Friends ask astounded, YOU'RE STILL ON THAT CHEMO? When will you be done? I pause, to get their full attention, and then say calmly and with a smile -- FOREVER.... FOREVER??!!, they respond, looking away with utter disbelief.
WHAT'S THE NAME OF THIS CHEMO?
So I give them my (poor and medically lacking) understanding of what I am doing, and it seems to make them nod with comprehension. They honestly want to *get it*. They are truly interested.
So I say -- It is not actually *chemotherapy* but is rather A MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY. I explain that it is like a SMART BOMB, specifically targeting my defective HER2 gene -- and stopping it from overproducing a certain protein that grows and divides out of control -- which is what cancer is.
Then I add, to my husband's consternation, that I see it as my insulin. Herceptin keeps my malfunctioning condition in check. (People understand the need to remain on insulin as a diabetic -- forever...)
I add that it is given by infusion, in the chemo room. It has far less side effects than chemo (leaving you with your hair and no pain or nausea), BUT it is still a toxic agent that could effect your heart. So it requires constant monitoring of the heart (w/ECHO cardiograms).
Friends then say, THANK YOU FOR THAT. YOU'RE DOING GREAT! YOU LOOK GREAT! (I know they are envisioning an enfeebled, pale chemo patient and in comparison I do look great...)
Andi
When Friends Ask...
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