The Biomat: Pain Today, Gone Tomorrow

The best invention! I’m NOT kidding…and no, I don’t work for the company. Totally worth the money! (Especially as I use it now during chemotherapy…I lay on it twice a day for 30-40 minutes at 113°.) I’m getting ahead of myself here but this is a MUST! In my first round of chemo I didn’t use it as much and I felt a lot of pain after my Neulasta shot and some from my tissue expansion. I now use it regularly during chemo, and OMG, I feel NO pain whatsoever! In fact, I even feel like it’s giving me more energy!

It uses a combination of infrared rays, amethyst crystals, and negative ions to relax the muscles. There’s a whole host of other benefits as well!  You can learn more about it under “Links I Love” or click here:

http://www.biomat.com

Here’s a pic of the Biomat on the floor of our bedroom. I have two. I have the Biomat Professional (the full body one), which you see on the bottom. There's a white plastic cover over it to protect it. And I also have the Biomat Mini, the smaller mat on the top. I lie on the Biomat Professional and put the Biomat Mini on top of my body. You don’t have to have both. The full body one is enough, especially if you’re concerned about the cost.

This is a pic of the controls. The larger one is for the Biomat Professional and the smaller one is for the Biomat Mini.

When I lay on the Biomat, I listen to a podcast by Tara Brach who does guided mediations. She’s fabulous! Sometimes, I even fall asleep on it; it’s so relaxing…

http://www.tarabrach.com

The Biomat really works! I love it and no longer can imagine a day going by without it. I have another friend who used it throughout her treatments and still continues to use it. She even says her cellulite is going away! NO joke!

Okay, enough convincing. Maybe I should go work for the company? J

Chemosensitivity Testing

It exists. Unfortunately, a lot of people haven’t heard about it. Basically, the doctor takes a living piece of your tumor and tests it against various chemotherapy drugs and drug combinations.

I decide to do this because I want to know what specific drugs are going to kill my cancer cells. Who wouldn’t? Although it’s not a perfect predictor, it can significantly improve my chances.

How does the doctor get a fresh piece of my tumor? Well, after the breast surgeon removes my tumors during the double mastectomy, a courier from Rational Therapeutics (where they do chemosensitivity testing) picks up my tumor sample.

In a few days, I hear back from Dr. Nagourney at Rational Therapeutics. My cancer cells are sensitive to Taxotere (docetaxel) and Adriamycin (doxorubicin). This is important information because this will support my oncologist in determining the best treatment for my specific cancer. No two cancers are alike. My oncologist recommends six rounds of Taxotere and Cytoxan, commonly referred to as TC.

To learn more about chemosensitivity testing, click the link for it under “Links I Love” or click below. Here's also a video of Dr. Nagourney speaking at a Ted conference.

http://www.rational-t.com

Finally, chemosensitivity testing is expensive but there are foundations that are willing to help pay for it so don’t let that discourage you from doing it. The Vanguard Foundation helped me and I am SO grateful! I'm happy I chose to do it. I feel very blessed to have learned that such a thing even exists, because not many people do!

Second (or Third) Opinions

Choosing my doctors and where I go for treatments is the MOST important step, so I want multiple opinions. It’s my body and I have to pick the best people. And I must say, I’m blessed to have great insurance, which is also very helpful! 

I learn that I need a team of doctors:

Breast surgeon (performs the surgery for local removal)

Medical oncologist (oversees cancer treatments)

Radiation oncologist (radiation therapy)

Plastic surgeon (reconstructive surgery)

I get opinions from Orange Coast Memorial, City of Hope, and UCLA. My breast cancer is hormonally driven. I’m estrogen positive (ER+), progesterone positive (PR+), and HER2 negative (HER2 -).

I ultimately choose UCLA for both my double mastectomy with lymph node removal (breast surgeon- Dr. Raquel Prati) as well as for my reconstruction (plastic surgeon- Dr. Jaco Festekjian). However, I choose to keep the oncologist at Orange Coast Memorial (Dr. Jack Jacoub). I like him and he makes me feel comfortable. Also, he’s closer to home for my chemotherapy treatments.

• Go with the doctors whom you feel most comfortable with. It’s SO important! Choose your medical team wisely and ask lots of questions. You’re the one who has cancer and you want the best people to take care of you.   

• The medical oncologist is going to be with you for years, so pick someone you really like. 

• Make sure your plastic surgeon is someone who specializes in breast reconstruction, not just augmentation.

PET Scan & BRCA Testing

The next step on this walk with breast cancer is the PET scan. It’s used to detect cancer in all areas of the body.

Again, I’m poked by a needle, this time injecting me with a radioactive tracer. The nurse then takes me into a private room with a recliner. The tracers need about an hour to flow through me before I get the scan. So, I sit back and the nurse turns on music to keep me calm. It’s hard not to let your mind worry, but at the same time, it’s important to think good thoughts. I don’t know the results yet, so why worry?

Finally, it’s time for the scan. I head into the room with the familiar tubular machine. I lie down on the table and slide in and out of the machine, praying to God that I have cancer nowhere else in my body. I repeat the same affirmation as I did for the MRI, “I am healthy, whole, and complete.”

When I’m done, the nurse gives me another warm, chewy cookie! Go me! I deserve it.

Results: There’s NO cancer anywhere else in my body! Praise God again!

As for the BRCA Gene testing, I need to do it since my aunt had breast cancer and my grandmother had ovarian cancer. I choose to spit in a cup in lieu of giving any more of my blood. I’ve been poked enough!

Results: I test negative for both the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes. However, they find the ATM gene, but there’s not sufficient data at this time to determine if it causes increased cancer risk.

Get a copy of the PET scan on a CD. Ask for it BEFORE the procedure. YOU are your best advocate! And remember to get copies of all pathology reports and slides! You might have to hunt them down from various places as I did but you will need these for your second opinions.