We had a family trip planned for the week after I found out and so I went and enjoyed the sea, the sun, and most of all my family. I didn't tell anyone except Hitch and in hind sight it was nice to have some time to adjust to my new reality before the whirlwind that was waiting for me when we got home.
We got home my schedule was taken over by doctors visits and procedures. I have Kaiser insurance and I can not say enough good things about how quickly they responded and how thorough they have been (quick political plug, I am now a person with a pre-existing condition and will hopefully always be able to get good insurance)
They knew that I had cancer, but since the mammogram showed nothing, my first procedure was an MRI. It showed that I had 3 sites in my left breast. Next they needed to biopsy the sites. Two they were able to find with an ultra sound, the third one they could not. Which meant I needed an MRI biopsy. Results showed that two spots were cancerous and the third was not. That was good news since it meant the cancer had not spread past the two sites and the two lymph nodes. The doctors also needed to make sure the cancer hadn't spread to other parts of the body and they do that with a PET scan. I didn't realize that a PET scan involves injecting liquid radiation into my body for a minute and then waiting an hour to let it travel all through my body. Not gonna lie, that freaked me out a little. The nurse reassured me by letting me know I would only be radioactive for 24 hours. I met with a surgeon and met my oncologist (who I love!). He explained my chemo regimen and what to expect.
The last steps before starting chemo was an echo cardiogram to make sure my heart was healthy enough to withstand the chemo (it is 😊). I also decided to have a port inserted into my chest. I will have 18 chemo treatments total and the port will be easier than having the needle in my veins. Between the biophys and port insertion I looked like I had been in a knife fight.
Oh, and I had lots of mammograms!
The last steps before starting chemo was an echo cardiogram to make sure my heart was healthy enough to withstand the chemo (it is 😊). I also decided to have a port inserted into my chest. I will have 18 chemo treatments total and the port will be easier than having the needle in my veins. Between the biophys and port insertion I looked like I had been in a knife fight.
Oh, and I had lots of mammograms!
For those of you that are interested or familiar with breast cancer, I have estrogen/progesterone negative, HER2 positive cancer
Glad you had a moment of calm before the storm with your gorgeous family. The kids have gotten so big!
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