Champagne Dreams & COVID Vaccines

Back at the doctor today for my official  week -1 check in. One week past the completion of 5 months of chemotherapy, or as Max would say “my last cancer”. It is so hard to believe this phase is finally over, and it feels so good. the boys came with Marc to my last treatment  so they could meet my primary nurse in person and give her a thank you gift.

Last week was an emotional week with lots of activity. All good news thank goodness! The MRI came back “as good as can be expected”. The tumor responded to the latest round of chemo and now looks like a sliver vs a round tumor. The doctors said it could be scar tissue but there is no way to know until we go into surgery. I was hoping for more definitive answers after the MRI but have adjusted my expectations and am beyond thankful for this news. The MRI  in December had shown a mild response so I was very nervous what this would look like after 12 additional rounds of chemo. 

We met with my breast surgeon on Thursday who walked us through the gory details of what is ahead. We are on track for surgery in 3 weeks - April 13th. My breast surgeon will be working with a plastic surgeon to do an onco plastic breast reconstruction. It should be an outpatient surgery pending all goes well, and Marc can actually come to the hospital with me! It’s a blessing that we are starting to see the light on the other side of the pandemic. We’ve been managing all of this care with Marc on the phone at critical appointments- I didn’t realize how much better it is with him in these appointments live. 

Now we shift gears to focus on the upcoming surgery. Lots of scans and prep to ensure the doctors are comfortable with the area they need to remove and the margins to capture. I’m over the amount of appointments to be honest but trying to push through- feeling like hopefully the end is in sight. 

In final good news, my last day of chemo coincided with the covid vaccine being available to the 16-49 age bracket who are immunocompromised. I was able to get my first vaccine shot Friday morning! I am so thankful for the advances in science that can keep us safe, healthy and moving forward. 

 So now, we celebrate this milestone and focus on getting my body healthy enough for surgery- and take some much needed time for R&R the next few weeks.

 Thank you all for your prayers and support - I would not have made it to this point without all of you.