I finally had my appointment at the cancer centre on Tuesday. First I had to give some blood. Then I filled in some forms only to have the nurse ask me the same questions and write my answers on another form. Then I met my oncology doctor and he examined me. After that I was able to get dressed and they came back in and he went over everything that I have done so far and what is to come.

All this time I thought I was having 5 days of injections followed by 17 days off times 4 but that isn’t right. I will be on chemo for over a year! First I will get three drugs – Fluorouracil, Epirubicin, and Cycolphosphamide in one injection every 3 weeks times 3. (This is appropriately called FEC!) Then I will get a drug called Taxotere also one injection every three weeks times 3. At the same time (as the taxotere) they will start me on Herceptin which is also one injection every three weeks but this one will go on for one year. Sometime during all this I will also have 5-6 weeks of radiation but I am not clear on when that will be. At the end of the year I will go on anti HR treatment (something like tamoxifen) for 5 years.

On Wednesday I had my MUGA scan (heart scan). First they take out a tube of blood. Then they mixed it with some radioactive markers and injected it back into me. Then I had to lay on a table same as the bone scan and they scanned my heart for about 10 minutes. Some of the drugs I will be on can damage your heart so this is something I will have to keep doing to make sure that isn't happening.

So that is it in a nutshell. These drugs can have pretty awful side effects and I will have to stay away from any germs. At this point I can hardly imagine doing this for a whole year. I got my call this morning and on March 17 I will get my PICC line installed. That in itself sounds pretty frightening! March 18 will be my first chemo treatment.