4-23-2010

I am starting this blog to keep friends and family informed of my journey through breast cancer treatment. It's been difficult to find the time to inform everyone and keep everyone up to date. With this blog, I hope to be able to let everyone know what is going on without repeating myself or leaving something out. If this is the first you are hearing of this I apologize for not calling, but it's been a crazy few weeks, and telling people over and over again can be difficult, because you don't want every minute to be spent dwelling on the cancer. We also kept it very secret until we told the kids, not wanting them to find out from someone else. We are still trying to keep this information relatively controlled until school gets out. We don't want the kids to be fielding comments or questions at school.

I am doing very well and my prognosis is very good. It has been a roller coaster ride starting with me discovering a lump on my right breast near my armpit, while stretching. I had a Gyn. appt. She sent me to get an ultrasound, which led to a biopsy. The biopsy indicated invasive and non-invasive ductal breast cancer. As the lab reports were coming back, we found that my cancer had an estrogen and progesterone receptor, which is good, because the cancer can be "starved" by taking a drug called tomoxifen. That drug acts like those hormones, which causes your body to stop producing those hormones that feed the cancer. So we were thinking, I'd have a surgery and then take tomoxifen and go on my merry way with out having the chemo experience. We also learned that I did not have the Braca gene, which is the cause of hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. This was GREAT news!

Then a week ago, we got an additional lab report stating that my cancer had an additional receptor for a protein called Her2/neu. Because of the presence of this protein in my cancer, I have no choice but to undergo chemo for 24 weeks. BUMMER!!! My chemo treatment will begin next Thursday, and I am lining up books to read and scrapbooking projects to work on while I'm resting and allowing the drugs to do their job. I have already purchased a wig. It is a short dark brown pixie cut. It looks very sassy. I figured I'd be sporting short hair for a while so I thought I'd get used to it. Tomorrow I go and get my hair cut to match the wig I picked out.

Yesterday I had surgery to place a porta cath so that I can receive my drug treatments and blood tests through the cath, avoiding the numerous needles I would have to experience otherwise. I also had the cancer mass removed and they removed the lymph node which drains that area. The preliminary test of the lymph node was good, no cancer seen. Over the next few days they will be creating more slides of the lymph node and watching them for any sign of cancer. On Monday we will know for sure if the node is completely clear. That is what we are hoping for. If the lymph is clear the cancer will probably be considered Stage 1.

Scot and the kids are doing well. We told the kids everything this last weekend and they are handling it with courage and positive thinking. The kids each have their own wonderful support system of friends, teachers, and coaches. My friends have also been very supportive, and they've watched the kids for me as I have gone to my various appts. and tests. Scot has been with me through all the doctors appts. and tests. My parents are arriving next week before my chemo starts to help us. We all feel so fortunate to have the amazing relationships we do with each other and our friends.

Cancer puts everything in perspective and I like my new way of thinking. I don't think I will ever go back to taking things for granted. I want to spend the next 50 years of my life being happy and positive and appreciating and loving all the people in my life. They say "What doesn't kill you makes your stronger." I really believe that. I feel mentally stronger than ever.