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SMACKDOWN Victory!
The results are in...
STEROIDS 0 ~ DENISE 1
That's right! I'm finally "clean"!! No steroids in my system for an entire week now! And let me tell you... it was not an easy week! My body (my adrenal gland in particular) had grown quite lazy over the course of the SMACKDOWN!
The first 3 days without decadron, I literally slept 16-18 hours each day. And when I was awake, I felt very weak and generally baaaaaad! But on day four things started to improve. Praise God!!
Warning! the rest of this post is a downer - proceed at your own risk.
At first, I thought the residual off balance/wobbly feelings, and the shaky hand were part of the whole withdrawal experience but alas... no
Apparently the goo is still pressing on the "balance center" of my brain.
Kind of a bummer really.
I was hoping for miraculous improvement I guess.
I'm not sure where we go from here.
And as queen of "The Sunny State of Denial" I'm not sure I want to know.
My gut tells me that if surgery is the only option left... it would be soon... and it will not end well. And that makes me both sad and terrified.
Dying is not on my "Things to do this Summer" list.
But typing this out has made me realize that I need to call the MO and the neurologist TODAY! Knowing is ALWAYS better than not knowing. Thanks, friends!
Please, if you are a pray-er... pray for me.
Denise
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1/11-needle biopsy
2/11-Lumpectomy/axillary node dissection - Stage 3c, ER/PR-14/17 nodes
3/11 - Post-op staph infection,cellulitis, lymphedema,seroma,ARRRGH!
4/12/11-A/C x 4, then T/H x 4, H only,Q3 weeks
8/26/11 finished Taxol!!!
10/7/11 mastectomy/DIEP recon
11/11 radiation x28
1/12/12 1st CANCER-VERSARY!
1/12 Low EF/Herceptin "Holiday" :(
2/12 EF up - Back on Herceptin, heart meds
4/2/1212 surgery to repair separated incision from DIEP recon
6/8/12 Return to work :)
6/17/12 Fall, shatter wrist,surgery to repair/insert plate :(
7/10/12 last Herceptin
7/23/12 Brain Mets %$&#! 3cm and 1cm
8/10/12 Gamma knife surgery, LOTS of steroids;start H/Tykerb
8/23/12 Back to work
12/20/12 Injure back-3 weeks in wheel chair
1/12/13 2nd CANCER-VERSARY!
1/14/13 herniate disk in back - surgery to repair
1/27/13 Radiation necrosis - edema in brain - back on steroids - but not back to work - off balance, poor cordination in right arm
5/3/13 Start Avastin to shrink necrosis
5/10/13 begin weaning steroids
6/18/13 Brain MRI - Avastin seems to be working!
6/20/13 quarterly CT - chest, abdomen, pelvis - All Clear!
7/5/13 finally off steroids!!
7/7/13 joined the ranks of the CHEMO NINJAS I am now Tekuto Ki Ariku cancer assassin!
7/13/13 Symptoms return - back on steroids
7/26/13 Back on Avastin - try again!
8/26/13 Not ready to return to classroom yet :( But I CAN walk without holding onto things! :)
9/9/13 Brain MRI - fingers crossed
“ Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds you down or polishes you up is for you, and you alone, to decide. ” – Cavett Robert
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