I’m sitting next to mom as she receives her 4th chemotherapy treatment. Four down, two to go! … Sort of. I’ll explain in a minute. She’s currently wearing this… She thinks she’s hilarious, and she kind of is. 🙂

Mom had a CT scan, breast ultrasound, and an echocardiogram last week. We got the results today!

Tumor Size

The breast tumor, lymph nodes, and liver lesion are all HALF the size they were in the initial staging scans. HALF, people. This is GREAT news. I’m using caps because we’re SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS!

The liver lesion being half the size is very exciting. Dr. Juvvadi said that the liver lesion is definitely operable as well, and I’ll discuss that further in a minute. (I’m really building anticipation with this whole, “I’ll explain that in a minute” business, aren’t I?)

Blood Clot

Remember that nasty blood clot that got us all freaked out in the beginning and caused my diva mama to have to stay in a tiny hospital room on bed rest for days? And how we all had to hear over and over and over about how much she hated that room and wanted a nicer one? Oh wait, that was mostly just me. 😉  Well, the CT didn’t show the blood clot, and her echo was great, so no need to worry about it! She’ll continue on blood thinners. Hooray!

BRCA Testing

We also got the results from mom’s BRCA genetic testing. This determines if mom has the genetic mutation that can cause breast cancer. Only 10% of cancer patients have this gene, but if she has it, she could pass it on to me and Sadie. Well, her test result was negative, so we are also very happy about that! If hers is negative, then Sadie and I don’t have to worry about having the mutation.

Treatment Plan Going Forward

I told you I’d tell you more in a minute, and the minute is up! We now have more details regarding mom’s treatment plan. The plan is to still do the 3 more rounds of chemo (today, December 30th, and January 20th), then have more scans to see the results of the chemotherapy. After January 20th, we’ll meet with Dr. Clifford, the surgeon, who will come up with a game plan for the double mastectomy, lymph node removal, and liver thing. I say “liver thing” because we’re not exactly sure what he’ll want to do. They could resect the liver lesion or there are other options to remove it that I can’t remember. I can only retain so much, people! The good news is that they will remove it. We just want this out of her! The other great news is that Dr. Juvvadi doesn’t think mom will have to go through radiation, and we are really happy about that!! We hear that can be very painful.

The not-so-good-depending-on-how-you-look-at-it news is that mom will continue to come in for treatments after surgery every three weeks indefinitely. What does that mean? Well, right now, mom’s chemotherapy treatment consists of Herceptin, Perjeta, and Taxotere. After surgery, mom will still be on Herceptin and Perjeta, every three weeks, for as long as she needs to be until she’s completely in remission. They’ll scan her every three months to determine progress. This is the course of treatment with metastatic cancers (meaning it’s spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver). Dr. Juvvadi mentioned she has a patient that has been on it for 2 years, so we really don’t know how long it will be. The sucky part is that she can’t put this all behind her next year like we all had hoped, but the GREAT news is that the treatment is working, this will keep fighting those nasty cancer cells until they are completely gone, and she will not be on Taxotere anymore which produces the majority of her treatment side effects. She’ll be able to go back to work, her hair will likely grow back, and her symptoms will be much more manageable.

That’s all I have for now! We’re saying prayers of gratitude for good news and asking for continued progress. This fight is far from over, but at least we know those cancer cells are running scared!

We’re also praying for those who have had scans that didn’t show progress. My heart aches for you, and I’m praying daily for a cure to this horrible disease. I’ve witnessed so many amazing examples of strength and courage through other cancer fighters we know. You are warriors.

We love y’all so much! As always, thank you for your continued love and support!

Love,

Sydnie