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.