The Cancer Update

This is an e-mail that I received from my Aunt Gaylene about my mom's cancer. I am glad she is there to help my mom because I know that both her and I are completely clueless about all of the cancer lingo. Thanks Gaylene..
My mom went through with her mastectomy (left only) on August 19th. She is doing quite well and actually had both drains removed a week early.

She saw Dr. Elizabeth Prystas, her hematologist/oncologist yesterday, Sept. 4th. She is great and very knowledgeable in the field.

She will begin her regimen on Thurs Sept 11th of A/C for 4 doses every other week for 8 weeks and then will begin a Taxol regimen once a week for 12 weeks after the A/C is finished. A total of 20 weeks.

Yes she will lose her hair, but she is BETTING (and she is a gambler) that is will grow back in long, bleached blonde. Then she'll have reconstruction and then she can become the 'Centerville Barbie B*@$#' (those are her words, not mine). She may lose her other body hair, but quite possibly not her eyebrows and eyelashes.

She seems to be in 'okay' spirits, but she is scared. The doctor went over everything that she may experience. But as most of you know, it is very very different with everyone. What one person might experience, you might not, and vice versa.

I think if she knew that everyone is praying for her, she might feel a little better. She's definitely been a little more open to prayers and spiritual promptings since dad passed away and has certainly been more open to talking about spirituality more often--not a lot--but more often than in the past.

One of her friends, who is not in the least bit religious, told her that dad wouldn't be able to help her from Idaho, because he was so ill; but now that he has passed away, he'll be able to be with her here in Utah and be a comfort and strength to her. She just
bawled her eyes out (as I am now) over that statement.

This will certainly be a tougher road to go through that what I had. But once you have cancer, no matter how far out you are; you always have that fear of 'what if this is the time they find something' when you go for your tests. So I can sympathize with her somewhat.

I am thinking I am going to go with my mom on Thursday for her first treatment, seeing that we have a wedding reception to go to that night in Salt Lake (very convenient). I will continue to update on my mom. We haven't talked much about anything other than the fact that we are going to be on the hunt for some cute hats for her. She really is in good spirits about having chemo and radiation than she was before any of this came about. She was determined that she was not going to go through with it and that she was just going to let the cancer take over, but something inside of her change, and for that I am grateful for. Believe it or not mom, I still need you around.