Day 5 of Breast Cancer: The Opening Credits

Well, I am starting this blog because I have breast cancer. I will <<try>> to document my progress and prognosis on here to avoid sending 37 texts/emails, and maybe to educate a little along the way.

I'm going to do a day count. I've seen it on other blogs. I find it encouraging. "She's lived with this for X Days." I hope I can post Day 13209829013 some day. Okay, that wasn't an exact science. It was my pushing the keyboard numbers a lot...but, you get the point.

I'll start at the end....

I have breast cancer. I was diagnosed on December 2, 2016. I'll come to find out that it's triple negative. A rarer type of breast cancer, found in 10-15% of patients. I'll be staged at 2A, think that's pretty bad...be restaged at 3A, think that's worse...hear the words stage 4, and settle on 3C prior to chemo. I don't know any of this yet. I updated this on Day 50 with a little more information about me and a LOT more information about cancer - googling / reading / listening :) 

The big takeaway from this story is TO DO SELF EXAMS. I am too young for mammograms. I don't have the genetic markers, but I have cancer. I was lucky I found the lump and acted on it right away. The oncologist said that if you have a family history, it's appearing YOUNGER in later generations. Okay, that's the PSA and thing I want you to take away from all this. 

And go to the beginning....

The rest of the story: I found a lump in my left breast in mid-November. I had an appointment scheduled with my obgyn anyway, so I waited two weeks to see her. She told me they agreed - seemed odd - and to go see a breast imaging specialist at a private practice ... within 24h. I did. The specialist did scans. Also seemed abnormal. They said I needed to have a biopsy of the breast and a lymph node for good measure. And, they'd like to do them within 24h. (Something I have found in healthcare, if they are rushing you through the system, it's never good.) 

I had the biopsy on December 2, 2016. It hurt. A very little bit. (Honestly, barely hurt). They took several core samples from one prick in my breast and they did a needle aspiration on one lymph node, but several places on it. 

They said the results usually take a week or two to get back, but she wanted to get mine faster. I'd know by Thursday at the latest. She'd call me as soon as she knew everything. 

I went about my life. It had to be negative, right? How could it be positive? I tested negative for BRCA, I am young, and healthy. How can I have cancer? The odds (I did them) were something like .002%. Maybe adjusted for family history, they would be higher later in life, but I am too young for my insurance to even cover mammograms yet.... right?  

The specialist called Tuesday evening. She had bad news. She needed me to find a private place (I was at work) where we could talk. Every sample collected was malignant. It was in the lymph node sampled too. "We don't know much more at this point," but I told her to call me as soon as she knew anything, and she did.

I called mom and dad. And Elise and my boyfriend. I drove myself home. I cried. I got home. My friend got home and cooked me one of my favorite comfort meals. 

I was able to secure an appointment with one of the country's leading breast cancer surgeons (Dr. Farrar) for Thursday, December 9. 

More on the diagnosis....

More information came back about the very naughty breast and its tumor. It's triple negative (don't google - it's bad), grade three, IDC cancer. I was initially staged around a 2A*, but they told me that the staging may change after they examine all the nodes. 

And I have a plan .....

Mom and dad flew up. We all went to the appointments at the James. I saw a surgeon, radiologist, and medical oncologist. It was an all day affair. And (longest story short,) they gave me an action plan.

• Surgery: Wednesday, December 14, 2016: Lumpectomy and removal of all nodes from left side 

• AC (Chemo Round 1): Starting Wednesday, Jan 11, 2017; four treatments, one every three weeks. 
• Taxol (Chemo Round 2): Starting on Wednesdays in May 2017; 12 treatments, one every week.
• Radiation: Likely to start August or September 2017, time TBD, likely 30-45d

They will evaluate me along the way to see if the cancer is responding to chemo and adjust course if it isn't. They opted to not do the mastectomy because it hasn't been proven to be any more effective than removing the affected tissue. They will all remove the nodes as a precaution because the cancer is aggressive and fast growing.* 

Now, y'all know almost the same amount I do. I know you're sad. I am sad. Mom and dad are sad. But, we have a plan. I'm ready to get all this treatment stuff over so I can get on with living. Please feel free to reach out to me directly with questions or comments. 

What's next? 

I'll update this blog as I know more. Follow my "cancer journey" (as everyone keeps calling it) if you'd like. 

Prayers and thoughts of love willingly accepted. 

Oh, and do self exams!!! They can save your life (hopefully  )!


*Note: After surgery, I was updated to a stage 3A. Cancer was in 6/12 lymph nodes and the tumor size was 2.4cm. ...but, more on that later. This is just the beginning.