Breast Cancer Treatment
Cure and Recovery for Ann Lucchesi
Recent Health News Items
Below are titles and summaries of the 25 most-recent news items. To find older items, please browse the archives using the links in the sidebar at the right.
To read the full content— including comments—of a news item listed below, please click on either the item’s title or the “[more…]” at the end of the summary.
- Second and Third Rounds of Chemotherapy Complete
- Ann’s second and third rounds of chemotherapy went well and the side effects are tolerable. She expects to extend her regime from four to six rounds provided that her neuropathy does not progresss too far. [more…]
- First Round of Chemotherapy Complete
- Ann’s first round of chemotherapy went well but she had more bone pain than we’d expected. [more…]
- Chemotherapy Starts Thursday, May 20
- We summarize highlights of Ann’s treatment to date. [more…]Posted May 13, 2010 in Announcement
- Chemotherapy Scheduled
- We reviewed with Dr. Merkel all the issues raised from second opinions and scheduled Ann's chemotherapy to begin on Thursday, May 20. [more…]Posted May 6, 2010 in Chemotherapy
- Healing from Surgery Progresses Well at Home
- Ann is healing well from her surgery as we research treatment options. [more…]Posted Apr 18, 2010 in
- Searching for Treatment Ideas
- We are looking for help finding professionals with knowledge or experience treating cases like Ann’s [more…]Posted Apr 17, 2010 in
- Pathology Report Excellent but Chemotherapy Needed
- Dr. Merkel reviews surgical pathology report with us and presents his recommendations for a PET/CT scan, and chemotherapy. [more…]Posted Apr 13, 2010 in Chemotherapy
- Ann is Home
- Ann was discharged from Glenbrook Hospital today and is resting comfortably at home. [more…]Posted Apr 10, 2010 in Announcement
- Surgery Is Successful But Lymph Nodes Disappoint
- Metastatic disease was found in one sentinel node and axillary lymph nodes were removed from her right arm. [more…]Posted Apr 8, 2010 in
- Vacation Scheduled But Cancer Arrives
- We thought that we would spend the week on vacation with Alison but Ann’s mammogram changed our plans. [more…]Posted Mar 29, 2010 in Diagnosis
- No Cancer But Arm Infected
- Monday morning (October 4, 2004) Ann had her scheduled, three-month appointment with one of her oncologists at the Kellogg Cancer Center in Evanston. This time it was Dr. Merkel, her medical oncologist, who did the examining. [more…]Posted Oct 5, 2004 in
- One Year Later
- This note marks the one year anniversary since Ann received her breast cancer diagnosis and we’d like to take this opportunity to share two favorable bits of news with you. [more…]Posted Dec 17, 2003 in
- Radiation Therapy Done
- I am very pleased to tell you that today is Ann's last radiation therapy! [more…]Posted Aug 14, 2003 in
- Life after Chemotherapy
- Now that we are past Ann's last chemotherapy we are starting to plan for the next phase of her therapy, namely, radiation therapy (also known as radiotherapy). This email outlines Ann's current condition, follow up exams and consultations related to Ann's lumpectomy and arm condition, and the steps that we are taking to select a radiation oncologist. [more…]Posted Jun 5, 2003 in
- 6th Chemotherapy Done
- Today Ann had her 6th and last chemotherapy as scheduled and she is home resting. [more…]Posted May 30, 2003 in
- 5th Chemotherapy Done
- Today Ann had her 5th chemotherapy as scheduled and she is home resting. [more…]Posted Apr 22, 2003 in
- 2nd Chemotherapy Done
- Ann had her second chemotherapy on Friday, 3/7/03, as scheduled. There were no problems--or, “adventures,” as we prefer to call them--with her chemotherapy but she is quite fatigued and still recuperating at home. [more…]Posted Mar 11, 2003 in
- Adjusting to Chemotherapy
- Ann’s chemotherapy is going reasonably well but it has required a lot of adjustments. This email outlines what she encountered during her first week and how she is coping. [more…]Posted Feb 24, 2003 in
- Why You Should ALWAYS Get Second Opinion
- This is why you ALWAYS get second opinions and why you worry about pathology mixing up tissue samples: Biopsy Mix-Up Mistake Costs Woman Both Breasts Jan. 20 — After she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in... [more…]Posted Feb 18, 2003 in
- Resting After 1st Chemotherapy
- Ann completed her first round of chemotherapy without incident or complication this morning at Evanston Hospital. She is home resting--trying to sleep--as she is rather tired but otherwise well. One round down...five more to go! Love Ann and Nello... [more…]Posted Feb 14, 2003 in
- Chemotherapy Starts Friday (2/14/03)
- Ann’s recovery from surgery on 1/17/03 is almost complete. She went back to work on Tuesday (2/11/03) and she is ready to move onto the next phase of her treatment, chemotherapy, beginning on Friday, 2/14/03. This email reviews Ann’s progress since the last email, outlines the process that she went through to decide on an Oncologist, and describes the specific treatment that is planned for the coming months. [more…]Posted Feb 12, 2003 in
- Oncologist is Optimistic
- Our meeting on Thursday (1/30/03) with Dr. Douglas Merkel, Ann’s medical oncologist was very informative. This email summarizes what we learned and outlines Dr. Merkel’s recommendations regarding systemic, adjuvant therapy. I’ve included a lot of background and general information about chemotherapy for those of you who are interested in details. Baring any surprises in oncology and pathology second opinions, we expect Ann to begin her chemotherapy on Friday, 2/14/03. [more…]Posted Feb 2, 2003 in
- Recuperating As Expected
- As Ann continues her recuperation from surgery on 1/17/03 we are preparing for the next step in her treatment, namely, chemotherapy. This email outlines both her recovery progress as well as our current research on coming treatments. [more…]Posted Jan 29, 2003 in
- Pathology Report Excellent
- We just talked to Ann’s surgeon, Dr. David P. Winchester, and he gave us the good news that the pathology report is the very best possible. More specifically, the margins of healthy tissue were wide around the 1 mm tumor... [more…]Posted Jan 22, 2003 in
- No Pathology Report Today (Tuesday)
- I just called Dr. Winchester’s office and was told that no pathology reports for any Friday surgeries (including Ann’s) have arrived yet. I was also told that pathology reports are issued in the morning so we definitely won’t get Ann’s... [more…]Posted Jan 21, 2003 in