We finally received the good news we were praying for! Thank you, Lord!!! And thank you to all of you, our amazing family and friends for your non-stop prayers and well wishes - it definitely paid off! I am totally wiped out from an extremely long and exhausting day, so hopefully I include all of the important details. We had long appointments with both Dr. F and Dr. B today which meant we were at doctors offices from 9:45am until 3pm with a one hour break for lunch in the car while driving. It's all worth it though, for such great news! We met with Dr. F first and he informed us right away that the test results looked great! He said that the CT, MRI, and bone scan showed the following... --breast tumors demonstrate significant shrinking --axillary lymph nodes demonstrate shrinking --there is evidence of healing in the bone throughout my spine --no new evidence of disease! BOOYAH! (okay, not exactly Dr. F's words) Overall, this was the best possible news we could have received and we couldn't be more relieved and thankful! I am so grateful that these past five months of chemo haven't been for nothing, and that the cancer is actually responding well. Dr. F was very pleased and said that we are definitely headed in the right direction. He said that the imaging studies will always show abnormalities throughout my thoracic spine where there has been cancer, but now there appears to be evidence of healing. He even said that I may not have to have radiation to my spine, which would be wonderful! The rest of my appointment with him consisted of formulating our plan of where we go from here. So, here's the latest... --start hormone therapy (Tamoxifen) - a daily oral medication which will interfere with the activity of estrogen, which is what is feeding my cancer --start Zoladex - a monthly injection to suppress my ovary function. This will shut down my ovaries and stop them from making estrogen so that the tumors cannot get the estrogen they need to grow. This also means MENOPAUSE! Just another "perk" of having the big C. ;) Who would have thought I would start menopause at the age of 29?! --after surgery, start Denosumab - a monthly injection to strengthen my bones and try to protect them from further damage due to metastasis So, today I started the Tamoxifen and received my first injection of Zoladex - a humungous needle which is injected into my abdomen = fun times! I will have a follow up appointment with Dr. F in 6 weeks and will be re-scanned every 6 months at the absolute latest - it could be earlier than that if I am having any new symptoms or concerns. After a collective high five between Mike, Mom and I, we nearly skipped out of Karmanos and headed over to Beaumont to meet with Dr. B. After a physical exam and review of my imaging results, Dr. B also informed us that she was very pleased with my progress. She said that she didn't expect my cancer to respond so well to the chemo since it normally responds best to the hormone therapy. We met with Dr. B for at least an hour, discussing all the details of the surgery, what I can expect, and what recovery will be like. Dr. B's wonderful nurse, Linda then used this great new device to take some measurements of my arms in order to compare them to post-op measurements to track any possible lymphedema. Lastly, we finally set our date for surgery. Friday, October 14 is the big day for the bilateral mastectomy. I am definitely nervous about it but happy to finally have a plan and know when it will be. This will give me some time to get my energy level and blood counts back up since they are still pretty low due to chemo. So, that's the latest and greatest news! More upcoming appointments on the horizon are... --meeting with Dr. M my plastic surgeon on October 3 for final preparations before surgery and the start of the reconstruction process --meet with another new team member, Dr. R who is a physical medicine and rehabilitation doc at Beaumont to take more pre-op measurements and assessments. He will also be the one to let me know what my restrictions after surgery are and when I can start physical therapy in order to get my range of motion back in my arms....good thing I have some connections to some awesome PT's :) --meet with another new team member, Dr. R who will be my radiation oncologist. I will meet with her before surgery to discuss our plan for radiation to my right breast and chest wall, and possibly my spine. Radiation will start about 4-6 weeks after surgery. As you can see, it's going to be a long road ahead. But what better motivation to forge ahead than receiving such terrific news, like I did today! I can't thank you enough for being there for me - for all of the texts, phone calls, emails, blog posts, and facebook messages I received in the last couple of days. It truly makes me feel better to know that I have so many people praying for me - you guys are the best! Keep the prayers coming because we still have a long way to go. But for now, I will bask in this great news. For the next five weeks, I am going to focus much of my attention on trying to regain my energy, slowly begin exercising again, and taking the absolute best care of myself in anticipation of surgery. And you know I will also be mixing in fun times like this Saturday at the U of M game (thanks Aunt Clare!), a friends wedding, taking my hubby to a great concert, many birthday parties, strutting my stuff in a charity fashion show, our fundraiser on September 25, trips to the cider mill...and much more! Thanks again everyone! And thank you God for answering our prayers! xoxo, Meghan In honor of the coming of my favorite season, here are some fall pics from a wonderful trip to the U.P a couple of years ago...
44 Comments
Courtney and Bobby
9/8/2011 11:54:46 am
Yes!!!! Your news made our week! We are so happy for you and Mike. God is so great! We will continue to pray complete healing prayers for you.
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Paula Cherenzia
9/8/2011 12:43:24 pm
Congratulation on your good news today. I met you and your family today at Beaumont. How blessed we are to have such bright and talented doctors.
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Becca
9/8/2011 12:57:29 pm
Praise God and big ups to your team! I can't help but be so overcome with joy for you! Congratulations on the amazing news.
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Mary Somers
9/8/2011 01:36:59 pm
BOOYAH ! BOOYAH ! BOOYAH ! :-) Goosebumps---tears-----so utterly happy for you Meg ! Sooooooooooo many continued prayers for you ! God Bless you and Mike -------we love you both so much ! Aunt Mary and Bill
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Julie Payne
9/8/2011 01:51:01 pm
I knew God had a miracle in store for you! We will just keep praying that he keeps working on helping you WHOOP UP! When I got your text today I think I cheered loud enough for our whole school to hear! Sorry for the disruption children, but I just couldn't contain my relief and joy! You keep fighting and we will keep praying! Love you!
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Patty L
9/8/2011 01:52:32 pm
AWESOME NEWS!!!!!!! We are so thrilled and excited for you! It takes an incredible strong woman like yourself to have gotten to this point and we are so proud of you. We will all be with you every step of the way and cheering you on and praying very "direct" prayers daily for your full recovery. We know you will fully enjoy your weekend. Great pictures as always!! Much love to you and Mike! XO
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Diane Daley
9/8/2011 01:55:35 pm
What wonderful news and prayers of thanksgiving and continued recovery will get you to the next phase.
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Karen Daley Rowden
9/8/2011 02:01:18 pm
Meghan, I have been following your site for months and am in awe of you and your family the strength you show. I am SO excited by your wonderful news today. Will continue to keep you in my prayers.
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Nichole
9/8/2011 02:04:34 pm
I'm just beyond THRILLED, GRATEFUL, THANKFUL... that you heard such great news! as if chemo hasn't been enough, you have also been dealing with the shock & emotional part of all this, which can be detrimental in itself. But no, you have battled on & kept your spirit up, you have shared your journey with all of us that love you, & been so beautifully honest the whole way! There is nothing that you can't get through, & with these new hurdles ahead, at least you never have to hear the words you heard back in march.
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Sally
9/8/2011 02:05:09 pm
I wish you could have heard the collective cheering when your Mom texted me with your wonderful, wonderful news today! It was a chorus of Booyahs worthy of YOU TUBE! The South Florida Chapter of Team Meghan were happy, happy, happy! We all know you can fight the big fight and with all the prayers behind you, YOU CAN BEAT THIS THING!!! Bask in your glory, sweet Meghan, you deserve nothing but uplifting news!
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Melissa Borg
9/8/2011 02:28:10 pm
Meg~
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Ree
9/8/2011 02:28:18 pm
Most wonderful wonderful news !!..when i got the text saying the great news..just over come with gratitude and absolute joy words are hard to find..booyah is right!! can just see you all skipping out of the building...its your turn for great news all the prayers and your army paid off.. so much emotion this is the best day ever! love you baby girl you really need to get those super hero under roo's becca was talking about.
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Becca P
9/8/2011 02:40:45 pm
Hooray!
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Carolyn & Mark
9/8/2011 02:46:19 pm
Meghan,
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Kristin Stamm
9/8/2011 03:25:51 pm
Yaaaay Meghan!!!
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Emily Henry
9/8/2011 03:34:11 pm
Oh Meghan, I'm so so glad to hear this good news! I was thinking about you all day. Keep up the good work and don't ever give up.
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Stephanie
9/8/2011 03:48:21 pm
Megan! I am so happy for you that all news was good. I go to U of M and this saturday is truly gonna be an amazing, exciting evening so I am glad you guys get to enjoy it :):) Also the world is pretty small, My boyfriend's sister Stephanie just got her first teaching job at Waterford Kettering and says she is going to look out Mike tomorrow. Enjoy the game and o yeah GO BLUE!!!
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Usha Ramaprakash
9/8/2011 03:49:27 pm
Hi Meghan,
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Don Hart
9/8/2011 11:55:01 pm
Cindy and I are so happy for you. The power of prayer is amazing! We will continue to keep you in our thoughts and prayers. We hope that you and Mike have a wonderful weekend and that you will begin to get your life back somewhat to normal. Have fun!!!
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Steph
9/9/2011 12:45:04 am
Congrats on such wonderful news! I know good news has been hard to come by, but when you get it you really get it! So happy for you guys love you
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Deb & Bob
9/9/2011 01:13:35 am
Congratulations. That is just awesome news. You have a great positive attitude and goes a long way along with the positive thoughts and prayers. Celebrate!
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Erica
9/9/2011 02:53:23 am
In case you haven't heard lately you are an inspiration to all of us!! So so happy for you and Mike!!! This is all you Megs- your positive attitude, your strength, your sacrifices, your will power! I don't know how you do it but I will forever be in awe of you! You deserve a major pat on the back and probably some yummy dessert:)
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Aunt Carol
9/9/2011 03:04:16 am
All seriousness aside...I have always referred to this group of your photos as the "calendar collection" they are fantastic. BUT why isn't the pic of you throwing leaves up in the air on this one too?
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Claire Allen
9/9/2011 03:11:34 am
Congrats on the wonderful news Meghan. I've been thinking of you often as I've followed you on this journey. You truly are an inspiration. I'm so glad that some of our prayers are being answered.
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Dave Taylor
9/9/2011 03:44:02 am
Yes!!! Thats what I wanted to hear. I never doubted that you would do well/respond with your usual awesomeness. And now I have proof! Best wishes and tell Mike thanks for taking such great care of you.
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Kiki
9/9/2011 03:56:24 am
OMG! The news yesterday was fantastic and made my day, brought happy tears to my eyes on a crappy day at RIM. Words cannot express how happy I am to hear this news and I am definitely thanking God!
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Sheri
9/9/2011 03:58:06 am
Congratulations Meghan...that is absolutely amazing news. Your positive attitude throughout all of the craziness is I'm sure a big part of why things are turning out as well as they are. Of course, you do have a lot of wonderful family and friends that love and support you and those constant thoughts and prayers are great help too. You are a wonderful person Meghan Malley and you deserve all of the best now and in the future.
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Linda
9/9/2011 04:39:03 am
Oh Meghan,
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Heather Whiteman
9/9/2011 08:21:03 am
Meghan!!!
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Amanda K
9/9/2011 10:31:33 am
This is just great news! Your so strong to go through all of this with your head held high and so positive!
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Michelle Villerot
9/9/2011 11:12:34 am
When I got the news yesterday I immediately thanked God for listening to our prayers. Meg...you are an inspiration.
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Diane P.
9/9/2011 01:54:13 pm
dearest Meg,
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Mike Fern
9/10/2011 02:21:42 pm
There's the post I have been waiting to hear. The best news of the year!!
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Sara
9/11/2011 04:57:43 am
BEST NEWS OF THE YEAR IS RIGHT!!! We are so happy for you and Mike and thankful to God for listening to all of our prayers. You should be so proud of yourself, Meg -- your positivity throughout the entire process has been remarkable and has made all the difference in the world!!! Lots of love to you, Mike and your family for this amazing news - xoxoxoxo
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Aunt Bridget
9/11/2011 10:25:37 am
Praise God for all the Good News., Prayers will still be coming your way., love you soooooo
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Nancy and Joe Cole
9/11/2011 11:35:22 am
Finally..such great news!! The prayers and thanks will surely continue. Love to you, Mike , Mom and Doug.
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Janine
9/11/2011 12:26:22 pm
Give it up to the Big Guy upstairs for giving you strength & grace, and for giving your docs & nurses knowledge, and for giving everyone who is caring for you a collective sigh of peace & thanks!!!! Keepin on keepin on with prayers everyday:) You're doin a great job!
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Madeline and Bill
9/12/2011 02:52:55 am
What a wonderful way to start out our week...reading your post. Miracles really do happen. Not a day goes by that we don't think of you and say a prayer for your recovery. Hooray Meghan and thank you God!!!
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Sue
9/12/2011 07:38:41 am
Congratulations Meghan on the wonderful news! Everyone is letting out a collective sigh of relief:) We'll all be in your corner as you begin this next phase. We'll keep saying our prayers for you as you continue to kick some cancer butt!
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Barb Byrd!!
9/12/2011 01:06:57 pm
I am doing the HAPPY DANCE for you and Mike and the rest of your family.... theres is plenty of talk at TRP about if anyone can do this ..... it would be you :-) We all miss you, and talk about you on a daily basis *hugs*. You are always in my thoughts and I find myself falling into "pink" more and more... and donating to this cause when I can! <3
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Gina V.
9/12/2011 01:16:48 pm
Such Wonderful News! So, so happy to hear it! We will all keep you in our hearts and prayers until you feel whole again~ and You will!!!!Keep it up and you Will beat it!! Love to you and Mike!
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Gina V.
9/12/2011 01:18:14 pm
Your pictures are just so beautiful!!! XOXO
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Marty and Keely
9/13/2011 04:05:13 am
Meghan and Mike....I am so happy to hear the good news and I will continue to give you my positive energy and I will continue to pray for you and i think about you often. I just wanted to say thank you to you for this emotional amazing blog. Everytime I read it I feel like I am sitting next to you and you are telling me in person. The emotions, the excitement, the stress the worry, every emotion that you feel I feel.
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11/22/2011 01:28:15 pm
Meg,
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