The Plan
SO, the plan is ... to do chemo and reconstruction at the same time ... and have my final surgery - the "exchange" - in December before Christmas.
We start chemo on Sept. 2 and we have expansion on Sept. 3. My blood counts are anticipated to be at their lowest around Day 10 after each infusion - so it's at this time that I'm most susceptible to getting sick. But after Day 10, things start to go up again and I start to feel better, just before my next infusion. I'm hoping we can work the expansions in around Day 15 or so and then maybe again the day after the next infusion. This would give me something like 2 weeks on, 1 week off. If everything goes according to plan, and I bounce back after each infusion like I should, my last infusion will be November 4th. By Thanksgiving, I should be on the up swing of the last infusion and feeling much better (meaning, okay to feast!). And, this will give me all of November, and some of December, to recover before we do my final surgery to swap out the expanders for the implants. Not such a bad Christmas present! By my 30th birthday in March, I should be feeling like myself and the side effects should start fully subsiding - and hopefully I won't miss snowboarding after all! April 10, 2011 ... our one year wedding anniversary ... this should all (for the most part) be behind us, and we'll hopefully have a 2nd honeymoon where we can do-over this first year properly and cancer free.
This is the plan anyhow ... the ideal plan. My hope is everything goes smoothly and if we have to deviate from "the plan" ... it's only slightly and we get back on track quickly, without much lost in the process.
It makes me feel better knowing that there is a plan - that the steps are laid out and all we have to do is cross them off our list as we accomplish each one. It's nice to have some direction, even if it does involve chemo, at least it's a direction - with defined steps ... defined goals.
I think a mini celebration is in order each time we complete an infusion .... something to say "hooray! one down, X to go."
We start chemo on Sept. 2 and we have expansion on Sept. 3. My blood counts are anticipated to be at their lowest around Day 10 after each infusion - so it's at this time that I'm most susceptible to getting sick. But after Day 10, things start to go up again and I start to feel better, just before my next infusion. I'm hoping we can work the expansions in around Day 15 or so and then maybe again the day after the next infusion. This would give me something like 2 weeks on, 1 week off. If everything goes according to plan, and I bounce back after each infusion like I should, my last infusion will be November 4th. By Thanksgiving, I should be on the up swing of the last infusion and feeling much better (meaning, okay to feast!). And, this will give me all of November, and some of December, to recover before we do my final surgery to swap out the expanders for the implants. Not such a bad Christmas present! By my 30th birthday in March, I should be feeling like myself and the side effects should start fully subsiding - and hopefully I won't miss snowboarding after all! April 10, 2011 ... our one year wedding anniversary ... this should all (for the most part) be behind us, and we'll hopefully have a 2nd honeymoon where we can do-over this first year properly and cancer free.
This is the plan anyhow ... the ideal plan. My hope is everything goes smoothly and if we have to deviate from "the plan" ... it's only slightly and we get back on track quickly, without much lost in the process.
It makes me feel better knowing that there is a plan - that the steps are laid out and all we have to do is cross them off our list as we accomplish each one. It's nice to have some direction, even if it does involve chemo, at least it's a direction - with defined steps ... defined goals.
I think a mini celebration is in order each time we complete an infusion .... something to say "hooray! one down, X to go."
Just wanted to let you know that I'm out here reading your thoughts and words. Your plan sounds good and optimistic. You're a strong and beautiful soul, Melissa.
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