December 4: Oncology, surgery, radiation, research!

Oncology & surgery & radiation & research, oh my! Dave and I met with my fantastic team today from 8 am to about 1:30. I had exams by 6 people, so if you are unsure about how to do a self check, hit me up! 1. I qualified for a study so I won’t start treatment until a few more tests are complete. So glad to be able to be part of any research that can help others! 2. Two more biopsy’s will take place for the additional spots they found to confirm if they are cancerous. 3. Chemo be once a week and will last 6 months. I will lose hair within the first 3 weeks. 4. Initial surgery will be about 4 weeks after chemo and then they will determine if radiation is needed. 5. More information was shared about lumpectomy vs mastectomy. Mastectomy would be 1-5% chance of cancer return vs a lumpectomy having 10-15% chance of return. 6. My cancer is fast growing and on a scale of 1-100 my biopsy shows that the pathology of my tumor is 86% fast growth on this scale. Right now it is measuring 3ish by 5ish centimeters. Because of the fast growth and being over 2 centimeters, they take a full body treatment approach and put chemo first to catch any other cancer spread/growth. This is also most likely why it wasn’t in my last mammogram and why when I found it the size was so shocking. 7. Genetic tests are still pending and will help guide us over the next year. 8. I will be closely monitored for the next 5-10 years. 9. My team is packed with rock star doctors and nurses! 10. Living near Mayo is a huge blessing and advantage! Love that so many have shared that they have taken the time to get their mammograms! Feel free to mute my posts if you are tired of my education outlook or feel free to share if it will help others! Now I’m going to sit back and enjoy my hair a bit while I still have it! #myjourney #breastcancerawareness #earlydetection

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