First Chemo Appointment

As we sit here in the infusion area of the new Mercy hospital there is a young woman who has just completed her 6th and final chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. We cheered her success and she encouraged Bonnie as she headed out.

Today is the first of Bonnie's 6 chemotherapy treatments and she is very successfully making it through. She has been busy with her blackberry sending emails and making phone calls so that everything keeps flowing at the store! The TV here also helps and she has had a few walks, pushing the IV pole around the halls. They did give her some Benedryl for prevention of allergy reaction and that has made her a little drowsy. We have a few more hours left so hopefully she will get in a little nap!

Last week Bonnie had a bone scan, a CAT scan from her neck to her pelvis and she also had an echo cardiogram. There is no other cancer in her body except in her breast and lymph node so that is the good news. In the bone scan the doctor said he saw something in Bonnie's knee and she showed him the scars from a prior surgery, next he said there was something in her left hip and she then explained how she had fallen off her bike last winter and suffered an injury as a result. Wow it was amazing that the scan was able to pick up Bonnie's history as it relates to her bones! Next we were able to see all the little slices from the CAT scan which was so neat and interesting to see her from the inside out. Dr. Inhorn wasn't sure about one little spot he saw and so he dialed up the phone and we were able to listen to the dictation from the radiologist. The little spot on the liver is a simple cyst that is a very common occurrence. Technology is a wonderful thing and seeing the scan and hearing the dictation only an hour after the test was done! Bonnie was very relieved that the tests were all clear and felt ready to move on to taking care of the breast cancer.

It was a busy weekend and the highlight was meeting Carly Simon in the store on Saturday night!!

Bonnie has also signed up to be part of a clinical trial where they are using the drug Ixabepilone (Ixempra), Carboplatin and Herceptin for her chemotherapy. The Ixabepilone is currently used for women with metastatic cancer with great success so they are trying it now for someone with locally advanced breast cancer which Bonnie has. The side affects seem to be less than other chemotherapy so Bonnie is even more confident about all of the treatment. The trial is being done all over the country and will include 60 participants, Bonnie is the first one in this trial here at Mercy and she loves that she is helping others through her treatment.