One-year anniversary

March 20, 2009 | 8 Comments

Today I’m celebrating a small victory in my war on breast cancer. My one-year cancer anniversary.

Exactly one year ago today I was sitting in the doctor’s office when I got the news.  Before he even spoke, I could tell by the look on his face it wasn’t going to be good.  The words “you have cancer” still echo in my ears and leave an anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach.

The last 12 months have brought many challenges and changes in my life, and yet somehow I managed to survive a modified radical mastectomy of the right breast, a simple mastectomy of the left, surgery to install a Mediport, six grueling rounds of chemotherapy, seven long weeks of daily radiation, a hysterectomy, hormone therapy, and a divorce.  Whew, talk about life hurdles.

Oh believe me, I had days when I didn’t think I could possibly take anymore, but you learn to take life one hour at a time during those moments and eventually it gets easier.

This journey has opened my eyes to what’s truly important and I’ve come to accept that not everyone beats cancer, but how we live and how we think make a huge difference.  I’ve made peace with God and am grateful for every day I’m healthy.

Today I am trying to start over again, to regain a new life and become a new me, even if it means doing it on my own.  Uncertain about what the future holds, there is one thing I know for sure, I’m blessed to have the love and support of my family and friends. They’ve been the glue holding me together.

I recognize today’s victory is as much yours as it is mine.  We’ve drawn strength from one another over the last year and today we can celebrate a happy milestone together.  YIPPEE!!!!

Posted by tricia | Filed Under blog, family and friends, treatment 

NED was found!

February 14, 2009 | 8 Comments

I’m breathing a sigh of relief and grinning ear to ear as all the scans done earlier this week have come back “normal”.  My Oncologist said everything looked beautiful… no evidence of disease.  NED was found.  Our prayers have been answered.

During yesterday’s visit, they took some blood to start tracking my tumor markers.  From what I understand, they run a CEA and a CA 27.29 test on the blood and if the numbers come back anywhere above the “normal” range that’ll indicate something could be brewing.

For now I’ll continue to be closely monitored by blood tests and these scans will become the new routine, done every six months.  I realize there is no finish line. The only thing that matters is that I keep moving through the process.  Sometimes it’s a sprint and looks effortless to those who don’t know any better.  Other times, I crawl and drag myself along.

With the scans behind me, I can now turn my thoughts to reconstruction.  I find myself flipping through magazines and analyzing every set of breasts I see.  Too big, too small, too round, too flat, too close together, too far apart, too perky, too saggy.  Lucky for me I have a great (young) plastic surgeon that will sit and laugh with me (or at me) as we flip through the boob collage I’m making so he’s sure to get them “just right”.

Stay tuned… I’m sure the reconstruction process will be more than entertaining.

Posted by tricia | Filed Under blog, healing, treatment 

Looking for NED

February 4, 2009 | 7 Comments

I just wanted to bring all my friends and family up to speed with a quick February update.

Next Monday, February 9th, I’ll be receiving my first set of scans to make sure the cancer hasn’t metastasized, or spread.  This will include a CT scan of the head, neck, abdomen, and pelvis followed by a full body bone scan.  Results are scheduled for Friday the 13th.  Hmmm, Friday the 13th…hopefully superstition doesn’t get the better of me.

I had a brain MRI last week and am happy to report the findings were normal.  The remainder of the month includes a follow up with my radiologist as well as a bone density test.   Once I get the all clear on everything I can start to focus on the reconstruction surgery.

For now, please keep me in your prayers as the anxiety builds leading up to next weeks scans.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed for NED, that’s cancer slang for No Evidence of Disease.

Posted by tricia | Filed Under blog, family and friends, healing, treatment 

Happy New Year!

January 14, 2009 | 7 Comments

My parents wrote a beautiful holiday letter which they included in their Christmas cards that summed up the year, and I’d like to share it with you…

Holiday time is here again and for the Andrlik family 2008 was a blur of activities, for the most part centered on the medical profession. We have learned a lot.

 

In March our youngest daughter, Tricia (age 38) was diagnosed with advanced Stage III Breast Cancer.  The day we were told those words our world came crumbling down around us.  Tricia’s strength through the past eight months has been much better than ours.  As parents we are suppose to be the strong ones but, in this case, we gained our strength from Tricia as we watched her face one challenge after another.

 

Tricia had a double mastectomy followed by months of chemo and radiation.  She is currently going through 5 years of hormone therapy and is recovering from a complete hysterectomy to help reduce her risk of recurrence.  Breast reconstruction surgery is next.  The wedding vows say “for better or worse” but her husband could not accept the cancer diagnosis.  Statistics say 12% of marriages fail with a cancer diagnosis and they are now part of that statistic – it broke our hearts.

 

We have learned to focus on the “now” through the strong support teams of doctors and nurses.  Their care and concern for Tricia is genuine and obvious.  Kaitlyn has been so impressed with the care her mother has received that she now is considering a college study in the nursing profession after high school.

 

We have learned the real bond of “family” as we watched Todd immediately set out to develop the www.4tricia.com website as a means of keeping family and friends connected during difficult days.  The out-pouring of love and support has held us up when we felt like crumbling. 

 

We’ve learned the love of a sister and what dedication really means as we watched Terry organize meal offer plans for Tricia, help partner with Todd on the website, accompany Tricia to chemo appointments, line up wigs and hats, and then become part of the Cancer Organization’s “Sister Study” program.

 

We have learned the importance of companionship as we watched Tim always take time for a visit, phone call or a dinner out with his sister to lift her spirits.  He just seemed to know when she needed to talk.

 

We’ve learned from our son-in-law Bob and daughters-in-law Dawn and Hillary that there is strength in numbers as we sat together in Tricia’s hospital room praying together that life would mend itself soon.  Even all the little ones added their love with special drawings and letters.

 

The year has been a blur but through it all we have learned what matters most in life is a strong faith, the love of family and the gift of friendship. We want to thank you for holding us up when we didn’t think we had the strength.  We truly value the love and support you have provided and wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season.

 

Please keep Tricia in your prayers, the road ahead is still a long one.

 

Love, Sharon and Bob

As my journey continues, I’ll have my first set of scans in February to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned. These scans will be done every six months for the first two years as well as blood tests every six weeks to track my tumor markers, the slightest elevation and a red flag will go up.

I look forward to the day when I can go longer than 5 minutes without the thought of cancer creeping into my head, but that’ll come with time. For now I’m trying to focus on the future and rebuilding my life.

I will keep everyone posted once the scans have been scheduled.

Thank you for your continued love, support & prayers.May you have a safe, happy and healthy New Year.

Posted by tricia | Filed Under blog, family and friends, healing 

Post-hysterectomy update

December 7, 2008 | 10 Comments

Sending out a quick update as I sit recovering…

The hysterectomy went according to schedule and I was finally able to leave the hospital on Saturday afternoon once they removed all the staples holding me together. I’m moving at a turtles pace and in a lot of pain, but happy this too is finally behind me.

Just before checking out of the hospital my doctor came by with the lab results and said we made the right choice by having the hysterectomy because the tissue samples tested positive for “significant abnormal cell growth” on two levels, meaning it was just a matter of time before the cells multiplied and turned into cervical cancer as well as endometrium cancer.

Sometimes I feel like my head is spinning with all the information that is thrown at me, but in the end I know everyone is looking out for me and has my best interest at heart. I’ll spend the next few weeks recovering and let my body heal before I schedule my breast reconstruction surgery. By the time I’m done with everything I’ll feel like the bionic woman and ready to take on the world, but for now this turtle is crawling back under her shell for a nap.

Posted by tricia | Filed Under blog, healing, post-surgery 

Hysterectomy Tomorrow

December 3, 2008 | 3 Comments

Quick update… I’m scheduled for a complete hysterectomy tomorrow (Wednesday, December 3rd).

Since testing positive for the cancer gene BRCA2, my doctors recommended having this procedure done to help lower the risk of recurrence. Once again, the lab will test the tissue that’s removed, so please keep me in your prayers as my journey continues.

Posted by tricia | Filed Under blog, surgery, tests, treatment 

Open windows

November 3, 2008 | 4 Comments

As the last few days of radiation wind down I sit here with mixed emotions as to what the next chapter of my life has in store for me.

The last seven months have been filled with shock, disbelief, anger, fear, and heartbreak. I watched as my world came crumbling down around me with one devastating blow after another, and yet with a future full of uncertainty I cling to the hope of “when God closes a door he opens a window” and continue to have faith.

With the second leg of my cancer journey coming to an end I’ve been blessed by the many friends I’ve met along the way. The doctors, nurses and staff at St. Joseph Provena have become my second family. They took me under their wings and with heart felt compassion made what was once fear and anxiety turn to fun and laughter.

Once radiation is over the road doesn’t end there. After testing positive for the cancer gene, which was another shock since the odds of that happening were less than 7%, it was determined a complete hysterectomy could help lower my risk of recurrence. So I’ll end 2008 back in the operating room, where I’m hoping they can also do my tissue expander/breast implant “swap out” surgery at the same time so I can get everything done at once, and have 2009 be a year of new beginnings.

Posted by tricia | Filed Under blog, healing, radiation, support 

Glowing in the dark

September 19, 2008 | 7 Comments

On Monday I began seven weeks of daily radiation therapy.

After a CAT scan simulation, a road map was drawn on my chest to determine the precise spots/angles where treatment was needed and then I got my first ever tattoos, little freckle-like spots, to help them line up the machine each day.

Now imagine this, I’m in a paper thin hospital gown, lying on a metal table in a room so cold you can practically see your breath, feet rubber-banded together so I don’t move and my arm placed above my head in an arm cradle. There I lay, breast exposed and told not to move while three technicians calibrate this huge machine to make sure they have everything lined up from all different angles using precise measurements before stepping out, leaving me in a dark room to be zapped by a special kind of high energy beam that’s so strong it’s damaging both normal cells as well as cancer cells.

This goes on three times as they treat different areas of the chest wall, each time having to re-calibrate the machine into a new position. When they finally finish my arm is numb, my body is shaking from the cold and my insides feel funny.

So there I’ll be, glowing in the dark from radiation every afternoon. I’m told the side effects are cumulative and will start to surface in about 2-3 weeks, but for now I feel great and my fight continues.

Posted by tricia | Filed Under blog, radiation, treatment 

Oh how I can relate…

August 31, 2008 | 7 Comments

Kelley Tuthill is a Boston TV reporter battling cancer and documenting it. Here is an update to her story as she goes through radiation….oh how I can relate to everything she says!

Posted by tricia | Filed Under blog, chemo, radiation, treatment 

I CanCerVive

July 22, 2008 | 8 Comments

I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Round No. 5 is set for this Friday and then just one more to go (August 15th). YIPPEE. Although I dread the treatments and the horrible side effects, knowing the end is in sight will help give me strength to get through these last two rounds.

I have a two-hour consultation on Thursday with the Radiologist to discuss the next course of treatment. I’ve heard all sorts of things about Radiation from fatigue to burns and blisters, so I’m writing down all my questions and anxious to get the answers to help me prepare for the next leg of my journey.

I’m going to my first Breast Cancer Support Group tomorrow night at the hospital and have also been participating in the Art Therapy classes they offer, as well as joining a few breast cancer websites that offer bulletin boards to openly share and discuss questions and concerns with other young women who are going through the same thing. I even came up with the most creative screen name – “CanCerVive” (get it? “can survive”) – how clever is that!!!

Nobody knows what the future holds, today I read a statistic that gave me a 52% chance of surviving the next 5 years based on the stage of my cancer. To read that type of information is gut-wrenching, but this whole journey has opened my eyes. Appreciate the here and now, live each day as if it were your last, tell your kids you love them everyday and don’t sweat the small stuff or things you can’t change. Today is a gift, make the most of it.

Between my family, friends, co-workers, doctors and nurses, I’m surrounded by people who love and support me. They give me the strength to keep going, to keep fighting the fight, however difficult it may be.
After all, I CanCerVive!!!!

Posted by tricia | Filed Under blog, chemo, family and friends, healing, tests, treatment 

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