My Treatment in Numbers and Type of Cancer

Done!

5.5       Months of Chemotherapy

6          Neulasta shots

20        Something bags of fluids

12        Infusions of Herceptin

2.5       Surgeries

72        Steriods

30        Claritins

72        Aleves

20        Something cups of ice

1          PET Scan

2          CT Scans

2          MRIs

3          Mammograms

7          Ultrasounds

2          Bottles of Contrast (soon to be 4)

1          Lymphoscintigraphy
1          Core needle biopsy

1.5       Nails lost

10        Nails separated from nail bed in various degrees

15        Or so pain pills (turns out almost all pain pills make me sick so high dosage of Motrin it is)

14        Tmes I’ve had my port accessed

2          Wigs

5          Hats

2          Drains

2          Implants J

Too Many times to count:

            Doctor Visits (I should figure this out sometime because it’s insane)!

            Thrown up

            Prayers J

Still to Do

Infusion every 3 weeks for a year

Scans 2x a year for 5 years

Many Doctor visits

Have port removed

Many many many prayers cancer never returns!

Background:

Before I was diagnosed I thought breast cancer was simply breast cancer. I had no idea how incorrect that assumption was. I was diagnosed with hormone negative, Her2 positive breast cancer. Mine was extremely aggressive, pretty much as aggressive as it possibly could be.  This is common when younger people are diagnosed with breast cancer. Though mine was even more aggressive than normal. The original tumor was 3.1-4.2 cm. I was nursing at the time and thought it was a clogged milk duct or something. Thankfully, after finding the lump I only waited 3 weeks before going to my ob and she scheduled me for an ultrasound right away (though she and everyone else thought it was something benign and nothing to worry about…)

The morning of the ultrasound they asked me to come back that day for a core needle biopsy. Not the best sign. Plus, I had done my research on the internet and knew what a malignant tumor looked like and saw a very similar picture on the screen during my ultrasound. There was also the fact that the radiologist mentioned how much blood flow was going to the tumor. My biopsy lasted about 45 minutes and they took 7(!) samples.

I’m also so thankful that I was able to see my Doctor, have an ultrasound, a biopsy, meet with a surgeon, meet with my oncologist, meet with another surgeon, have my port inserted, have a PET/CT scan, AND start chemo all within 2-3 weeks.

I responded well to the chemo and at the time of my surgery the tumor was only 9mm. This wasn’t a complete response, which would have been ideal, but it was still a “very good” response and all my doctors were pleased with the results. Thankfully, I responded to the Herceptin. I also learned during this surgery that the cancer had definitely not spread to my lymph nodes. That was everyone’s opinion prior to surgery but they couldn’t say for certain until I had an actual sentinel node biopsy. They removed 6 lymph nodes and did extensive testing on all of them. I am so thankful that it was contained to the breast. I cannot even begin to express that enough! This technically put me at Stage II.

I do have a higher rate of recurrence and a “poorer” prognosis than someone with a different form of breast cancer but my Doctors feel very confident in my outlook and I am choosing to have faith that I have beat cancer and am completely healed!