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Saturday, November 30, 2019

Pam Update - Going Well

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and some time off with friends and family.  We had a nice feast at Kelly and Jon’s with the boys a couple of days ago.

Now an update on Pam.  We’ve been to appointments since Pam’s surgery on November 18.  Everything is going well, we are grateful to report.  Key to her breast cancer diagnosis  is that the small tumor was found early during a mammogram.

That was a little over a month ago.  From mammogram to surgery was 30 days.  Lots of factors lead us to be cautiously optimistic.  They acted quickly, it was small, it was Stage 1. The surgeon is first rate and yesterday we met with the radiologist.  He too is very good.  Both are the kind of doctors you want:  at the top of their game, very highly rated technically, and have good people skills.  And they both communicate well so we can understand what is going on.  They are espouse confidence in our situation so we have confidence.

From the start, things have stayed pretty much on track. The original plan was for a lumpectomy followed by radiation.  Chemo is still TBD.  More on that in a minute. The doctors said Pam was a perfect candidate for partial breast radiation which we are going to do.

Basically, a catheter is inserted in the incision area where the tumor was removed.  It will remain there for the 5 days of treatment.  Two times a day doses of radiation are delivered to the tumor cavity and surrounding area.  We expect appointments to be something like an 8:30 AM and a 2:30 PM appointment. They are hoping to start Monday December 9 until Friday December 13.

Meanwhile the tumor is off to a California lab somewhere for oncotype testing.  This is how one website describes it:
The Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test is a unique genomic test that helps women recently diagnosed with early-stage invasive breast cancer. The test generates a score of 0-100 based on 21 specific genes in your breast tumor tissue that was removed during surgery. This unique set of genes predicts your response to chemotherapy as well as the chances of your cancer returning to provide personalized information that is not available from any other test or measure.

We are hopeful the tests determine that there is no need for chemo.  We will see.

Meanwhile, Pam is feeling almost normal.  Aside from her blood pressure being a little high at our appointment (I will be they see that a lot from patients), everything is moving along well.  She is sleeping like she usually does.  She rests a little in the afternoon but seldom naps.  She is eating normally and never had an issue with nausea.

That’s the latest and we appreciate checking in.  We are thankful for your prayers and interest.

Next post will be about a couple of small projects we are doing.  We are so glad to be here.  Especially with this on our plate and for this time of the season.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

10 comments:

  1. So glad to hear Pam is doing so good. Prayers are being sent your way. Hopefully by Christmas this will all be behind you.

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  2. Sounds like you have a good team working on this. Keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

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  3. Continued prayers, Pam and Randy. Happy to hear the cautiously optimistic update!

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  4. Thank you Randy for that detailed description of what Pam and you are going through. It helps me visualize what's happening so that when I pray I feel like I'm right there with the radiation going to specific areas for healing. Your positive attitude and sincere faith also goes a long way in her healing. Hope you find some joy with your friends and family during this holiday season. Thanks so much for sharing.

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  5. Thanks for the update. Pam and You have been in our thoughts and prayers. You certainly had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We will continue to hold you and your family close at heart:o))

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  6. Just so amazing how far research has brought us. Continued prayers for peace through the whole ordeal.

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  7. So glad to hear the latest news on Pam is very positive. We are happy to hear that she is doing well and feeling more normal again. We are thinking of you both and sending positive thoughts your way.

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  8. Sounds like Pam is in good hands, glad to hear she is doing so well.

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  9. So glad to hear good news on Pam's condition. Hope it a past memory quickly.

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  10. Yay Pam!! You have soooo many people cheering for your recovery!! You've got this!!

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