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. :)
I'll shave my head with y'all too :-)
ReplyDeleteA friend & breat cancer survivor asked me to relay to you that the natural hair wigs are cooler, more comfortable, and covered by insurance. It is best to get the wig while you still have hair so they can match the color and style you prefer.
Love you!