Monday I reached my half way point with Herceptin! Yippeee! Only 6 more months of weekly IV drip! Sometime in November I should finish up. I'll have to skip a couple weeks this summer for travel plans. No biggie. Then in Dec/Jan we can likely get the port removed from my chest. Thank goodness! It's not so bad except when I want to lay flat on my stomach like in a yoga class. Should be interesting when we fly this summer. Hopefully security won't be a hassle.
Monday was a milestone for my onc, too. She officially stopped contracting the hospital to manage the chemo room. She owns it now! And I was their first patient! Lots of hoopla! Kind of fun. What does this mean to me? Faster service! I won't have to wait for the hospital to register me and mix my drug. It will be done in the office now. Hooray for Dr. O as she grows her business!
I went to my naturopath on Friday. This is the first visit with her and she focuses on women's health. It was primarily a preventative discussion. The three main concerns are calcium, vitamin D3 and adrenal function. Because of my hysterectomy, I need to stay on top of my calcium intake so osteoporosis doesn't become a problem. I took a urine test to determine my calcium turn-over rate. This will help us gage how aggressive we need to be with calcium supplements. Ideally, I should have a bone density scan, but insurance may not pay for that. I need to work with insurance/drs on getting that done in the near future. Seems like it should be easily justified. She bumped up my vitamin D3 to 5000 IU per day in a liquid form. D3 plays a big role in bone health. We talked a lot about adrenal function. It plays a big role in overall health including managing stress. Based on a few screening questions, she seems to believe my adrenal glands are working fine. However, I'd like to see the data. In the next few days, I will do a saliva test that will measure my cortisol levels. Why do I care? Properly managing stress & having a healthy adrenal gland is VERY important for long term survivor ship....staying cancer free. This is also why I'm trying to do yoga a couple times a week and beginning a meditation program.
Speaking of yoga....gotta a funny story for you! So as you may remember, I joined a gym a few months ago. It's working out quite well. I'm swimming and attending spin & yoga classes. I'm trying to make yoga a priority because of the calm it brings me mentally & physically. Well, one day last week I was so calm at the end of the class in corps pose that I fell asleep. Yes, a little embarrassing! I was out and then all of a sudden I hear people clapping and getting up.....while I'm still laying there flat on my back with all my limbs stretched out. Too funny!
For all you soda drinkers........my naturopath told me soda is the top calcium depleter! Coffee is up there, too! She is treating several women in their 20s who drank considerable amounts of soda and now have full on osteoporosis. Scary!
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Love, srb
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