It has been about 5 months since I posted here. Things have progressed as they must even as there have been other developments and surprises.

Biopsy clear. The mass we saw during my post-surgery, pre-radiation mammogram in April turned out to be nothing—not more cancer, that is. But the biopsy we did to get to this answer caused a hematoma to form that delayed my radiation treatment by 2 months. The hematoma persists unfortunately but it’s no longer painful.

Radiation complete. In June, I started radiation treatment and completed it a month later. The treatment itself was a relative walk in the park. And I got to ring a bell to celebrate the end! The skin burns were uncomfortable but resolved with diligent care. I still carry the darkening of the skin in the area which will take some time to completely disappear.

New apartment. In August, my cat and I moved! It’s a charming place in a 6-unit “building” built in the 1900s with all the old San Francisco charm and details. We are in love with our new neighborhood just steps from Golden Gate Park. We have lovely neighbors — some have lived here a decade, some 2, raise kids here, nearly everyone has a pet. It’s a light-filled apartment with large bay windows (overlooking The Panhandle) that my cat loves to watch the world from.

One year with my cat. In September, Kimo and I celebrated 1 year together. She was 5 just months old and about 4 lbs. when I adopted her 2 weeks after I started chemo. She’s now 10 lbs, and a wonderful companion — she’s sometimes as you would expect a cat to be: a bit snooty and finds the highest perches to hide, but most times, she’s like a dog: she likes her belly rubbed, she follows me everywhere, and she likes toys. I tell her often that I am grateful she came into my life and that I hope I am giving her a good life. I watch cat videos on youtube with her, so I know I score brownie points there, at least.

Adjuvant chemo almost done. As of this writing, I have finished 10 of 14 cycles of my second round of chemo. I will be done in December! This treatment (TDM-1 or Kadcyla) has been much easier than the TCHP chemo regimen I had last year. The drug has a different mechanism and is targeted to the HER2 protein whose proliferation caused my HER2+ cancer. Side effects have been mild nausea, some neuropathy, and fatigue through the first couple of days after infusion. I get my heart function tested every 3 months as reduced heart function is a common side effect with this drug. I did develop pruritus – itching all over my body with no rash — so it’s not something easily treatable with topicals. All the antihistamines both OTC and prescription I tried do not work; else, they make me fall asleep. So, no, there has been no solution. It’s quite frustrating. I get itchiness attacks when I get even just slightly warm, or with any kind of mild exertion, when I get stressed, or random times during the day, or the middle of the night. This is an allergic reaction to the Kadcyla which is a known side effect, so I could potentially be free of it in 3 months’ time.

Additional treatments. Earlier this year I also started Zoladex implant every 6 weeks in the hospital and an aromatase inhibitor (AI) daily oral pill regimen to help prevent the recurrence of my hormone receptor positive cancer. The side effects I experience from these medications arguably are worse for quality of life like joint pain, muscle pain, headaches among others. We have tried a couple of AIs so far and none is devoid of these side effects. I will be on this regimen for 5-10 years, so it’s important to dial this regimen to something I can tolerate.

In between jobs. The company I had been working for is liquidating this month, so we are all ultimately losing our jobs. Most of us got our RIF notice this week. My last day was October 2. I started working at this radiation oncology company in late 2021 following recent cancer deaths in my family. I felt fortunate to be able to work in the oncology space. When I, myself, was diagnosed 8 months later, the company was supportive of the time I needed for my treatment. Even though I often felt like work had taken a back seat and I wasn’t operating at my full potential, especially during the worst of treatments, I was grateful to have that understanding and flexibility to take care of myself. It is unfortunate that in this climate, the company must fold no matter how meaningful the work is. I knew that there was a high probability this would happen when there were clear signals of the economic struggles of the organization around April this year, but when the company had 25% RIF and filed for Chapter 11 in July, I went into a panic. I was most concerned about how I could remain in treatment while unemployed. All things considered, I feel pretty secure now because I know that there are solutions (or 1 solution that I am aware of) available to me. When my medical coverage through my work ends at the end of this month, I will pursue coverage through Covered California. I will be ok.

Focusing on the right things. I will take the time to concentrate on my physical and mental health. I finally started therapy through psycho-oncology program of the cancer center’s survivorship institute. I am seeking out other wellness programs they offer in preparation for my cancer-free journey to health. I hope to be off work through the end of my chemo, or even thru January when we do the final scans, take off my power port implant because I will no longer need it for infusion, and my active treatments end. By then I will be ready to work again. At least this is how I’d like it to go, ideally, but I can’t really be certain how long it will take to get another job, so even as I wish to not start work until next year, I will keep my eye out for job openings, send out feelers to my network, and will respond to recruiters for opportunities of interest. Meanwhile, I will cherish this gift of time and trust that things will fall into place when they must.