Update

My 9 week check up was supposed to be around December 30 but they have yet to replace Dr A so there wasn’t anyone for me to see. When I had my Herceptin treatment on December 17 the nurse told me that she would tentatively book my next appointment in 3 weeks but that as yet there were no orders for me. I went home and called my oncology nurse at the cancer centre and that is when she told me there was no one for me to see but she would talk to one of the oncologists and get them to send in some orders for me. When I had my appointment on Jan 6 again she said there were no orders for next time. This time the clinic did call me to make an appointment for Jan 15 to see an oncologist who is visiting for a month. So I will finally get my blood checked and be able to ask some questions.

I had my echocardiogram (heart scan) on December 14 and my heart is still good. It is at 65% which freaked me out at first but the nurse said they don’t like it to drop below 50 and normal is 55-75%. I don’t know what my very first one was before I started the chemo but when I was done, my heart scan in July showed 64% - I’m up one from then!

I saw the radiation oncologist on January 7 for my 3 month follow up. He said that I am doing great and he will now fade into the background and I won’t have to see him again but I can call him if I need anything. He said I should continue the stretching and my range of motion will improve. He said I can still be in the sun but to wear a light cotton covering and use sunscreen where I had the radiation. Apparently not everyone burns easily after – everyone is different. Now that it is healed I don’t have to keep smearing lotion on it. When I asked him about hot tubs and saunas he told me that was an old wives tale and that I should be able to go into them. I’m really not sure about that as everything I have read anywhere says that it can cause lymph edema. He said your body compensates and creates its own channels of drainage. I will definitely be asking every doctor I see after this what their opinion is on that one. He also said that since the cabins are pressurized on airplanes now, I usually won’t have to wear the compression sleeve to fly.