Obligatory Breast Cancer Details Post

I've been avoiding making this post because I wanted it to be reflective, insightful, and inspirational. Those expectations paralyzed me to inaction, so I've decided to share my information and insights in dribs and drabs as they occur to me over time, rather than try to write The Great American Blog Post. So this will be the first of many status updates, as well as an introduction to the cancer I'm ridding myself of.

At Christmas I was diagnosed with breast cancer, caught very early on a digital mammogram. The radiologist told me that the changes were so subtle that if he had not seen the mammogram from exactly one year earlier, he would have let it go by without comment. So get your mamms early and often! In the sidebar I've linked to a site where you can click to fund free mammograms for those who can't afford them.

I had surgery a few days later, a lumpectomy with 4 sentinal nodes removed. The pathology report showed no cancer in the lymph nodes. For those who are interested, here are the details: Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, 1.1 cm, Stage 1, Grade 2, nodes negative, clear margins, estrogen receptor positive in 40%, progesterone receptor positive in 70%, Her2-neu negative. I'm happy to report that my breasts have not changed in shape or size, the small scar will be barely noticeable, and is not visible even in low-cut clothing. I feel very lucky to have kept my cleavage. So far.

Despite its primarily favorable characteristics, because I'm premenopausal I'm in a higher-risk category for recurrence, so I chose to pursue all the treatments available to increase my odds for a cure: surgery, aggressive chemo, radiation, and hormone-reducing treatment. I began chemo last week, which I tolerated surprisingly well. I'm receiving Adriamycin and Cytoxin in four two-week rounds, with Neulasta injections to boost white-cell production. After this cycle, if no new research contraindicates it, I will then get Taxol in four two-week rounds.

In two days I will start my second round of chemo, which is why I'm posting this now. The next 4 months of my life are delineated into tough weeks and good weeks, alternating. I may not have energy to update my blog in the week following chemo, but then I will probably write in a flurry as you've seen up to now. The effects of chemo are cumulative, so despite a pretty easy first round, future rounds will become increasingly challenging.

I have met my wonderful new Radiation Oncologist and have an appointment in a couple of weeks to have my breast measured and tattooed (4 or 5 dots, like registration marks).

Menopause will be sudden and chemically-induced from chemo, so those symptoms will be starting pretty powerfully soon, and will redouble when I start the hormone-reducing medication.

At the urging of some incredible mentors, I'm also receiving complementary treatment with acupuncture, hypnotherapy, and reiki. I had my first reiki session yesterday, and I've completed my hypnotherapy sessions, which armed me with the tools to receive deep, restorative rest and minimize my discomfort.

You might want to keep an eye on my BALD-O-Matic Visualizer to the right. The cartoon will change as I change, and as you can see, my ETB (estimated time to baldness) is now at 5 days. Last week I cut my hair short to prepare for the fallout, so to speak. My son wants me to shave or buzz-cut his hair when I shave mine. At some point, it's more comfortable to be shaved than to let the hair fall, because the scalp becomes very irritated.

So there you go, the whole nine yards of wax in a nutshell.