THREE FACES OF NANCY
"THREE FACES OF EVE"/NANCY
(The "Three Faces of Eve" was a motion picture based on a true story about
a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder. Joanne Woodward won
the 1957 oscar for her performance of the afflicted woman. My three faces are below.)
It has been quite awhile since I have posted any information on my blog about my experiences with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer, so I thought it was time for an update.
I am now on my fourth round of chemo with very minimal side effects - occasional slight nausea, bloody noses often in the a.m., and increasing "chemo brain," which bothers me the most. But gradually I have been learning more and more about this disease and its long-term problems and prognosis, which is often danced around or just simply not discussed by my present doctor. I'm becoming increasingly pro-active because I have found that you really do have to devote a lot of your precious time to managing the disease and determining what is right for you. Individuals are often very different in how they cope. I am one who doesn't want any bullshit; I just want my doctor's best guess about how long I am likely to continue with the few side affects that I am now experiencing and what the "dangers" are as more and more chemo is pumped into my body.
I am now of the opinion that it's not necessarily the cancer that kills you, it's the chemo. The longer you are on it the more the risk of heart problems or strokes or damage to your organs - not a pretty picture and not one with a very promising outlook. With that said, my friend, Andy Buerger, whose sister passed away last year at the age of 45 of advanced breast cancer, told me about a vaccine trial that is being done by a doctor at Johns Hopkins. This trial is investigating the efficacy of utilizing vaccines made from gene-modified tumor cells to help the body build an effective immune response to kill tumor cells. I am aware that a similar trial is taking place in Cleveland as well. I have an appointment this Wed. with Dr. Leisha Emens at Johns Hopkins to discuss the trial and to determine whether I might be a candidate for inclusion. If I am, my understanding is that I would receive a small amount of a chemotherapy drug while participating. It would, however, require extensive travel weekly since the hospital is in Baltimore, a 2+ hour trip from Carlisle. I'll write more about it after I have met with Dr. Emens.
I want you all to know, though, that I am feeling great under the circumstances. I am busy trying to pare down some of the "stuff" that I have accumulated after living here for almost 18 years and I am becoming much more careful about how I spend my days. I have learned what is important to me and I jealously guard the time I spend with friends and family. And you'll be happy to know that my sense of humor is in tact (after all, laughter is truly the best medicine, if only we could bottle it).
#1 - With my wig
Wigless, just white/grey fuzz
Baseball cap - much cooler than the wig and definitely my favorite!