blog update (a funny story to look forward to). I kept waiting for it to
kick in but nothing was happening - yikes! When I was taken back for the
pre-procedural routine, I was rather quiet. I suppose it must have been obvious
that I was nervous because the nurse kept assuring me that I had the very best
doctor and if there were anyone I’d want to perform this particular biopsy, it
would be her. The doctor even stopped by beforehand introducing herself and
saying that everything would be okay.
The first part of the procedure was a standard closed breast
MRI with contrast (been there, done that -- see previous blog post for
description) to exactly pinpoint the location of the second mass and to verify
the placement of the needle. Then, my breast was compressed between two
compression plates, one of which was marked with a grid structure. The
radiologist measured the position of the lesion with respect to the grid and
then calculated the position and depth of the needle placement. They then
injected a local anesthetic deep into my breast to numb it. Unfortunately, I
felt everything and it was very uncomfortable. I was really disappointed that
the medication I took earlier wasn’t helping in the least bit. A "nick" was then
made in my skin at the site where the biopsy needle was inserted. I was already
in pain but it was worse once they inserted the needle and advanced it to the
location of the abnormality, which was pretty much at the opposite side of my
breast. That was the start of the many tears to come. MRI imaging was performed
to verify the needle’s position, I can’t even recall how many times I was moved
in and out of the MRI unit. Tissue samples of the affected area were then
removed and this was repeated several times. The sounds from the sampling
instrument were loud and scary. I’ll spare you the details of that part of the
process but to sum it up, it felt like an ice pick and vacuum suction were
attacking me at the same time. I don’t think I’ve cried that hard in a very long
time. I can’t even begin to describe the pain but one thing I do know is that the
anesthetic was not working. The doctor and nurses were all very sweet, rubbing
my back and comforting me along the way. Let me tell you, it’s very awkward
crying face down into a face mask – not being able to move your arms to wipe or
blow your nose. At many times, I felt like I was suffocating on my own tears
and snot (gross, I know). Once the sampling was complete, a metallic marker was
placed in the mass so the area could be easily located in the future. When the
procedure was over, pressure was applied to stop the bleeding and the incision
site was covered with a dressing.
I was then taken down the hall for a mammogram to confirm
that the marker was in the proper position. Luckily, I knew what to expect
since this was my second one. However, what I didn’t expect was that this time
it would be severely uncomfortable. Compressing a breast that has just been
poked and prodded during a biopsy – is not fun. I couldn’t wait to be done with
all of this. After what felt like forever, I was finally able to go home.
Before I left, I was given pain meds (thank goodness) and a handy little ice
pack that slips easily in your bra. By the way, a regular bra isn’t exactly
super comfy after all that. I recommend a sports bra.
A couple of days later, I was called with the pathology
results. Luckily, it came back as a fibroadenoma, which is the most common
benign tumor of the breast – especially for women under 30. This was an
immediate relief.
If you recall in my
very first post, I mentioned that I had a funny story about my first biopsy. I
had a metallic marker placed in my original mass as well. After I was all
bandaged up, the nurse said to me “You know what I like to tell women after
they have a marker inserted? Now you have BLING in your boobs!” I smiled
and laughed. It was nice to have some comic relief. Well, now I have double the BLING baby! Hence, the title of my post – bling it on!
Game 3: Kelly vs. Bone Scan
Similar to my earlier CT scan to see if my cancer had spread
(metastasized) to any other part of my body, I also needed a bone scan to see
if the cancer had spread to my bones.
Prior to my scan, I needed to have a radioactive substance
injected in my arm. Before starting the injection the tech was reading over my records.
He said, “I’m sorry, I think I have the wrong chart…what’s your name and
birth date?” After I told him, he replied “But this says you have breast cancer,
that can’t be right.” I laughed and said “Oh no, you’ve got the right girl.” He
looked so sad and mumbled “But you’re only 27…I haven’t seen anyone so young
with breast cancer.” I smiled and said, “I have been hearing that a lot lately.”
Since the substance takes several hours to travel through
your bloodstream and into your bones, you are allowed to leave for a while and
come back at the designated time they give you. Luckily, my brother, Nick, was
in town visiting and kindly came with me to my appointment. Since we had time
to kill and hadn’t eaten breakfast, we decided to go out for a nice meal. We
happened to be in an area with a lot of restaurants within walking distance and
it was a beautiful day, so we just started walking to see what we would happen
upon. At one point along the way, we were prevented from crossing the street to
allow a motorcade to pass – who knows, maybe it was the President? It was
pretty exciting to watch…along with the cute, buff motorcycle cop stopping
traffic!
Soon thereafter, we found a lovely little restaurant where
we caught up over a delicious breakfast. Nick, thank you again for treating! Since
we still had time left, we decided to work off our indulgence by walking down
to Georgetown and hanging out on a nearby park bench. It was nice to have my
brother by my side, not to mention a great distraction from everything going on.
Sometimes I think we forget how relaxing and refreshing it can be to go for a
walk or even just sit outside in fresh air. Something so easy can really make a
big impact on so many things, including your mood, outlook, nerves, etc. We should all make a point to do it more often.
When I arrived back at the radiologist office, I was asked
to empty my bladder (which is to prevent any radioactive urine from blocking
the view of my pelvic bones during the scan). Then I was taken back to a room
and asked to climb up on the moveable examination table and lie very still – I
was getting to be a pro at this. The tech asked if I
was claustrophobic and I replied, “Well, I’m not exactly fond of tight spaces
but I can handle it.” He laughed and said “It’s going to be very tight in
there, so to make you feel better, I’ll put this folded piece of paper (formed
like a triangle) on your stomach and just know that the machine won’t go any
closer than the top of the paper.” I laughed, thinking to myself, that triangle
is so small it might as well not even be there – but I know he was just trying
to make me feel better. Before moving me into the scanner, the tech turned on
some calming jazz music.
He wasn’t kidding about the tight space, it was definitely
more confined than an MRI – at one point barely grazing my nose. Closing my eyes
and focusing on the music definitely helped. I was moved in and out of the
scanner several times and asked to move into different positions so images could
be taken of various parts of my body. The special camera used takes pictures
of the radioactive substance (also called tracer) in your bones. The areas that
absorb little or no tracer appear dark and are referred to as “cold spots,”
which could show a lack of blood supply to the bone or certain types of cancer.
Whereas areas of fast bone growth or repair absorb more of the substance and
show up bright, known as “hot spots.” This may indicate problems including a
fracture, infection, arthritis or a tumor.
An hour later the scan was complete. Before leaving, I
thanked the tech for the music and told him it really made a difference. One
lesson learned -- don’t wear a ponytail during a scan. It can be quite
uncomfortable when lying flat on a hard table for an hour!
Fortunately, the results showed that my bone scan was clear.
Another big sigh of relief!
Post-Game Wrap-Up:
In sports, just like in life, success has a lot to do with
attitude. The right mindset and approach can make all the difference. While
I’ve always believed this to be the case, I have witnessed it even more so throughout
my journey thus far. A positive attitude and bright spirit can not only keep
you fighting but I also truly believe it’s healing for the mind, body and soul.
For years, I kept my blue & white pom-poms in my room,
to not only remind me of the “Most Spirited” award I received from cheer camp
(from back in the day) but also more importantly to never
give up!
So I leave you with this cheer: Be
Aggressive, Be, Be, Aggressive!
Go Team – Fight On!
Kelly
