My family and I met with the oncologist yesterday afternoon for about an hour and a half and let's just say ... it was more than we could digest or bear to hear. It was very emotional. We are scared and devastated by all of the news. This whole thing has happened so fast that we haven't even had time to process it all yet.
The next step is the PETscan which is scheduled for Monday at 5:45pm. Drew will be taking me. I am holding my breath as to what the PETscan will show. I will need to have a "port surgically implanted and a breast biopsy of the area that showed some contrasting in the MRI report. I assume this will be done SOON, perhaps early next week. My oncologist said that if you divide the breast into four equal parts the contrasting in the MRI showed in the upper two quarters. He did also mention possibly having the breast partially or completely removed should most of it be grossly infected. I am TRYING not to jump ahead and get too worried about things that "might" be the case. One battle at a time!
It appears now that the cancer may have started in the breast and moved to the lymph nodes under my left armpit where I discovered the growth originally right before Thanksgiving. There is no way to tell how long I have had it, but he said in most cases, it has been a couple of years. I will begin treatments (chemotherapy and radiation) immediately after the port and biopsy are complete and the treatments will be for 16 weeks, every other week (8 treatments total). Every chemotherapy is different and mine will be made up of three different types of medication. The chemotherapy will cause my hair to fall out completely and my chances of having children down the road will be minimized due to the treatments. This bothers me A LOT. I am going to do EVERYTHING in by power to minimize the risk of infertility. They are treating this very aggressively and my oncologist wants to begin the treatment ASAP.
The oncologist showed us the treatment room (they have a section set up for treatments there in his office), and the port that would be installed. The port will be placed in the opposite breast and will have to remain there for the duration of the treatments. A lot to digest ...
The oncologist is having a second opinion made on the biopsy which is routine for his practice. Some cells were HER2 positive and some were negative. HER2 is a more aggressive form of breast cancer. If after further review they find I am HER2 positive, then after the 16 weeks of treatment (chemotherapy and radiation) I will keep my port in and undergo a year of antibody treatment for HER2 (which is like an antibiotic through an IV. My hair will grow back, etc.). Yes, they have created an antibody to completely destroy HER2. If I am HER2 negative, then I will only do the 16 weeks of treatment. My cells showed some positive and some negative reactors for estrogen, also. There are still several unknowns. They need a definitive answer as to the makeup of cancer in order to determine the ingredients for my chemotherapy recipe ... so to speak.
The next appointment with my oncologist is scheduled for this coming Thursday at 11:00am. By then, we should have the results of the PETscan and a definitive answer on whether I am HER2-positive and whether estrogen is a factor from the biopsy.
My family and I need tons of prayers and support, please. I will keep you posted as I learn more.
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