On Friday, June 7, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Because I am lazy, I will just copy this bit from Facebook right here:
It will be another couple of weeks before all the pathology and genetic tests come back, so we don't know my exact course of treatment yet. So far, it is presenting exactly the same way my sister's did a few years ago - there was nothing there last month when I had my annual exam and my doctor checked me. There was something different, but not too different when I checked myself on May 18, and then that week it grew up to a 2.4 cm mass that was creating a visible bulge on my skin by May 25.
Even though we don't know exactly what the treatment will be yet, we do know that I will need chemo. I'm scheduled to have a port installed on my clavicle on June 25, and by then we should have the rest of the information that will determine the course of treatment.
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The information we're waiting on is whether or not this is hormone receptive, and if I have BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 in my genes. My sister has BRCA 1. The hormones will determine what treatment options I have with chemo, and whether or not I'll need radiation. The genes will determine if I need to have a bi-lateral mastectomy and have my ovaries removed.
For now, I've got an MRI appointment in the morning at Alta Bates in Berkeley. I'm a little freaked out by this - I'm normally not claustrophobic but my upper body is literally the same diameter as the tube in the machine, so it's going to be physically right up against my back for the thirty minutes I'm in there. I can breathe, but not deeply. I've been told that I can take a double dose of valium to help me through that, and then Bob can peel me off the table when it's over and I'll go home to sleep it off.
I'm still working with the oncologist to get an appointment this week. Unfortunately it's vacation season so everybody with kids seems to be taking time off in the next few weeks. Fortunately, we can't make any decisions until the pathology is all in, so it's not like this is actually delaying my treatment.
Some people have asked about getting a lumpectomy now. After talking to several people I've decided not to - there's no difference in mortality as long as I can get chemo started soon. So it's really psychological. I've decided that I can stand to leave the thing in as long as I know we're doing something proactive. The plan we've worked out with my surgeon (Consorti) is that we'll do two rounds of chemo, check the size, and if it has shrunk we'll know the chemo is working and leave it in place. If it has stayed the same size or grown, we'll do the lumpectomy then. I feel like there's little reason to take the risks of an extra surgery now if there's no long term gain for me.
It will be another couple of weeks before all the pathology and genetic tests come back, so we don't know my exact course of treatment yet. So far, it is presenting exactly the same way my sister's did a few years ago - there was nothing there last month when I had my annual exam and my doctor checked me. There was something different, but not too different when I checked myself on May 18, and then that week it grew up to a 2.4 cm mass that was creating a visible bulge on my skin by May 25.
Even though we don't know exactly what the treatment will be yet, we do know that I will need chemo. I'm scheduled to have a port installed on my clavicle on June 25, and by then we should have the rest of the information that will determine the course of treatment.
--------------------------
The information we're waiting on is whether or not this is hormone receptive, and if I have BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 in my genes. My sister has BRCA 1. The hormones will determine what treatment options I have with chemo, and whether or not I'll need radiation. The genes will determine if I need to have a bi-lateral mastectomy and have my ovaries removed.
For now, I've got an MRI appointment in the morning at Alta Bates in Berkeley. I'm a little freaked out by this - I'm normally not claustrophobic but my upper body is literally the same diameter as the tube in the machine, so it's going to be physically right up against my back for the thirty minutes I'm in there. I can breathe, but not deeply. I've been told that I can take a double dose of valium to help me through that, and then Bob can peel me off the table when it's over and I'll go home to sleep it off.
I'm still working with the oncologist to get an appointment this week. Unfortunately it's vacation season so everybody with kids seems to be taking time off in the next few weeks. Fortunately, we can't make any decisions until the pathology is all in, so it's not like this is actually delaying my treatment.
Some people have asked about getting a lumpectomy now. After talking to several people I've decided not to - there's no difference in mortality as long as I can get chemo started soon. So it's really psychological. I've decided that I can stand to leave the thing in as long as I know we're doing something proactive. The plan we've worked out with my surgeon (Consorti) is that we'll do two rounds of chemo, check the size, and if it has shrunk we'll know the chemo is working and leave it in place. If it has stayed the same size or grown, we'll do the lumpectomy then. I feel like there's little reason to take the risks of an extra surgery now if there's no long term gain for me.
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