I have had breast cancer... here are my details:
I'm 43 years old. Mom of 2 [son=10 daughter=7.5]. Yes I breast fed. No I don't have a family history of breast cancer. Coffee drinking, stubbornness, extroverts, yes that runs in my family.
Invasive Ductal Carcinoma HERS2 positive
[invasive meaning the cancer has spread outside of the lump]
[ductal... that would be milk ducts]
[carcinoma... cancer]
[HERS2 means it's aggressive + other medical details i can add later]
- my lump is approx. 3 x 1.25 x 3.27 centimeters, it's cancerous located at 10 o'clock [facing me top of breast is high noon]
- my abnormal auxiliary lymph node (in my arm pit) came back negative for cancer But later the PET scan confirmed they are cancerous- 4 of them.... They are big nodes... weighing in at 2.8 x 1.7 x 1.6 centimeters... normally they are in the millimeter category.
- it's estrogen + progesterone negative
- my last mammogram was clear + taken 10 months earlier
My Time-line
[i'm lumping the last couple of days of feb (25-28) into the first week of march to keep my time-line easy for me + you to follow- therefore my weeks will be s-s beginning march 2010 plus the first week seemed to be extra loooooong anyway.]
week 1
Thursday Night [feb. 25th]: I found a lump while in the bathtub
Friday: I had a mammogram + ultrasound [lump confirmed, 2 abnormal lymph nodes found]
Monday: Appointment at my Obgyn's office. [told lump "felt" cancerous]
Wednesday: Biopsy day... core needle biopsy of my breast lump. FNA [fine needle aspiration] of my lymph node
Friday, March 5th, 2010 10:26am: Returning items in the lingerie department at Nordstrom. My Obgyn called to tell me I have breast cancer.
Friday 10:36 am: Shopping for a pair of Big Girl Panties to put on so that I could kick breast cancer in the ass.
Friday 4:30 pm: Surgeon calls me himself to discuss details, answer questions, and schedule my appointment.
week 2
Tuesday: MRI [breast region only]
Wednesday: Appointment with the Surgeon- MRI shows a new area of my right breast that needs to be biopsied. It's located at 7 o'clock. Surgeon schedules my appts. for biopsy and with the Oncologist [a cancer doctor]. We discuss various surgical options- lumpectomy, mastectomy... but the 'wild card' depends is the node. When they do surgery they will remove the node + a few more + test to see if they are cancerous. If the node is... that will determine my treatment- chemo, radiation.
Thursday: Get call from Oncologists office... appt. is on Friday. Which is fabulous because yesterday it was looking like it would be almost 2 weeks due to 'wanting' to wait for the new biopsy results. They scrapped waiting + will review new results when they come in.
Friday: Meet with Oncologist
week 3
Monday: Echocardiogram to assess heart function. [chemo med side effect is heart muscle damage]
Wednesday: PET scan [total body scan to see if/where cancer has spread]
Thursday: ResultsAppt. with Oncologist to go over PET scan. Cancer is only in breast + 4 lymph nodes. Grade given: STAGE 3A
Friday: Surgery to insert 'Power Port' into my chest to use for easy IV access.
*surgery (mastectomy) will be reevaluated post chemo approx. 12 wks from now after the first round of Chemo
Scheduled but changed:
Monday:2nd Biopsy on new area change of plans after meeting w/the Oncologist!
Thursday 7 am: Surgeon conferences with other surgeons on my case*
Thursday 9 am: Surgeon meets with me to discuss details + surgical options*
Possibly Friday: Surgery to remove aSentinel node to test for cancer [this is my big funky node]
week 4
Monday: Chemo Class
Tuesday: Ultrasound guided biopsy on the spot that was seen during the MRI- [right breast 7 o'clock] they didn't find anything... but will now do an MRI guided biopsy on Friday to really check it out...
Wednesday: Meet with Oncologist + have first Chemo treatment (4 hrs)
Friday: MRI guided biopsy of right breast 7 o'clock spot... then shopping with 2 girlfriends for big girl panties + hats!
week 5
Monday:Follow up appointment w/surgeon, Dr. Kilway, to check on "power port". [healing nicely thank you very much!]
Tuesday: Chemo #2 (3 hours-ish)... with my girl Brandie Kajino by my side and latte delivery from my chica Leah!
Thursday- Sunday: Spring Break getaway with my lil' fam + some time to myself. Celebrated 11th anniversary with Mike!
Month 2 [April] week 6
Tuesday: Appointment with Dr. Kolibaba, my oncologist + Chemo #3... tons of random questions were answered, treatment is getting to be 'comfortable'. Discussed results of MRI biopsy on 2nd spot. Confirmed that I will have a mastectomy as the result of the 2 cancerous spots in my right breast. Also discussed treatment time-line because I'm a planner + need to plan ;).
Month 2 [April] week 7 Tuesday: Chemo Appointment #4. Spent the time planning an event in my downtown to support local breast cancer charities... www.facebook.com/camasGNO Wednesday: Blogged about my day in chemo.... click here and spent the day totally wired- the steroids in the premeds really do a doozy on me... boing boing boing Thursday: Hair begins to fall out... it's getting very real click here Friday: More shedding, panic + call to schedule + get in for wig appointment at 4pm. How my day started out "not so fine" click here and how my day ended the wig shopping click here Month 2 [April] week 8 Sunday: My neighbor brought over Sunday dinner... I cried. Reminded me of a meal my deceased mother-in-law would have made for us. Also overwhelmed with the generosity of my community. Monday: Planning meeting for the CAMAS GNO which will support local breast cancer organizations: www.facebook.com/camasGNO Tuesday: Chemo Appointment #5 blogged how my day went post chemo...click here Wednesday: Continuing with my small group circuit training classes click here Month 7- [October] week 31 I have really dropped the ball on this timeline! 5 months have passed. Chemo is over, Double Mastecomy and Lymph node removal are in 2 weeks, with a bit of time off then back at for radiation.
My Girlfriends also gathered to make me meals that I could freeze... but I opted to organize my cancer paperwork in her family room soo I wouldn't drop any of my hair in the meals [I know totally gross]
SOME TREATMENT DETAILS
24 WEEKS OF CHEMOTHERAPY
*some side effects [adding hair loss to the side effects of this round.. after chemo #4 approx. day 30 into my chemo treatments]
*this round will be the tough one, the one w/the side effects... including hair loss [started in round 1].
Surgery [double mastectomy] takes place post Chemotherapy- Oct. 15th, 2010
Radiation will take place 4 weeks post surgery continue daily m-f for 6 1/2 weeks.
Herceptin alone every 21 days to complete one year.
Clinical Trial- daily meds May 2011 - May 2012
Full Hysterectomy April 2011
Reconstruction Surgery October 2011
