Isn't it weird how your whole life can change in one small moment? I think back to my moments: barely missing that huge tree in my first car accident, my first kiss with my (future) husband, the day I walked across the stage at the UT Erwin Center, my first kiss with my official husband at our wedding. Most recently: Monday, January 25, 2010 at 10:48am. The moment I heard my radiologist utter the words "I'm afraid I have some bad news". The moment I learned I have breast cancer.
This blog is my way of keeping all of my family and friends updated on the rapidly evolving information we are receiving regarding my cancer and treatment. During my recovery, it's going to be an outlet for emotions and boredom. And in the process, I hope there are other young women who might read this and find knowledge and reassurance in me sharing my story. To those of you future survivors, I share with you my favorite words said to me by a very good friend: "YOU WILL BEAT THIS". For you current survivors, thank you for sharing your own stories as they have gotten me through this last week.
Ok, now for the facts. There's a lot of technical terms and jargon in here, so here's a link to a great guide on the Susan B Komen website for anyone who is interested in learning more:
http://ww5.komen.org/breastcancer/aboutbreastcancer.html
Everyone wants to know how I found out I had a lump. Believe it or not, I found it myself. I haven't done a breast self-exam in well over a year. With the recent controversy surrounding the guidelines regarding mammograms last year, I told myself I was going to start doing self-exams more regularly. Laying in bed watching TV during my surprise birthday vacation with my husband, something reminded me of that commitment. I did one right then and there, and found a tiny lump. I convinced myself it was probably nothing. Regardless, when I went to visit my ob-gyn the following month to discuss our goal of starting a family soon, I asked her to check it out. Thank God I did, and thank God she took such as small lump so seriously. One needle biopsy and two mammograms later, I got the call.
Here's what we know so far:
We are still waiting for results back from various tests, but at this point we know that it is definitely an 8mm low-grade invasive tumor and it appears likely that it is a Stage I. Based on the MRI it APPEARS that the cancer has not yet entered into the lymph nodes and there are no signs of distant metastasis. This can only be confirmed using a node test after the surgery. The tumor is small and we are very fortunate to have detected it as early as we did. Assuming it really is at Stage I, the survival odds are incredibly high (roughly 99%). We are still waiting for genetic test results to determine whether the cancer is a result of a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation (which would indicate a high likelihood of recurrence). That test will determine not only my course of action regarding surgery, but also our course of action regarding having children one day.
When a tumor is biopsied, it is sent off to test for certain markers. These will basically determine what type of treatment a woman will respond to following surgery. The three main markers are estrogen, progesterone, and her2/neu. Without getting into too much detail (again see the above link if you want to know more about what each of these mean), the ideal outcome of these markers would be to be estrogen and progesterone positive and her2/neu negative. That would mean that I could respond to hormone therapy to suppress the growth of this and any future tumors and I may not need chemo. On Wednesday I got some great news that I am estrogen/progesterone "strongly positive". I am waiting to find out the results of the her2/neu marker: positive meaning definitely chemo, negative meaning maybe none. After the surgery, the tumor will be sent off for another test called Oncotype DX. If my score is low, then no chemo for now. If it's high, then chemo for sure.
Oh, surgeries. Because I am 32, there is a good chance this is going to come back, genetic or not. Like many other young women, I am likely going to opt to have a double mastectomy to lower my chance of a recurrence. Thanks to advancements in technology, I have a lot of options for breast reconstruction out there. I am inspired and assured by speaking with so many women over the last week who are happy with whatever reconstruction choice they made. My options are either implants or reconstruction using my own tissue (google GAP flap breast reconstruction). At the moment, I'm leaning toward reconstruction using my own tissue. Those of you who know my indecisive nature know that this could change at any moment!
Ok, I know it was a long post. But it was a long week. This is all we know for now, and I will keep you all in the loop as we learn more. I want to thank you all for your supportive words, loving thoughts, and heartfelt prayers... because of you, I am able to feel strong and positive every day!
This blog is my way of keeping all of my family and friends updated on the rapidly evolving information we are receiving regarding my cancer and treatment. During my recovery, it's going to be an outlet for emotions and boredom. And in the process, I hope there are other young women who might read this and find knowledge and reassurance in me sharing my story. To those of you future survivors, I share with you my favorite words said to me by a very good friend: "YOU WILL BEAT THIS". For you current survivors, thank you for sharing your own stories as they have gotten me through this last week.
Ok, now for the facts. There's a lot of technical terms and jargon in here, so here's a link to a great guide on the Susan B Komen website for anyone who is interested in learning more:
http://ww5.komen.org/breastcancer/aboutbreastcancer.html
Everyone wants to know how I found out I had a lump. Believe it or not, I found it myself. I haven't done a breast self-exam in well over a year. With the recent controversy surrounding the guidelines regarding mammograms last year, I told myself I was going to start doing self-exams more regularly. Laying in bed watching TV during my surprise birthday vacation with my husband, something reminded me of that commitment. I did one right then and there, and found a tiny lump. I convinced myself it was probably nothing. Regardless, when I went to visit my ob-gyn the following month to discuss our goal of starting a family soon, I asked her to check it out. Thank God I did, and thank God she took such as small lump so seriously. One needle biopsy and two mammograms later, I got the call.
Here's what we know so far:
We are still waiting for results back from various tests, but at this point we know that it is definitely an 8mm low-grade invasive tumor and it appears likely that it is a Stage I. Based on the MRI it APPEARS that the cancer has not yet entered into the lymph nodes and there are no signs of distant metastasis. This can only be confirmed using a node test after the surgery. The tumor is small and we are very fortunate to have detected it as early as we did. Assuming it really is at Stage I, the survival odds are incredibly high (roughly 99%). We are still waiting for genetic test results to determine whether the cancer is a result of a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation (which would indicate a high likelihood of recurrence). That test will determine not only my course of action regarding surgery, but also our course of action regarding having children one day.
When a tumor is biopsied, it is sent off to test for certain markers. These will basically determine what type of treatment a woman will respond to following surgery. The three main markers are estrogen, progesterone, and her2/neu. Without getting into too much detail (again see the above link if you want to know more about what each of these mean), the ideal outcome of these markers would be to be estrogen and progesterone positive and her2/neu negative. That would mean that I could respond to hormone therapy to suppress the growth of this and any future tumors and I may not need chemo. On Wednesday I got some great news that I am estrogen/progesterone "strongly positive". I am waiting to find out the results of the her2/neu marker: positive meaning definitely chemo, negative meaning maybe none. After the surgery, the tumor will be sent off for another test called Oncotype DX. If my score is low, then no chemo for now. If it's high, then chemo for sure.
Oh, surgeries. Because I am 32, there is a good chance this is going to come back, genetic or not. Like many other young women, I am likely going to opt to have a double mastectomy to lower my chance of a recurrence. Thanks to advancements in technology, I have a lot of options for breast reconstruction out there. I am inspired and assured by speaking with so many women over the last week who are happy with whatever reconstruction choice they made. My options are either implants or reconstruction using my own tissue (google GAP flap breast reconstruction). At the moment, I'm leaning toward reconstruction using my own tissue. Those of you who know my indecisive nature know that this could change at any moment!
Ok, I know it was a long post. But it was a long week. This is all we know for now, and I will keep you all in the loop as we learn more. I want to thank you all for your supportive words, loving thoughts, and heartfelt prayers... because of you, I am able to feel strong and positive every day!
