I guess first off let me introduce myself:
I am Renee Sendelbach, 35 year old, Stage 4 breast cancer
“thriver”, with Triple Negative cancer.
I was first diagnosed in 2008 with Stage 1 Breast
Cancer. Our son just turned 13 months
old and our whole world spun out of control.
I had 8 chemo treatments (4 A/C and 4 Taxol); a lumpectomy
and 37 radiation treatments – and then I was deemed cancer free in May, 2009.
Life was clicking along great. I started staying at home
with our son, started teaching greeting card making classes, was training for a
½ marathon and was ready to put the whole cancer “thing” behind me…well, I
guess the whole cancer “thing” wasn’t ready to be put behind me.
In March, 2010 I went in for my yearly CT scan…let’s just
say it was NOT the news I ever expected to hear.
The following day, I received the call I never wanted to
receive, “Renee, something showed up on your scan, and Dr. H wants to see you
today.”
Oh SH*T I thought.
After many tests later, we learned my breast cancer moved to
my lungs, bones, and lymph nodes, and I was now classified as Stage IV…I
honestly didn’t know what this meant until my Dr. explained it to me. I was
treatable but not curable.
Those words sent me into a tailspin…what in the hell did
treatable but not curable mean anyway?
It means I will always be on the look for cancer in body.
These mets were not able to be taken out with surgery due to
the number of them and the locations.
I started back on chemo – Abraxane. It worked well…at first. My first scan showed the tumors and shrunk…I
was thrilled. My second scan – well,
thrilled wasn’t the word to describe me.
My tumors had grown.
Moving on the plan B. I started carboplatin and gemzar combo
and was accepted to a trail drug – BSI Inparp 201.
My first scan from this combo was a miracle – I was NED (no
evidence of disease). Everyone was hopefully optimistic, but we were all scared
to truly believe it because of the last chemo working at first, then not.
I stayed on this combo for 5 months, until my body couldn’t
take it anymore – my blood counts kept bottoming out, 2 blood transfusions
later, my scans saying NED, we decided I was going to get off the full out
chemo and just say on BSI Inaparp 201.
From January, 2011 – August, 2012 I was NED and receive BSI
Inaparp 201 treatment 2 times a week; 2 weeks on and 1 week off.
At the end of August, my world was once again flipped upside
down. While out with my son, my right side went numb. I couldn’t walk without thinking about every
little move. I called my husband and my oncologist…she said go straight to the
ER…this couldn’t be good.
One MRI later, we found out the cancer had now spread to my
brain. A few appointments later, I was scheduled for brain surgery to remove to
cancerous mass later in the week.
Once the mass was out, I needed radiation to mop up the
area.
I am not sure what part of this sent me over the edge to
crazy-town, but a few weeks after radiation I had to be checked into the
hospital for steroid psychosis – pretty much I was having a massive breakdown.
While in the hospital, I received another MRI and again,
they found a tumor…in the SAME spot. Once again, I needed surgery to remove it.
They had to go a little deeper into the “good” brain area
this time to ensure the margins were clear. After waking up from the second
surgery, I realized something was different…very different.
Moving my right side was weird. My leg was heavy and I
couldn’t stand on it or walk on it without support of a cane or walked – I just
didn’t trust that my leg would hold me and walk me around.
I started physical therapy while in the hospital to see if I
was going to be able to walk again. I continued PT at home to learn to walk
with the cane and practice walking around the house without a cane.
Two weeks later it was Christmas Eve and I heard in my heart
– it is time…do it. So, I stared walking with just my cane. I was extremely
shaky, took small scare steps, but I was determined and I knew I could do this.
A few weeks later, I was walking good with my cane and
decided I had enough control that it was time to practice driving again. Off to the church parking lot to
practice. I drove around the parking every
day for a week, then moved to side streets in my neighborhood, then to a few
busy streets in small doses, then to pick up Ian (which made me SO happy!)
Things kept improving, scans were coming back good and I was
on the road to recovery.
May 13th I turned 35.
May 16th I had another funny feeling…a feeling I
now know to trust. An MRI later, I found out the tumor was back in the SAME
spot again. My brain surgeon said this is a first for him..3rd time
in the same spot; however, this did make him nervous due to the where the
surgery margins were going to be this surgery…very, VERY close to my motor strip. This could mean permanent damage to my motor
skills and we wouldn’t know if my right side would function until after surgery,
but I did have faith it would all be ok.
After waking up from the 3rd surgery, I felt
different from all the first 2…I feel great. I was about to spend 1 night in
the ICU and then was released.
AND I could walk!! I couldn’t feel my right leg, but I
trusted it was there and it knew what to do when I used it walk!
In the meantime, I got kicked off my trail BSI drug. I was
and still am ok with this. I do feel like God has something better out there
for me.
I received my last BSI treatment on May 16th and
nothing since. Yes this does make my nervous, but I have said time and time
again, that I have given it to God to handle, so I am letting Him handle it.
My brain oncologist is sending in every last sample he could
gather to send in for “deep” genetic testing in hopes of finding my cancer
being something a little different from just triple negative.
July 17th will be a big day for me – I will go
back to Dr. H to talk with her about all my options about treatments…I am
excited but nervous.
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