Things that I love

A fellow cancer survivor said it's important to list at least 5 things that makes you happy on a daily basis and do 10 if you're feeling down. Life gets crazy at times and we sometimes forget to focus on what makes us beam inside and out. By nature I'm a pretty serious person but I'll list the first few things that pop into my mind. Maybe you should too!

1. Smell of rain.

2. Sammy being super playful and super snugly

3. Nice belly laughter with friends

4. A good cup of coffee (I know, I should be cutting back.)

5. A good page turning book

6. Long walks in the fall

7. Happy babies

8. Children's innocence

9. The satisfaction of succeeding in something you worked so hard for

10. Lazy days

11. Hours on the phone with friends

12. Good sound sleep

13. Clothes that fit well and that are comfortable, love my flip flops!

14. Delicious food

I think I might be a variant

I finally spoke with my oncologist and she explained that my Tamoxifen metabolizer test came back fairly inconclusive. Hmmm...didn't that happen with my genetic BRCA testing? I have these variants that may make me metabolize them at an intermediate level. Basically, I am getting some benefits of a drug that I have to take for five years but I'm not getting all the benefits.

I have a handful of side effects from Tamoxifen. We discussed that I can get Lupron shots that will suppress my ovaries. I may stay with the Tamoxifen since I at least know what the side effects are. She did say that I can switch off and on between the two for the remaining three years. Lupron will probably start my hot flashes again. With Austin weather, I should probably hang tight until the winter at least! :)

My insurance made me cry today

I wonder how many total minutes I have clocked on the telephone with my insurance company since I've been diagnosed. I am estimating that I spent close to 30 minutes with them today. 30 minutes on something that I've been trying to address with them since January and we're in mid-April.

I need to rent Sicko. Paul, if you're reading this, it's still on my to do list! I'm sure it will just anger me more than I already am.

Anyway, it took me breaking down out of frustration for the person I spoke with to show any compassion or try to truly "help" me. I sort of have the information I need. Again, I will call my doctors on Monday and spend more of my own time trying to figure out what is covered because nobody seems to be able to give me a straight answer.

On a positive note, I went up to my old school for a few minutes and it was wonderful seeing the old Pease gang. I will always feel at home with my fellow staff members there. I also miss the kiddos. I had a little fourth grader come up to me. She gave me a huge hug and then asked me if I would please come back and teach. Her big blue eyes were looking at me with such intense and plea, talk about touching your heart! It made me want to drop what I was doing that day at to get back in the classroom! My would be sixth graders this year have gotten so big! I still need to look into being a mentor or tutoring more often.

Chemo Curl

The coined term of "Chemo Curl" is the curl we get when our hair grows back. Chemotherapy can stay within our system for up to a year. As my hair started growing out, it became wavy. Most people I know comes back very curly. I guess my long, straight Asian hair made it come back just wavy.

I hated my curls but tried not to complain about it since I felt grateful that I had hair. I moussed it down as much as I could until a hair stylist suggested that I flat ironed. I flat ironed from October to February and it helped me go through an awkward stage as my hair was growing out.

The picture on top was when I flat ironed and it was taken in New Mexico with my family in December of 2007. The picture on the bottom was the chemo wave that was taken March 2008. I no longer flat iron. It is long enough to pull up at the sides or as an entire pony tail! I've learned to embrace my wave and everyone seems to love it. I love the fact that it doesn't take long for me to get ready in the mornings.

The Results to My Tamoxifen Metabolizer Test

Okay, I've been waiting and waiting. I found out last fall that there's a test to see if my body is truly metabolizing Tamoxifen, estrogen inhibitor drug. The test is fairly new. It was FDA approved in the fall of 2006. Apparently 7 to 10% of women that are ER positive are taking Tamoxifen and are not truly getting the true benefits of it. Our unique genetic makeup that causes our bodies to not properly metabolize it, and therefore we may have a higher risk of recurrence because we are "poor metabolizers". It seems as if certain drugs, Effexor, etc and cause us to metabolize it poorly too. Tamoxifen is activated by the CYP2D6. I spoke briefly to my nurse yesterday and they said everything came back fine. I was sent one sheet of my test today but it doesn't seem to have a clear answer. Granted I'm not a doctor and all the medical jargon can get overwhelming but it didn't seem to conclusive. (Not that that would surprise me since my genetic testing wasn't clear cut either.) It stated that I had one "non-functional" allele. Hmmm...that doesn't sound good. It goes on to talk about an intermediate metabolizer which is okay.

I guess my best bet is to call the testing center and pick their brain. I don't see my oncologist until mid-April so that's way too far off. The test is fairly new so my oncology nurse wasn't too sure how to read it.

I have heard that this test is 100% accurate, especially if you're on other drugs, etc. I still feel knowledge is power. I may have to take this drug for another 3 years but at least I will know whether it is working or not. I have most of the side effects so that typically mean its working.

8th Annual Conference for Young Women Affected by BC

I attended this conference in Jacksonville, Florida in February of 2008. Here are a few key items worth sharing:

Genetics

BRACAnalysis® Rearrangement Testing (BART) Testing for patients with negative BRCA 1 and BRCA 2.
Good for those that are triple negative
Can identify the majority of the remaining BRCA1 and BRCA 2 genes
PTEN tumor suppressor-active germline mutation can cause different cancers and are thought to cause breast cancer too

Fertility

Predictors of ovarian failure after chemo: type of chemo, cumulative dose, age and genetic of body to chemo
Those below 35 years have the best chance with frozen embryo
Ovary freezing has only 1.5% success rate; uncertain if cancer cell can be frozen too
Gender selection is possible but at an extra cost
Limited studies about future recurrence after pregnancy

Managing Weight

50-90% of women with BC will gain weight if not addressed proactively
Possible metabolic changes from menopause
14% increase in mortality with every extra pound
3-5 hours walk a week cuts death by half; those that exercised did better through treatment
Juicing: more than 80% of Americans are not getting enough nutrients
Physical activity is associated with decreased circulating estrogen levels

Complementary & Integrative Medicine

Low fat and high fiber may reduce estrogen
Soy is still questionable
Those with high estrogen had 3X mortality rate; focus on GI
Massage, acupressure, acupuncture will help alleviate side effects
Restriction of emotions and chronic anxiety shows an increase in mortality
Ginger and green tea help battle inflammation

Graphic II

We're gearing up for Graphic II on April 26th at The Design Center at Penn Field. Graphic is a fun and hip event where we have live music, great food, drinks and art. We have a silent auction of art and art bras. Fellow Pink Ribbon Cowgirls will be modeling some art bras on the runway and a live auction will follow. Tickets are $30 a person and two level of sponsorships are available. $300 includes five tickets to the event and mentioning in the program. $500 includes five tickets, mentioning in the program and mentioning in our 2009 Graphic Art Bra Calendar. News 8 will be our TV sponsor this year and we have Senator Kirk Watson emceeing. For information or purchasing tickets go to www.bcrc.org. Tickets can be purchased through Pay Pal under the Gift Shop link.

This will be my the second time I attend Graphic but my first time as an employee of the Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas and that I have two bras made in honor of me. The top bra is made by Maria and it's called "Pink Gerber." One of my favorite flowers are gerbers! She used acrylic paint and it's so beautiful! Her husband, Berto, made the second one. There's a gold fish, pink ribbon and the word "Strength." The colors are just amazing and he used permanent markers. Their son, I call him Big D, will be very artistic! I feel so loved and appreciate their undying friendship.