Abraxane

The new drug, in place of the Taxol, is called Abraxane - it is so much better, primarily because I'm not having an allergic reaction to it, but there are some side effects.  The first one that I had was muscle and bone aches in my legs.  Uncomfortable but not horrible, especially since I could take Aleve and alternate that with Tylenol.  It only lasted a couple of days and then eased up a lot.  The second side effect was more annoying and made life harder - diarrhea.  It would start with actually not going at all one day, then abdominal pain and the beginnings of looseness the next.  The first week was about 3 days, the second seemed to start sooner and be a little worse.  It is controllable (I am allowed to take Imodium) but honestly, that didn't seem to make much difference in the length of time it lasted.  It's almost at an end when the tremendous gas pains begin but, was still in effect enough today that I had to cancel a lunch out with a friend - I certainly didn't want to be somewhere, eat something and have to make emergency trips to the bathroom!

Luckily I have wonderful friends who understand my inability to plan more than 5 minutes (or so it seems) and are adaptable to my side effects! 

The good news about this treatment (there are 12 in total and this Thursday will be #10 counting down from 12) is that it's for three weeks with a week off - so I'm treatment free the Thursday before Christmas and should be feeling fine with all side effects behind me!  At that time I'll also be in single digits for the number of treatments left!  YIPPEE!!

I have a meeting this Friday with my surgeon - have lots of questions for her.  I've been on a board on Facebook for cancer patients (not all breast cancer) and have heard some things I definitely need clarified - for instance - tissue expanders - will I need them??  I'm not sure I want to have them as I've heard that some women have them for months (or longer).  I want this to be over and not to delay anything!  If the reconstruction is done immediately (without expanders necessary) and recovery can then begin, it's one thing.  Otherwise - flat isn't so bad!  I'm not 20 anymore - don't really care what I look like to other people.  Hopefully she'll have answers!  PS I have high hopes, since the oncologist said that by simply squeezing my breast, he couldn't feel the lump anymore (and neither can I really) that the lump has shrunk enough to make the surgery easier.  I'll find out!