Sorry it's been so long. I've received a lot of news over the past month, and I've been digesting it all.
Since I was a kid, I've always assumed that getting a cancer diagnosis meant you would die. Well, my attitude has really changed.
All of my scans came back. The good news is that my organs are healthy and cancer free. The bad news is that the cancer has spread to some areas in my bones. So the pain in my leg is not arthritis or a pulled muscle after all. My doctors are very optimistic; my young age and good health are two huge advantages. My oncologist also has me on aggressive therapy (chemo and radiation). I feel really good about it. I've already had several radiation treatments, and one chemotherapy cycle. So far, everything is going very smoothly. I'm not walking very well, but the radiation should alleviate the pain and pressure in my leg soon. Other than the leg pain, I don't feel sick at all.
My faith in God and support from family and friends are really helping me through this. I've asked God to heal me so I can help other people struggling with cancer. I truly believe that God hears works miracles, so please pray for me.
Thanks for reading, and I promise to write posts more often. :o)
Friday, December 4, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Updates
Today I had two appointments.
One was with the surgeon that did the mastectomy. He removed the surgical drain and I was sooooo happy. It felt like getting out of jail. :o)
The second appointment was with the oncologist. The news wasn't wonderful, but it wasn't devastating either. He told me the tumor was a grade 3 (most aggressive), and that out of the 13 lymph nodes they removed, only two had cancer. In the coming weeks, I'm going to have a PET scan of the entire body and a bone scan, just to make sure it hasn't spread anywhere else.
I'm very hopeful, although I've had a sore hip for a few months. I can't help but feel really paranoid about it, but I need to be logical. My dad has terrible arthritis and he hurts in the exact spot where I hurt sometimes. I'm exactly like my dad, even down to same crooked front tooth, haha. So I never thought I would pray for arthritis, but I am now!
I will also be starting chemo in a few weeks. I'm a little antsy about that, but the doc wants to be safe and help ensure that it won't come back.
Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers. I'm doing a lot of praying too. I'll post more as I get updates.
One was with the surgeon that did the mastectomy. He removed the surgical drain and I was sooooo happy. It felt like getting out of jail. :o)
The second appointment was with the oncologist. The news wasn't wonderful, but it wasn't devastating either. He told me the tumor was a grade 3 (most aggressive), and that out of the 13 lymph nodes they removed, only two had cancer. In the coming weeks, I'm going to have a PET scan of the entire body and a bone scan, just to make sure it hasn't spread anywhere else.
I'm very hopeful, although I've had a sore hip for a few months. I can't help but feel really paranoid about it, but I need to be logical. My dad has terrible arthritis and he hurts in the exact spot where I hurt sometimes. I'm exactly like my dad, even down to same crooked front tooth, haha. So I never thought I would pray for arthritis, but I am now!
I will also be starting chemo in a few weeks. I'm a little antsy about that, but the doc wants to be safe and help ensure that it won't come back.
Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers. I'm doing a lot of praying too. I'll post more as I get updates.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Post Surgery
I can't type much because I'm too sore. I had the mastectomy on Monday 10/26. I stayed overnight in the hospital because the anesthesia made me sick. Other than that, things went very smoothly. I can't lift my right arm very high and I can't sleep on my side, but other than that, I feel pretty good. I go to the oncologist on Tuesday 11/3 to find out how bad the cancer is/was and whether or not I'll need chemo. More coming soon when I can type more...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Beginning
I've never blogged before, so bear with me. I started this online journal so I can document my experiences over the next few months.
In August, I found a lump in my right breast. It was completely by accident and I brushed it off. A few weeks passed and I thought about it again. This time, I decided that since I hadn't had my annual OB/GYN visit, I would go ahead and schedule it. So, on September 11, I had my appointment and jokingly mentioned the lump to my doctor. He recommended a mammogram, just to be safe.
On October 6, I had a baseline mammogram. The next day, they called me to say they needed to take a closer look. So, on October 9, I went to the hospital to have another mammogram and an ultrasound. Well, the radiologist didn't like what he saw, so he recommended a biopsy and an appointment with a surgeon.
On October 15, I had an ultrasound-guided needle biopsy.
On October 19, I had my appointment with the surgeon and got the bad news. I wasn't really upset, just shocked. All I really remember are the keywords: malignancy, tumor, mastectomy, lymph nodes...
On October 26, I am checking into the hospital for a mastectomy. Due to the size of the tumor (it's 5.8 centimeters) the surgeon has recommended removing the whole right breast and all of the lymph nodes.
Today, I'm still in shock mode. I'm sure I'll experience a whole range of emotions over the next few weeks, but right now, I'm pretty calm.
This is all I know right now. I'll post again soon.
In August, I found a lump in my right breast. It was completely by accident and I brushed it off. A few weeks passed and I thought about it again. This time, I decided that since I hadn't had my annual OB/GYN visit, I would go ahead and schedule it. So, on September 11, I had my appointment and jokingly mentioned the lump to my doctor. He recommended a mammogram, just to be safe.
On October 6, I had a baseline mammogram. The next day, they called me to say they needed to take a closer look. So, on October 9, I went to the hospital to have another mammogram and an ultrasound. Well, the radiologist didn't like what he saw, so he recommended a biopsy and an appointment with a surgeon.
On October 15, I had an ultrasound-guided needle biopsy.
On October 19, I had my appointment with the surgeon and got the bad news. I wasn't really upset, just shocked. All I really remember are the keywords: malignancy, tumor, mastectomy, lymph nodes...
On October 26, I am checking into the hospital for a mastectomy. Due to the size of the tumor (it's 5.8 centimeters) the surgeon has recommended removing the whole right breast and all of the lymph nodes.
Today, I'm still in shock mode. I'm sure I'll experience a whole range of emotions over the next few weeks, but right now, I'm pretty calm.
This is all I know right now. I'll post again soon.
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