My Official Diagnosis

It’s hard to believe that it has only been 9 days since my diagnosis. This journey has already seemed so long but yet it has not even really begun.  There have been quite a few developments since my last entry. After my pathology results meeting with the general surgeon, he ordered an MRI, which I had that day (1/19).  I had to cry on the phone with scheduling to get this appointment. Lol.  They expected my results within 2 days. Friday, January 21^st, I met with the oncologist for the first time. He informed us of my exact stage of cancer.  We now know that I am stage three (T3N3bMx) and that the cancer has spread to my lymph nodes. We also know that the tumor has doubled in size since my ultrasound on November 2^nd. It is about 6cm x 6 cm. The type of cancer that I have and the exact treatment plan was yet to be determined.

I spent the weekend surrounded by loving friends and family.  My comadre, Monica, and my friend from high school, Teresa, came to visit.  I am so glad they did because they lifted my spirits. We laughed, reminisced and worked on organizing my closet. They made me get rid of everything that was out of style. Hey, ponchos may make a come back! My nina seems to think they never went out of style.  My comadre/sister in law, Cindy, helped head up a project that I have been wanting to complete for years, the organization of our garage. It’s amazing how many things a family can accumulate in 6 years!  She and some other friends, Viviane, Tracy, Amy, Gabe and uncle Todd also helped and I am forever grateful to have so many people around me who care.

Monday and Tuesday (1/23 and 1/24) were devoted to CT scan and PET scans.

Wednesday (1/25) I was back in to meet oncologist to go over the results of my blood work, CT scan, PET scan and the second half of the pathology report.  Cindy came with Junior and I to take notes. She is very detailed and took at least 6 pages of notes. She should be a court reporter. Love you, Cindy!  What the oncologist reported was that all blood work came back normal and all scans came back normal. The cancer seems to only be located at the site of the tumor, the lymph nodes and a small spot on the internal mammary node right next to the breastbone.  This is good news and should definitely be celebrated. He also informed us that the type of cancer I have is triple negative. Honestly, Junior and Cindy know more about all the different types of cancers than I do.  I am trying to stop with the research because it upsets me.  But from what I understand, triple negative cancer lacks the estrogen, progesterone and HER 2 protein receptors therefore the drugs that would be used to treat the other types of cancers, cannot be used on me. I will not be able to take anti hormone drugs to treat my cancer.   

The Treatment Plan:

In recent years, research has shown that rates of reoccurrence decrease when chemotherapy is done prior to surgery. The doctor recommended 6 cycles of chemotherapy, one cycle every 3 weeks. Followed by surgery. His suggested drugs are Taxotere, Adriamycin and Cytoxan (TAC).  He said that I could start in the next 1-2 weeks but that he suggested that we get a second opinion. We are in the process of doing so.