Surgery update

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday!  We were pretty busy even though we didn't go anywhere this year.  Mom and Dad came down and we all had a nice Christmas Day here with my sister and her fiancee and my brother and my beautiful twin nieces. 
I finished up my 2nd last chemo this past Tuesday which is great!  Only 1 left.  Can you believe it's been 6 months?  Still feeling not bad today.  I imagine it will hit me tomorrow but that's ok since it's New Years Day and you have to take it easy that day anyway.
I also had my appointment this week with my surgeon.  We went in to discuss what the surgery was going to be and get it booked.  After my exam he confirmed what Dr. Young has also said that he couldn't feel anything in my breast anymore which was good but could feel a slightly enlarged lymph node but not the same size it was back in August.  So no surprises he has recommended a mastectomy which I was prepared for and was going to insist on even if he hadn't recommended it.  I will also have a good size of tissue removed under my arm to remove all the tumors in my lymph nodes.  My surgery is being based on my original MRI that was done in August even though we are doing another MRI at the end of January to see how much the tumors have shrunk since the beginning of chemo.  He said to get the best possible results and to make sure there isn't any residual cancer cells around it's better to take the original area.  The MRI at the end of January is mostly for documentation purposes and to see if anything else has developed.  I'm hoping not.  I don't think so though since I haven't felt anything in a couple of months. 
I don't have my surgery date yet, they will be calling me with that in the next week.  It will be after March 1st though since we don't get back from Jamaica until then.  I will be in the hospital for a couple of days after so they can see how I am doing.  Usually you go home the same day but apparently when you do chemo first they like to keep you just in case.  I'll be off my feet for a couple of weeks with no heavy lifting just some light arm exercises to prevent the lymphedema  from developing.  I'll most likely be off work for 4 to 6 weeks total to heal and then I start radiation for 5 days a week for 5 weeks.  I'm not looking forward to driving out to the General everyday for 5 weeks.  :-( 
Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful Christmas cards and well wishes over the holidays.  We wish all of our friends and family a very Happy New Years with best wishes for a happy and healthy 2010!

5th Chemo done

Hi all!  Just a quick update to let you know that I'm all finished the 5th chemo now.  Only 3 more to go!  I felt pretty good all weekend.  I had a tonne of energy, courtesy of my medication.  With the help of my Mom I got all my Christmas decorations up and got all my house chores done.   I know it's early for Christmas but I figure it's better to get it done and besides I enjoy having the house decorated.  Thanks Mom!
Yesterday though was a bit tough.  I was really really tired and my muscles were sore.  Had a bit of bone pain later in the evening but nothing some Extra strength Tylenol can't take of.  :-)  I'm getting there though.  I took it easy and rested so I'm hoping I'll be as good as new by tomorrow.  Food doesn't taste as good the last couple of days, but I don't think I have any other major side effects so far. 
I'm going to take it easy again today so I'm ready to go for Matt's hockey tournament in Pembroke this weekend and then back to work next week. 
Some good news to share on the work front.  Many of you know that my division at Nortel was put up for auction and sold a couple of months ago now, and the deal is in the process of closing.  Well it looks like I'll be receiving an offer letter from the new company Avaya once I return to work next week.  It's a huge load off for our family so I'm very happy that I'm going to have an opportunity to keep working with the same great people in a job I enjoy!
Take care everyone and I appreciate all of your love and support!

Good cycle

Well this cycle was pretty good overall.  It's been a busy couple of weeks but I felt better earlier in the cycle and managed to fight off the cold/flu until just this past weekend when Samantha starting coughing.  I actually haven't gotten the cold as bad as she did yet, so hopefully my body is doing well at fighting it off.  I only have a little cough so far. I still can't feel any of my tumors, but that doesn't mean there isn't some bits left there.  I won't really know until we get another MRI done.  I'll probably be going for that and my appointment with my surgeon after my next chemo. 

We all went to get our H1N1 shots last week.  I was worried at first about how long I would be standing in line but as it turned out I only waited about 30 minutes to get the wrist bands for everyone and then we all went at 5pm that night to get our shots.  We only waited 30 minutes again to get in and then we were on our way 30 minutes after that.   Samantha was a real trooper.  No tears or anything.  She didn't even flinch.  We all had sore arms for a couple of days, and John seemed to feel a bit fatigued and achy the day after but the kids and I had no other symptoms.   I'm glad it's done though, it was a huge worry with the amount flu going around and with that 13 old boy dying in Toronto a few weeks ago, I was really scared about Matthew and Sam. 

This Friday I'm heading in for my first Taxotere and Herceptin treatment.  It will be a long treatment this time probably just over 3 hours versus the hour and half I'm used to.  Since there is such a risk of my body having a allergic reaction the drip will be longer for the first time.  I also have to adjust my medications for this chemo drug as well.  I've been taking only 1 tablet of a steroid per day along with my anti nausea drug but with the risk of allergic reactions I'll be taking 4 tablets the day before, the day of and 2 tablets the day after.  Even with the 1 tablet I had a lot of energy and had a bit of trouble sleeping at night so I can only imagine what it's going to be like with the 4 tablets per day.  I'm sure all my Christmas decorations will be up before the end of the weekend and some other projects that I've been meaning to do :-)
I'm hoping the down won't be too bad after.  With the last 4 treatments with the steroid I usually experience a couple of days where I'm very tired and a little sad, so I'll have to prepare myself for that.  My doctor said the nausea won't be as bad with this drug so I'm hoping I'll be up and around quicker but we will see.   The other little thing about this treatment is that I have to wear ice/cool mitts and booties while I'm getting the chemo drug to keep the drug away from my fingers and toes.  Apparently this will help me so I won't lose my finger and toe nails.  I hate being cold so that won't be fun, but losing my finger and toe nails would be a lot worse. 
I'm looking forward to getting through this treatment so I can feel better again.  It's been really nice the last couple of weeks feeling mostly normal.
Take care!
 

Half way there!

Well I'm half way to finishing my chemo.  Today was my 4th treatment and my last of the AC chemotherapy.  Yay!  This past cycle was a little tough only because I picked up a cold.  I had a swore throat and bad cough but no fever so I was able to stay out of the hospital, so that was good.   I've been feeling better the last couple of days, only a little cough now.
My treatment today was uneventful.  It was the first time being hooked up with the port, but it went really well.  I put on some emla cream to freeze up my skin over my port and I really didn't feel much more than a small pick and a little pressure when the needle when in.  I did have a very experienced nurse though so that may have helped too. :-)
At my oncology visit this week Dr. Young went over the side effects of the Taxotere that I will be starting on my next chemo day on Nov. 13th.  The nausea shouldn't be as bad, but I will most likely have muscle and bone achiness and more fatigue.  I still will have the hair loss unfortunately and I might experience brittle nails and eye watering as well.  I'll also be starting my Herceptin drug with the Taxotere which will continue on for the next year, every 3 weeks.   That's depressing just thinking about it, but it's necessary so I'll deal.
I'm going to see how the first Taxotere goes but I'm thinking I'll be going back to work part time at the end of November.  My boss and director have been super supportive and said they would be fine with me coming back part time to start while I finish up my the last 3 chemo treatments.  I'm looking forward to getting back to our regular routines and keeping my mind busy.
Some good news that I'm excited about is that we have booked a vacation to Jamaica in February with my family!  My sister is getting married there on February 27th so we plan to spend 6 days at the Beaches Negril resort and then 4 days at the Coral Cove resort where her wedding is.  It's perfect timing since I'll be able to go to Jamaica and then come back and do my surgery.  I'm so excited to go and spend some time with my family and our friends and it's really nice to have something fun to look forward to.
Take care everyone.

Port-a-Cath In

Wednesday at 7:45 am was my appointment to get my port-a-cath inserted into my chest.  I need to thank my wonderful sister again for driving over to pick me up so early to take me so John could get the kids ready for school and daycare. 
The procedure went well I'm told.  Dr. Watters was the surgeon who did the procedure and I was happy about that since he is my surgeon doing my surgery next year as well.  He got it in one of my main veins on the first try, which the nurse said was very good.  So the port is about the size of a quarter and is sitting just under my skin and the tubing is fed into one of my main veins.  I think it's my subclavian vein, but I can't remember for sure. 
I was given an IV with a "cocktail" that was supposed to make me a bit tired and a little unaware of what was happening.  I was expecting it to be a little more potent, since I was pretty much aware of what was going on and was talking to the nurses during the procedure.  I have to say the nurses and the anaesthetist Dr. Garnett were outstanding!  They put me at ease as soon as I got there and Dr. Garnett was so funny.  Dr. Watters gave me a local anesthetic as well so I didn't feel anything.  The most important part for me was that my face was shielded from seeing anything.  I was extremely grateful for that since my tolerance for needles and my own blood is very very low. 
I still have a dressing on until tomorrow but hopefully it won't freak me out for long having this device sticking out my skin.  I'm told I'll get used to it.
After the procedure I went to see my oncologist for my regular appointment.  I was a bit woosy for that, but John was with me to help me around :-).  Dr. Young was very encouraged to see my tumor has continued to shrink.  I also got confirmation as well that my bone scan and abdominal ultrasound were clear. 
After the appointment the pain started to set in.  I couldn't believe how much any movement I did was so painful.  I can't even imagine what's it's going to be like after a mastectomy. 
Thursday was my the third chemo treatment.  It went relatively well.  They actually left in the tube ready to go in my port so the nurses didn't have to pick me so that was nice.  All they had to do was just hook me up and start the meds.
I'm still feeling good so far.  The nausea medication seems to be still working.  Our friends Mel and Dave flew down from Timmins to come to my treatment and help us out for the weekend.  So I have to give them such a big thank you for coming all this way.  They have been such a big help and Sam and Matt always love to see their Auntie Melli and Uncle Dave.
It still amazes me how lucky we are that we have such good friends and family.  Everyone has been so generous and kind.  They are so many people to thank that have sent cards, emails, gifts, brought over food, sent flowers or have even have made time to help out around the house on chemo weekends or have made time for John when he needed some time out of the house too.  I know I haven't gotten all my thank you cards out so I want to apologize if I haven't sent one to you yet.  Take care and thanks again to everyone!

CIBC Run for the Cure

Hi Everyone,
I thought I would let you know that annual CIBC Run for the Cure is being held on Sunday October 4th all over the country.  I unfortunately won't be participating this year since I'm having chemo the Thursday before but I wanted to let you know if you were interested in donating to the cause that I have a dear and close friend Linda who battled breast cancer about 5 years ago who is participating in the run.  She is a real inspiration and has been a wonderful friend to me since Grade 4. 
So if you were interested in donating this year and didn't know anyone that is participating Linda's link is below for you to be able to donate online. 

https://www.cibcrunforthecure.com/html/personal_page.asp?track=3598402&languageid=1

It's such a great event and I look forward to doing it next year.  Thanks for your support Linda and I will there in spirit with you this year!

Chemo #2 in the books

I'm home now from chemo #2, only 6 more to go. Even though the Herceptin will continue on after it will be feel so good to have the chemo done that's for sure.
It was a little easier going today since I knew what to expect. It took a little less than 2 hours so we were out of there by 3:00 pm. I found out today that Sept 30th is the date for me to get my port "installed". That's my term not a medical one:-) so my next chemo will be a bit stressful again. I had a different nurse this time but Judy my first nurse did stop over to say hello and offer up her support. I hope I am able to have her when I go in for my next chemo with the port.
I also picked up my neupogen prescription while I was there. For 7 shots the cost is $1450. Sunlife is covering that at 95% thank goodness. My Mom is here and is going to give me the shots for the first 3 days and teach John to do it for the next 4. I do have have to get extra blood work done though this week so my doctor can monitor my counts this time. Cross your fingers it works and I don't need the extra 3 shots!
So far so good. No nausea yet. The nurse did warn me that sometimes the side effects are cumulative so I might have a different experience this time. Right now I feel the same so I'm keeping the mind set that it will all be fine again.

I should of mentioned in my previous posts that I got the rest of my hair shaved off last week, and now have a wig. It actually went not too bad. I only cried for a few seconds before the hair dresser started. She turned me around away from the mirror when she was doing it and I had Sam with me so she really distracted me as well. My sister and Sam helped me pick out some head scaves and an extra wig. The wig I do have isn't bad so far. I've worn it for 4 to 5 hours at one time and I was able to tolerate it. Since the salon never shaves right down to the scalp (so not to cut me), I essentially have an itchy buzz cut. The rest of my hair is falling out all the time now. Sam doesn't seemed phased by my lack of hair at all. Matthew's friends too that stop by don't seem to care either when they see me with my head scarf on. I don't think I'll be walking around the neighborhood with my head scarves but I'm glad no one has made a big deal about it.
Take care everyone.

HER2 Positive

Today was another difficult day.  My results were back from the additional tests that were requested on my original biopsy.  I learned at my oncologist appointment today that I tested negative for the hormone receptors on my cancer cells but I am HER2+.  Not a big surprise I guess since I was kind of expecting it but I was hoping that maybe my luck might change at some point.  It was still pretty overwhelming listening to the doctor tell me about it.  At one point he stopped and said "Ok I'm going to stop now because I can see you aren't really absorbing what I'm telling you".  I said he was right, all I could think about was that this nightmare wasn't going to ever end and that I would have to be on Herceptin for a year.  I will also have to get a port inserted into my chest which I am less than excited about as well.  I'm told it will make my life easier for each treatment but I can't help but be a bit freaked out.  So I will start taking Herceptin with my last 4 chemo treatments and then it will continue on by itself for a whole year.  Herceptin isn't chemo so I won't have the same side effects.  My hair will continue to grow back and there won't be any nausea or vomiting so I'm told.  I will still have my surgery after my 8th chemo treatment as before.  One good thing was that I was negative for the hormone receptors so that means I won't need hormone therapy after my radiation treatments now.

Since my counts were so low when I was in the emergency last week my doctor also suggested that I start taking a drug called neulasta or neupegen.  They both help accelerate the recovery of neutrophil counts to reduce my risk of infection.  Neulasta is 1 shot per chemo cycle and Neupogen is 10 shots per cycle.  My doctor would like to put me on Neulasta but my wonderful drug plan with Sunlife won't cover it.  So I have to get the 10 shot Neupogen.  For someone who hates needles I'm definitely dreading it. 
I do have a little good news.  My tumor in my breast has shrunk.  My doctor was very happy with my progress after only 1 cycle and said I should be celebrating not focusing on the HER2.  I know he's right but it will just take me a few days to absorb it all.

Fever

Well it happened.  I developed a fever Thursday night.  So I headed to the emergency room at the General with John.  Thank goodness my wonderful sister was free and was able to come and watch the kids because it wasn't a quick visit as it never is in a hospital in Canada.  So thank you, thank you so much Cathy!! 
We left around 8pm and didn't get home until 3am.  My fever started to come down after a couple of hours of being there but when my blood work came back my white blood cell count was pretty low at 2.2 (a normal person not on chemo would be between 4.0 and 11.0). My neutrophils were especially low at 0.2 (a normal range is 2.0 to 7.0) which signaled there was something bad going on but I didn't have any other symptoms besides a sinus headache and the fever.  I was able to convince the medical oncologist resident around 1:30 am that I was feeling better.  She finally relented and sent me home with some antibiotics but not before she finally ordered a chest x-ray and the blood cultures that should have been started as soon as I got there.   Unfortunately it wasn't a pleasant visit.  I thought it would be fairly straight forward since I can't be the first chemo patient that has come into emergency room right?  I was not happy that I didn't get any antibiotics until almost 5 hours of being there too.  I couldn't believe that my history was taken 4 times during the night and that I had to see 3 different doctors by the end of it.  It's a bad enough when you have to wait for 1 doctor never mind 3.   I saw a resident on call, the emergency doctor and then the medical oncologist resident.  I've definitely learned my lesson, and now that I'm more informed I'll be ready to deal with the emergency staff the next time so that we don't end up wasting so much time.  Let's hope it doesn't happen again though.
I'm feeling better today.  My fever is gone and I took it pretty easy today not doing very much but lying on the couch.
Overall I think I may have overdone it this week.  I should of took it a bit easier the last few days knowing my counts would be at their lowest at this time.  I'll know for the next cycle. 
I hope everyone has a great long weekend!  I know I will.  My girlfriends Melanie, Tammy and LeeAnn have come to town to keep me company.  There will be lots of great food, wine and movies.  I'm so lucky to have such great friends to take care of me.  Thank you so much ladies!
  

Feeling ok

I know everyone is concerned and asking how I am, but I have to tell you I'm feeling pretty good the last couple of days.  I actually feel normal.  I've been able to work out and eat normally and haven't been too tired.  Mind you I have been in bed by 9pm almost every night.  It's been a busier week with appointments and tests but I want to thank everyone for all the emails and cards.  All the support we have gotten is just incredible.  We are so lucky to have all of you in our lives!

I had some baseline tests done this week.  A bone scan and an abdominal ultrasound.  I have to say I'm getting pretty good at reading the techs now when they notice something that isn't normal.  My abdominal ultrasound was the only hiccup.  The technician said he noticed a polyp on my gall bladder.  One link I read suggested 95% of the time it is not cancer but in my case it could be the 5%.  Anyway I'm sure I'll here about that at my next appointment.  Another surgery wouldn't surprise me at this point.  The bone scan was a two part test.  I got a injection in my arm and was sent home for 2 hours.  Once I came back I was placed under this giant scanner which started at my head and moved slowly all the way down to my toes.  I have to say the easiest test so far, just needed to lie there for 20 minutes.  The girl that did my bone scan said she did not see any "hot spots" on my scan.  She said that it looked good.  So that was a positive to end my day.
Now I wait for the hair to fall out.  I'm probably 4 to 6 days away for that.  I'm scared but anxious for it happen all at the same time.  I obviously don't want to lose my hair but I know that as soon as it does I will know that the chemo is working and the bad cells are being destroyed.  That will be a good feeling!  Finally something will be happening to get rid of the cancer.
Well I'm off to pick up Sam from daycare and go out to dinner with my family.  Have a great weekend everyone!
Love Ang




 

Appointment with Radiation Oncologist

Yesterday was my first appointment with my radiation oncologist. I wasn't expecting it to difficult since I had done some reading already on radiation and thought I knew what to expect, boy was I wrong. I was so upset by the time the appointment was over, that it felt like the first day when I got diagnosed. I was so happy John was with me because it was a lot more difficult than I was anticipating. I think most of the reason why I was so upset was that my doctor is lacking in bedside manner for the most part. He was very clinical and blunt and didn't give me a lot of hope. Maybe that's what I needed to hear to snap myself back into reality I don't know. So as long as the plan stays on track I have my 8 chemo cycles, my surgery (which he was very blunt with me will likely be a mastectomy and most if not all of my lymph nodes under my arm) then I heal for 4 to 6 weeks and then I start 5 weeks of radiation which I will go for 5 days a week. He explained all the risks, and told us the areas he would be concentrating on radiating. I asked a couple of questions. One was about how soon I could get reconstruction done after radiation. He told me reconstruction was probably not likely. Of course I could and should seek out another opinion but he didn't think it was going to possible. That blew me away. I wasn't ready for that at all. I have been preparing myself for weeks for the mastectomy and pretty much have come to peace with it, but no options after, I wasn't ready for that. Obviously I'll be seeking out other opinions when the time comes and we know more after the surgery. He explained that there would likely not be much tissue left and the radiation would tighten up what is left. The other question I asked was if we knew right now that radiation has to be done. He told me I could always say no to any treatment if I didn't want it. Which wasn't what I was getting at. I just wanted to know how he knew without the surgery being done that radiation was a for gone conclusion. He is an experienced radiation oncologist but he's definitely not my favorite doctor so far.
So it's been a teary couple of days..and just thinking about the HER2 is making me a bit crazy. I've started preparing myself for that to come back positive as well. I think it will explain why my tumor is so big so fast.

Oh I cut my hair short this week too. Not as traumatic as I thought it would be. Taking control of it made me feel better. Even though I don't love having short hair it will be gone in a week or so anyway so no sense in getting upset about it. I brought Sam, Matt and John with me just so they wouldn't be surprised when they saw me. Well it was mostly for Samantha. Turns out it didn't bother her. Hopefully when I lose all my hair it will be the same.

First Day of Chemo

Well I made it through.  I'm home now on the couch while I watch my Mother cook dinner for my family which is killing me.  I think that will be one of the most difficult things for me, not being able to do everything all the time.  So far so good.  No nausea yet.  I think tonight will be the big test.  I'm on 3 anti nausea medication to prevent it.  One I took this morning, and two I got through the IV when I went for chemo.  They also sent me home with a bag of drugs for the next few days.  I've never had to take so many drugs in my whole life.  We went in for 2:00pm and we finished around 4:20pm.  It was bit longer today since it was my first time.  Usually it will be about 1 1/2 hour.  The hardest part really was getting the IV line inserted, other than that it didn't hurt.  I had a really great nurse named Judy who spent a lot of time with me explaining all the drugs and their side effects.  She was explaining to me that a PICC line might be better for me to consider since the chemo is very hard on my veins when they do it by IV.  I'll have to talk to my oncologist on Sept 9th about it but I think I'm going to wait until we get the results of the HER2 just in case.  
Earlier this week John and I went to "chemo class" and learned more in depth about the process and side effects.  I'm sure John and I were the youngest people there.  It was useful and we got a quick tour of the big room where everyone goes for treatment.  It was a bit overwhelming seeing all the people in there.  One interesting thing they have in the room is the big bell.  When someone finishes their last chemo treatment they are supposed to ring the bell and everyone applauds.
I also went to look at wigs on Tuesday.  I found one that I liked and put my deposit down.  When my hair starts to fall out in a couple of weeks I'll phone Caralyn's up and they will cut off the rest of my hair and fit my wig and style it.  So that's pretty much it for today.  It's 8:30pm now and I'm still ok so keep your fingers crossed for me that I make it through the night!
Take care everyone!

First Visit to the Cancer Centre

Friday was a relatively good day as things can go at this point. I met with my medical oncologist Dr. Young at the Cancer Centre. He seems to be a very knowledgeable doctor and a very gentle man. I was very afraid that they were going to delay my treatments since they wouldn’t have the results of the extra tests the surgeon ordered on my biopsy since I didn’t have surgery. Dr. Young said though that we could go ahead with our plan without those results now since the first part of the chemo would be the same no matter what the results are. So the short of it is that my chemo will begin this coming week. The plan will be 8 chemo treatments every 3 weeks, surgery 4 to 6 weeks after the end of chemo and probably radiation after the surgery and possibly hormone treatment.

My first 4 treatments will be with drugs called Adriamycin & Cyclophosphamide. The most common side effects of those are nausea, hair loss and low white blood cell counts. The next 4 treatments are with a drug called Taxotere. The side effects for that are less that the first drugs. There should be little to no nausea with that one but there is a low risk of heart damage developing. Dr. Young seemed confident that it would be a very low risk for me since I’m a younger woman with no previous health issues. So this is the current plan. It could change based on the results of the additional tests they are running on my biopsy samples. If it happens that I am HER-2 positive my chemo treatments could extent out to be a whole year. I really really hope that doesn’t happen. That would be definitely hard to take.

One piece of good news I got on Friday ( I think anyway) is that I won’t have to get a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line. It’s essentially an IV line they leave in cancer patients instead of inserting the lV every time you go for chemo. I think it would be a pain since it has to be kept dry at all times and cleaned. Since it’s inserted into one of your main veins there is a risk of infection all the time. Dr. Young explained I shouldn’t need that since I have pretty good veins in my arms and because I didn’t have surgery first I have 2 arms to work with for the chemo. He said if I changed my mind after the first couple of treatments and didn’t want to get picked every time I could get it inserted, but right now I’m glad I don’t have to get it in. I think having a 2 year old around potentially grabbing at it might be hard. I don’t have to worry about it getting wet when I bath or shower too. One less thing to worry about.

This week coming up will be a busy one. I have a “chemo class” to attend, some baseline tests to do, look for a wig and get chemo. I also plan to cut my hair very short in the next week in preparation for the hair loss and so my kids can get used to me with short hair for a couple of weeks before it’s gone. I think it will be less traumatic for them that way. Stay tuned for that picture. I'm definitely relieved that my treatments are starting this week but also scared. The unknown of how my body is going to react is hard but I think once I get through the first treatment I'll feel better about it.

As always thank you to everyone for their support and well wishes.

Surgery Cancelled

Monday was a disappointing day to say least. I was expecting to meet with my surgeon to review my MRI results and go over his recommendation for the surgery I was scheduled to have on Friday August 14th. I thought we would only be discussing whether it was going to be a lumpectomy or mastectomy then it would be out. As it turns out from the MRI the cancer around my lymph nodes is quite larger than we originally thought and Dr. Watters believes the right course of treatment now is to have chemo first to shrink the tumors and then do the surgery. Both John and I were deflated when we left the office. I had done all my emotional prep for the surgery and it got totally flipped around.
Chemo is definitely a totally different beast which I wasn't prepared to deal with at least not for another 4 to 6 weeks. For me the thought of losing my hair is frightening.
I am scheduled now to see a medical oncologist this Friday August 14th at the Cancer Center. We are hoping we will get some answers then about the treatment.
On a positive note though ( well I'm taking it as positive ) the MRI didn't pick up any lesions or signs of cancer cells in my right breast, lungs or heart. There are many more tests to run to confirm it hasn't spread but it's a good start. I'm hoping to start chemo quickly but I know there are more baseline tests to run and waiting for those appointments may delay it. I'm a big fan of our healthcare system but the waiting we have to do sometimes is torture.

Diagnosis

As many of you already know July 20th was the day I officially was diagnosed with breast cancer. I have to say it was probably the worst day of my life. It was extremely difficult at first, lots of tears and anger but with the support of my family and friends I have been able to now start thinking about the fight I have ahead of me. Don't get me wrong from time to time my mind does wander to the worst case scenarios but everyday it gets a bit easier. I have many fears about surgery, chemo and possibly radiation. I am slowly educating myself to try and alleviate those fears.
I don't know everything about my cancer yet. From the biopsy results the type was determined as invasive ductal carcinoma, which is the most common type of invasive breast cancer. Invasive means that it has the ability to grow and invade neighboring tissue in the body. The biopsy also revealed that my lymph nodes are positive for cancer as well.
I know it's going to be hard road but I am fine. I don't physically feel any different than I have in the last year, so it's weird to talk about myself as a sick person.
I have many scheduled tests and appointments coming up in the next couple of weeks so I'll keep everyone updated as much as possible.