Rosanna's Metastatic Breast Cancer Journey

November 15 I had my 9th Taxol. I also saw what I think was the 6th or 7th doctor I've seen at Cancer Care of Maine in the 6 months I've been a patient there.  This brought on a very serious discussion about my care. My main concern has been a lack of communication amongst the doctors and with me. I have been asking for about 6 weeks when my next scans will be, what scans will be done, when I'll see "my" oncologist again, and what next steps will be if results aren't optimal. For six weeks I have asked each doctor I've seen and called and asked the nurse multiple times.  I usually get a general "relax, everything is fine" type of response. To say I have been frustrated is an understatement. I finally worked up the courage to demand answers. The nurse practitioner I saw listened to my concerns and validated all of the concerns I listed. A cancer patient should not get passed off to a different doctor every week. Questions should be answered...

Last time I shared that I was feeling really tired and asked for prayers for strength.  I am happy to share that I am back to feeling pretty close to myself again.  I wasn't even dreading going in for chemo for rounds 7 & 8.  It helps to know that I will feel like myself again in a couple of weeks. I had my seventh round of Taxol on Friday, October 25.  My counts were still looking strong, with the exception of my white blood cell count, but that is to be expected.  The wbc was a little below the normal range, but it was strong enough for treatment.  It's also been strong enough for me to fight off infection the past couple of weeks.  Owen had another cold and a few of my students had stuffy noses and coughs.  So far I do not have any cold symptoms.  I am hoping to not catch this one. My shirt for round #7 was "Faith Over Fear", an idea shared with me by Karen, the very kind lady that introduced herself to me at Simons this summer. ...