What Breast Cancer Looks Like: Lucia Alloggia

Geoff and I have often mentioned how wonderful our neighbours are.  We've focused on how kind and generous they are, but one, in particular, is also very talented. 
Let me introduce you to Lucia Alloggia.  In 2010, Lucia was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery, chemo and radiation.  On her website, her 2010 gallery is made up of four paintings chronicling her experience with breast cancer:  The Mastectomy; The PICC; Chemo; and Radiation.  They are fantastic paintings. 

Chemo is particularly touching.  With Lucia's permission, I will reproduce it here:

If you have had chemotherapy, even if it's gone well, you will recognize yourself in this picture.  To me, the slumped shoulders say it all.  Like they say, a picture tells a thousand words.

I encourage you to visit Lucia's website here.  In addition to the cancer series are many portraits, and paintings modelling the styles of the masters.  And did I mention that Lucia is as generous as she is talented?  You'll also see paintings she has donated to the restoration of an earthquake-damaged church in the Italian town of Camarda, where she is from.

I hope you enjoy her paintings as much as I do.  Lucia can be reached by email through the contact form on her website.

My Interview with Local CBC Radio

This morning, our local CBC radio morning show broadcast a story about the local Cancer Society's wig fitting shop which operates out of the Cancer Centre at the General Campus of the Ottawa Hospital.  I was interviewed as a client and Geoff gave his perspective too.

The shop lends used wigs to cancer patients.  If you're concerned about spending a lot of money on a new wig (and it is a lot of money), when you're unsure if a wig would be comfortable, this is the way to go.  If you're in the Ottawa area, you'll be in good hands with wig fitter, Ginette Messier.  She is passionate about helping women, and the occasional man, find a wig that suits them. 

If you'd like to listen to the broadcast, you can find it at this link.

Tomorrow Morning on Ottawa's CBC Radio 91.5

This morning, I was interviewed by Robyn Bresnahan at the Canadian Cancer Society Wig Office at the Cancer Unit at the General Hospital.  The segment will be broadcast tomorrow morning, Wednesday, January 25, 2012 between 7:00 am and 8:00 am on the local CBC Radio at 91.5.

Later, I will post the link to allow you to listen to the interview if you missed it the first time.

Chemo Update: January 20, 2012

After having a chemo break on Friday the 13th of January, I started up again last Friday.  As usual, my first chemo session gives me all three drugs:  taxol, herceptin and pamidrinate.

This was a very usual chemo session.  Just me and Geoff and a few things to read.  And as usual, after the benedryl drip, which always precedes the taxol, I fell asleep.  Of course, I've been sleepy for a week or more.  We're not sure if it has to do with the levels on my pain pump.  In any case, the drowsiness has continued through the weekend.

I took zafron Friday and Saturday to prevent nausea, which it has, but it's usual side-effect of constipation has also been the result.  Let's hope that doesn't last too long.

I realize this isn't a very interesting post, but let me tell you, a chemo session with little to report is a good thing!

Oncology Results: January 18, 2012

First, thank you for all of your good wishes and prayers since my last post.  I am sure they helped.  And I am sorry to keep you waiting with this post, but I have been terribly drowsy for the last several weeks, to the point that I couldn't stay awake reading the morning newspaper or wait for the doctor's appointment.  During that point in time, my Sweetie posted for me.  You can see his summary on the Geoff Takes On blog, here.  Despite today being a chemo day, and me having slept most of the day, I'm feeling more energy this evening.  So, without further ado, here's my take on the oncology results we got on Wednesday:

The previous week, I had had two tests, an echocardiogram and an CT scan of my chest, abdomen and pelvis.  I was worried that in the month or so when I didn't have chemo that my cancer might have spread.

First, the echocardiogram, nothing had changed since the one I had in the Spring for unrelated reasons.  My heart is good.  I have mild regurgitation in my mitral valve, but that doesn't seem enough to call it mitral valve prolapse.

And then there's the CT scan.  Geoff and I were holding our breath.  I don't know if I'd really given you a sense of the liver tumours I had.  This CT scan described them as "innumerable."  That's not great on its own, but the rest of the news is.  There were a couple of large tumours that had been measured last time.  One of them went from 4" by 3.6" down to 3" by 1".  That is a major change!  Another went from 1" down to 0.35".  In the words of the CT report, there is, "marked interval [since last test] improvement in hepatic [liver] metastases  consistent with partial response [to the chemo treatment]. No new metastatic disease is seen inter-abdominal [No mets in other abdominal organs]."

They also said that the fractured pubic bones are healing on both sides of the body.  And I had been told the break was only on one side.  I also learned there are fractured ribs; I can feel them, now that I know they are there.  That explains the shortness of breath.

I have to laugh at they way they write the report.  It's by body part or organ.  For example:

"Lungs:There is no interval development of bilateral subsegmental atelectasis [collapse of the lungs] with no consolidation or suspicious pulmonary nodules." In my own words: blah, blah, blah, no cancer in the lungs, yay!

"Heart: Grossly unremarkable. ..."  Hmm, I suspect some of you would disagree.  On the plus side, what it means is that there is no cancer in my heart, which is very good news.

I won't go into detail about the bone metastases, since the CT scan isn't the best test to measure them.  We know they're there and there are a lot of them.  'nuf said.

This is very good news for us.  Geoff was visibly relieved during the appointment, thank goodness.  Personally, I thank God for the good news.  I know the doctors did an awful lot: choosing the right chemo is important, as is radiating the right spots.  After that, prayer makes the difference in the end.  So thank you all for your prayers and good wishes.

My oncologist says there's good reason to be optimistic this disease can be managed for many, many years.  That's what we're looking for.  Many, many years.

p.s. Strangely, this CT didn't measure the breast lump.  Could it not see it?  We can't feel it.

Wish Me Luck: Oncology Appointment & Test Results

Tomorrow I'm meeting with my oncologist.  At least, I hope it's my oncologist; often it's one of the GPs that assists him.  They are very good, but I want to see the big guy.  Particularly this time.  Last week I had an echocardiogram and a CT scan and I will have blood tests done just before the oncology appointment.  I really want my oncologist to give me the results, particularly if it means he's going to change my treatment plan.  As his nurse suggested at my last appointment, I will call her and remind her that I'd like to see the big guy; she'll do her best.

The echocardiogram was to check my heart health, because herceptin treatment is tough on the heart.  I know that the chemo treatment caused me to have high blood pressure, which is being treated effectively with metoprolol.  The CT scan looked at my breasts, abdomen and pelvis.  It should tell me the size of the breast and liver tumours.  I hope the CT scan will also tell us how well my broken pelvis is healing.  It's feeling better every day, as far as I can tell.  But I'd like a second opinion.  The blood tests, together with the others will decide whether I have chemo on Friday or not.  I need to have sufficiently good results in a number of areas, such as my blood count and calcium levels.

Like I said, my pelvis seems much improved, and I've told you that the breast tumour has shrunk quite a bit.  But I am worried about the one-month break from chemo as a result of my hospitalization in November.  I know that radiation was working on killing cancers in my lower spine and pelvis at that time, but how much was cancer growing in other areas over that period of time.  What will the CT results tell us?  Do I have less cancer or more?  Are my tumours bigger or smaller?  Are there new ones or did some disappear?

How much has chemo and radiation helped?  How much has prayer helped.  We'll never know, but there's time enough for a little more prayer before the appointment Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  Wish me luck, pray for me, whatever you're comfortable with.  And I'll let you know how it went as soon as I wrap my mind around it!

Fuck Cancer Followup: Malignant Melanoma

I just saw this video on Facebook and had to share it with you:  Dear 16-year-old Me.

If you were 16 when I was, you suntanned with baby oil.  Clearly, it's not just your damn boobs you need to check.  Please share this with the 16-year-olds you know... and everybody else.

P.S.  Don't worry about me.  I saw my dermatologist this fall and he checked out my moles.  Nothing suspicious looking.  As far as we can tell, my moles are just beauty marks.