2nd week of treatment
My family went to Grand Marais, MN for my sister Marcia’s 50th birthday celebration. I obviously couldn’t go, so I decided to take Friday off for my treatment. I set up my appointment earlier in the day at 8am. Well, I was up at 2am for the second round of steroids and couldn’t get back to sleep. I’m so excited about the potential of starting this cause around the importance of 3D mammography and other medical technologies. I ended up researching technology differences between 2D and 3D for most of the night. I also researched Breast Cancer genetic screening as several oncologists recommended I be tested again. It has been 5 years for me and there have been significant advancements and the discovery of specific gene links to breast cancer. One such gene is PABL2 and it is linked to both breast and pancreatic cancer. I was super wired from the steroids and excited about my new cause. I drank a lot of water as you are recommended to consume 4 – 8oz glasses of water immediately before each chemotherapy treatment. I arrived at the infusion center super pumped. I met with the nurse practitioner right away and he decided to drop my steroid dosage for all subsequent treatments. It was obvious I had way too much energy. My blood work wasn’t great, my white blood count was below the minimum but my neutrophil was good enough to continue with the treatment. My husband and boys were constantly checking my progress as they are out of town and super nervous that I’m alone. The second treatment was progressing well, but I was still dealing with my period. During treatment, I went to the bathroom to deal with that issue and was surprised to find I had a bladder control issue. I drank so much water before arriving to the center and then receiving all the IV fluids, my bladder over expanded and just released without my knowing. Thankfully, I brought an extra change of clothes!!! I called my sister April and again she was a great help in determining what happened and constructively stated that at least I was well hydrated. Overall, my second treatment went well. Now, I needed to start working on a wig in preparation for the hair loss.
An instantaneous fluid idea becomes the Cause... —
We Demand 3D™
Prior to my first treatment on August 3rd, my DowDupont coworkers surprised me with a Breast Cancer encouragement party and generous gift of money. I told them about my cause, We Demand 3D, and asked if I could use the money to get started with a website, t-shirts and hats. They supported the idea immediately and helped me figure out the subtitle—“Demand It, Do It, Discuss It™”. For several days after the encouragement party, I talked and received positive feedback from several people and it reemphasized why this cause is so important. So many people are unaware of 3D mammography and other medical technologies in the early detection of Breast Cancer. I need to get started on this ASAP to get the word out. Again, I was extremely fortunate that my coworker Bre offered up her husband’s help to get me started. Throughout the next several weeks, Ian and I worked together to create the logo, order t-shirts and hats, and design a banner. I wanted to have a booth at the Susan G. Komen walk on August 19th, 2018 to spread the word on 3D mammograms. My neighbor Wendy’s company really came through quickly making up the banners and the postcard handouts for the walk.
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