My Back Up Plan

Met with Dr. Staffen at Shaddy Grove Fertillity with my mom and dad.....well more my mom because my dad was to embarressed to come back and talk about everything with the doctor.  Discussed my fertility options with him.  He talked about the process and what could happen.  He asked my specific questions regarding my history.  Because I had nothing definitive set up with my treatment start date, he said he would talk with my oncologist and work with her.  Dr. Favret said she felt confident and was comfortable waiting so that I could do fertility preservation.

Another positive notem Dr. Staffen said that because I had two other family members who had neurofibromatosis, they could test my eggs for it and see if they were positive for it.  This would be important to ensure my children if (needing to go this route) did not have Neurofibromatosis.

Freazing and implantation of eggs that result in a pregnancy is a 50% rate.  But it is a chance I want to take.  It is a chance I need to take, just in case.  I know most likely I will either not lose it at all or get it back if I do when Chemo is over. 

I finished filling out some financial forms to help me with financial assistance due to having cancer and felt pretty confident that I was going to get much assistance with this process.  If not, it was going to be really expensive.  But I was willing and ready to put it in my credit cards.  As I was already looking at applying for another one if needed.  Normaly the whole process cost $9500 if the insurance does not cover, and this is not including other testing and office visits etc.  My insurance will cover some of that, but it does not cover the fertility process at all.  I have found out at I am eligible for a reduced cost. 

A Whole New Life Ahead

Today is the day I met with my Oncologist, Anne Favret.  She is amazing.  I loved her.  She was super friendly and went over my Breast Cancer Profile and Breast Cancer Journey in detail with me so that I understood.  So here it is from the latest readings, of the biopsy, mammogram, and MRI:

Size: 1.4 cm
Grade: Moderately Growing
ER: + (good) suggesting a less aggressive tumor
PR: + opens up treatment options
HER2 neu: + (good)  --> acts as a powerful target for treatment
Lymph nodes:  (did not know at the time) *** but now know*** Negative

Histological Subtype: Invasive ductile Carcinoma (most common)

I will be given shots of Zoladex, once a month to quiet my ovaries to help with protecting fertility.

I will be receiving:

Taxotere, Carboplatin, and Herceptin (Targeted therapy --> monocloval ab)  (these are commonally called TCH

I will get 6 treatments every three weeks (21 days) for 18 weeks.  The day after each treatment I will get a shot of Neulasta which will help with my White blood Cells.

I will The continue to receive herceptin every three weeks to complete a year.

I will likely lose my hair within the 2nd week of the first treatment.  It will begin to grow back after the 6th treatment. 

After Chemo ----> Surgery ---> Radiation -----> Pill (Tamoxifin for 5 years)  if I go into early menopause they will switch me to Arimidex and Femara.

She also went over the some of the possible side effects of the chemo I will be taking:

fatigue - the first several days following, nausea, hair loss, possible menopause (but it can come back)

She said these also happen with some people but not all of them:

mouth sores, lowering of the heart rate, lowering of white blood cells, mild anemia, numbness/ tingling in extremities, swelling in joints, remote leukemia, constipation, diarrhea

WOW!!!  Lots of information!!  That's going to be my life for the next 5 years?  Wow!!!  I was just taking it in.  I was thinking, I think the only thing I was thinking was I can't have kids for 5 years now!!  UGH!!  (not that I have anyone to have a child with...but it just sets me back.)  I can handle the rest of this....but the tamoxifin for 5 years?  UGH!!  I know it is necessary.  But wow....I hope someone will want me and will want to deal with that.