January 21, 2013 - Just got a call from MD Anderson. They have been in communication with my fertility doctor. They have decided to move my surgery to February 14, 2013 so that I could complete the process of freezing my eggs. If I didn't already hate Valentines Day, I guess I would have a reason to now. LOL!
Sorry there haven't been any updates, but I have been exhausted with this whole fertility thing. Kinda think I may be anemic because I have had so much blood taken. I will try to update tonight or tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
FINALLY some good FREAKIN' news!!!!!
January 18, 2013 - Got a phone call around 10:30 AM only to have Jessica from MD Anderson quickly say "Amber, I have great news. You tested negative for the BRCA 1 & 2 gene" I almost cried!!!!! That means I get to keep my ovaries and DO NOT have to have a double mastectomy. That also means my sister's risk is lower for developing breast cancer. Now I just need to decide on having only a lumpectomy or a mastectomy on the right side. I want to be safe and positive this will be gone and I will never have to worry about this coming back and have the mastectomy, but I will talk to my surgeon on her opinion now that we have all the pieces of the puzzle.
Also today I met with the fertility doctor. After lots of blood work and an ultrasound we (really meaning the doctor) decided on a regiment on how to prep my eggs. Kinda sucks; I have to (or should I say Zac has to) give me two shots a day in the belly for the next 3 days. I go back on Monday and we repeat blood work and ultrasound and will decide on my dosage for the next 3 days, and so forth. We (the doctor) are hoping to remove the eggs on the 30th give or take a couple of days. My fertility doctor and all my doctors at MDA are on the same page and in communication with my treatment. Sooooo - my surgery maybe bumped up a week. I was told to keep an eye on my MDA website to see the updates. I will keep everyone posted (for those who are traveling and/or taking off work) as soon as I hear something.
Zac and I had a very eventful day so we decided to stay home and have a movie/wine/video game/iPad game night. We have friends coming in from out of town this weekend and will be celebrating two birthday tomorrow.
Remember, check your breast and have a great weekend!
Also today I met with the fertility doctor. After lots of blood work and an ultrasound we (really meaning the doctor) decided on a regiment on how to prep my eggs. Kinda sucks; I have to (or should I say Zac has to) give me two shots a day in the belly for the next 3 days. I go back on Monday and we repeat blood work and ultrasound and will decide on my dosage for the next 3 days, and so forth. We (the doctor) are hoping to remove the eggs on the 30th give or take a couple of days. My fertility doctor and all my doctors at MDA are on the same page and in communication with my treatment. Sooooo - my surgery maybe bumped up a week. I was told to keep an eye on my MDA website to see the updates. I will keep everyone posted (for those who are traveling and/or taking off work) as soon as I hear something.
Zac and I had a very eventful day so we decided to stay home and have a movie/wine/video game/iPad game night. We have friends coming in from out of town this weekend and will be celebrating two birthday tomorrow.
Remember, check your breast and have a great weekend!
"Do you understand..."
"....the words comin' outa my mouth" (Chris Tucker voice)
January 17, 2013 - went to see the Medical Oncologist today. Pretty much the meeting was to make sure I understood everything that was going on.
Update - I tested positive for estrogen, progesterone, and Her2+ and my tumor is a Grade 3 (meaning it's medium aggressive). 65% of my estrogen is feeding the cancer. So with that being said, I will be on tamoxifen for 5 years. In which during that time I will not be able to become pregnant. I will be on herceptin for 1 year due to the Her2+ and some sort of chemotherapy for 5 - 6 months. (We are still waiting on the genetics test)
What is herceptin???? According to herceptin.com, "Herceptin is approved for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer that is Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2-positive (HER2+) and has spread into the lymph nodes, or is HER2+ and has not spread into the lymph nodes. If it has not spread into the lymph nodes, the cancer needs to be estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR)-negative or have one high risk feature.*
Herceptin can be used in several different ways:
January 17, 2013 - went to see the Medical Oncologist today. Pretty much the meeting was to make sure I understood everything that was going on.
Update - I tested positive for estrogen, progesterone, and Her2+ and my tumor is a Grade 3 (meaning it's medium aggressive). 65% of my estrogen is feeding the cancer. So with that being said, I will be on tamoxifen for 5 years. In which during that time I will not be able to become pregnant. I will be on herceptin for 1 year due to the Her2+ and some sort of chemotherapy for 5 - 6 months. (We are still waiting on the genetics test)
What is herceptin???? According to herceptin.com, "Herceptin is approved for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer that is Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2-positive (HER2+) and has spread into the lymph nodes, or is HER2+ and has not spread into the lymph nodes. If it has not spread into the lymph nodes, the cancer needs to be estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR)-negative or have one high risk feature.*
Herceptin can be used in several different ways:
- As part of a treatment course including the chemotherapy drugs Adriamycin® (doxorubicin), Cytoxan® (cyclophosphamide), and either Taxol® (paclitaxel) or Taxotere® (docetaxel). This treatment course is known as "AC→TH"
- With the chemotherapy drugs Taxotere and Paraplatin® (carboplatin). This treatment course is known as "TCH"
- Alone after treatment with multiple other therapies, including an anthracycline (Adriamycin)-based therapy (a type of chemotherapy) *High risk is defined as ER/PR-positive with one of the following features: tumor size >2 cm, age <35 years, or tumor grade 2 or 3.
I was told I needed to contact a fertility doctor as soon as possible in order to preserve my eggs and the Medical Oncologist would be willing to put off treatment for a couple of weeks for me to do that.
Now the tough part...With the drug combination I will be on, I WILL lose my hair. I've decided to cut it short and when I start treatments me, Zac, and his brother are going to buzz our heads. LOL! I think it will be less horrifying for me to shave then to brush and it fall out on its own. I hope I don't have a misshaped head!!!! I'm going to buy funky wigs and scarfs, but I'm sure I will start to feel confident with my new look and embrace it. On the bright side, I will save money on hair products and razors. :)
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Bad day :(
January 15, 2013 - Didn't have a great day today. Going to have surgery on February 5, 2013 (as of right now) & I think everything is starting to sink in. Talked to the nurse this afternoon & she said that I need to get with a fertility specialist ASAP. I really want to have kids, but I know I can't risk my own health. I will meet with the Medical Onocologist this Thursday and we are going to discuss treatment options. I hope they can give me some light at the end of the tunnel. I guess since I've known that I had cancer I've had more good days than bad. :) I will continue to keep my spirits up. Night all!
Friday, January 11, 2013
A small favor to ask...
January 11, 2013 - I have a small favor to ask everyone reading the blog. I'm curious to see who is reading the blog (if anyone) and would love it if you would sign up as a member. I hope that each of you are becoming more aware of breast cancer and hope you have a smile on your face while reading the blog. I know I'm smiling while writing it!
As of today my next appointment is not until January 22, 2013, but that can change quickly. I will still continue to post facts & statistics but also about the different case studies I have become a part of for breast cancer research. So until then, have a great weekend. Remember men get breat cancer too so everyone should do self examinations. Have you checked your breast today?
As of today my next appointment is not until January 22, 2013, but that can change quickly. I will still continue to post facts & statistics but also about the different case studies I have become a part of for breast cancer research. So until then, have a great weekend. Remember men get breat cancer too so everyone should do self examinations. Have you checked your breast today?
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Soooooo I'm Not crazy
So I had only one appointment today & that was with the Psychiatric Oncologist. My surgeon set it because of my history of anxiety & wanted me to see someone to get medication. I don't think I need it but she feels the closer I get to surgery time there is a possibility I will start having panic attacks.
Pretty sure the doctor didn't know what to expect with a 35 year old with cancer & how my mind set would be. Of course, all we did was laugh through the entire session. As we talked she got off subject a bit and started to ask me off the wall questions like, Can you tell me what your closet looks like? I said that it was not too messy & she said no like is it organized. Um yea it is!! It's color coordinated and everything. She then asked if I liked to vacuum a lot or feel like I need to always need to vacuum. (Knowing where she was going with these types of questions) I said No but I sure do love Chlorox Wipes & proceeded to tell her how much I wipe the counters down in the kitchen. She said you are aware you have a lot of OCD tendencies. With pride & a big smile I said YEP! Of course the next question was what do you do for a living. My response was I'm sure you know the answer to that but I'm an accountant. For some reason she didn't seem surprised & I walked out the door with two prescriptions. LOL! I did ask if she thought I was crazy & she said no, but I bet that's what they tell all the patients. ;)
To quote the movie Dumber & Dumber "Pills are good!"
I will end tonight with laughter and save some fact & stats for another night.
Good night & I love you all!
Pretty sure the doctor didn't know what to expect with a 35 year old with cancer & how my mind set would be. Of course, all we did was laugh through the entire session. As we talked she got off subject a bit and started to ask me off the wall questions like, Can you tell me what your closet looks like? I said that it was not too messy & she said no like is it organized. Um yea it is!! It's color coordinated and everything. She then asked if I liked to vacuum a lot or feel like I need to always need to vacuum. (Knowing where she was going with these types of questions) I said No but I sure do love Chlorox Wipes & proceeded to tell her how much I wipe the counters down in the kitchen. She said you are aware you have a lot of OCD tendencies. With pride & a big smile I said YEP! Of course the next question was what do you do for a living. My response was I'm sure you know the answer to that but I'm an accountant. For some reason she didn't seem surprised & I walked out the door with two prescriptions. LOL! I did ask if she thought I was crazy & she said no, but I bet that's what they tell all the patients. ;)
To quote the movie Dumber & Dumber "Pills are good!"
I will end tonight with laughter and save some fact & stats for another night.
Good night & I love you all!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Let's talk genetics
January 8, 2013 - my mommy's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom!
Zac and I went and met with the genetics doctor. We discussed my family history and cancer in the family. I found out over the weekend that my Maw-Maw Guilbeaux had two sister diagnosed with breast cancer. According to the doctor the BRCA 1 & BRCA 2 gene is in our body (men and women) is there as a defense against breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Oddly, it is carried through the male side of the family, which is weird considering they don't have ovaries and not as much breast tissue as a woman.
But when this gene is tested they are looking for different variations/mutations in the gene. If there is a "code" problem, then you are tested positive for the "breast cancer" gene. Considering the breast cancer is on my Maw-Maw's side they felt like my chances of testing positive were around 5 - 10% If it was on Paw-Paw's side, then I would more than likely test positive.
If tested positive, your chances of developing breast cancer in the other breast is 60%. Normally breast cancer won't move to the remaining breast if you are tested negative. Also, a normal woman has a 1 - 2% chance of developing ovarian cancer. If tested positive for the BRCA 1 & BRCA 2 gene their chances to increase to 40%.
According to the genetics doctor, there is not a great test for discovering ovarian cancer and that is why they usually remove the ovaries. They will wait to remove them when a woman has reached 35 and has already had children or wait until she has children, if over 35. Again, if I test negative that is great, but again it is the chemotherapy that will hinder me having children unless I freeze my eggs.
To test for this gene is just a simple blood test. After meeting with the genetics doctor I went and had my blood drawn. We should get the results in about 3 weeks. I hope this was informative and I hope I interpreted this correctly. We will keep you updated on the next appointment. I love you all and appreciate your support and prayers! You guys are the best!!!
Zac and I went and met with the genetics doctor. We discussed my family history and cancer in the family. I found out over the weekend that my Maw-Maw Guilbeaux had two sister diagnosed with breast cancer. According to the doctor the BRCA 1 & BRCA 2 gene is in our body (men and women) is there as a defense against breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Oddly, it is carried through the male side of the family, which is weird considering they don't have ovaries and not as much breast tissue as a woman.
But when this gene is tested they are looking for different variations/mutations in the gene. If there is a "code" problem, then you are tested positive for the "breast cancer" gene. Considering the breast cancer is on my Maw-Maw's side they felt like my chances of testing positive were around 5 - 10% If it was on Paw-Paw's side, then I would more than likely test positive.
If tested positive, your chances of developing breast cancer in the other breast is 60%. Normally breast cancer won't move to the remaining breast if you are tested negative. Also, a normal woman has a 1 - 2% chance of developing ovarian cancer. If tested positive for the BRCA 1 & BRCA 2 gene their chances to increase to 40%.
According to the genetics doctor, there is not a great test for discovering ovarian cancer and that is why they usually remove the ovaries. They will wait to remove them when a woman has reached 35 and has already had children or wait until she has children, if over 35. Again, if I test negative that is great, but again it is the chemotherapy that will hinder me having children unless I freeze my eggs.
To test for this gene is just a simple blood test. After meeting with the genetics doctor I went and had my blood drawn. We should get the results in about 3 weeks. I hope this was informative and I hope I interpreted this correctly. We will keep you updated on the next appointment. I love you all and appreciate your support and prayers! You guys are the best!!!
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