The Adventure Begins.....

Hi there family, friends and animals,

I am a breast cancer survivor as of July 7, 2007. This blog is to keep those dear to me informed of my journey. I will be pestering all the women out there to follow breast cancer screening recommendations, so you are forewarned!

I am thankful for my Lord for loving me and creating good out of the bad. And He always does, even if we don't realize it!

This journey started in April of 2007. I went for a routine mammogram. My gynecologist's office called to tell me that there was no sign of cancer, just something like a skin fold or crease in my right breast. It was deemed as a "technical issue." I was advised to have it redone. I had the follow-up scheduled for May. I changed that appointment because something came up and it was just a technical issue, right? So, my next appt. was in June. To my surprise this was not just a technical issue. After the mammogram came an ultrasound then a little chat with the radiologist. It was then I was told that the "lesion" would likely result in a biopsy. WOW! Wasn't expecting that! He suggested a MRI first. So, I did the MRI and didn't freak out from claustrophobia, thank God. I was then called to go back in for another mammogram and ultrasound, it was needed to reassess the original findings. I met a great radiologist who said she suspected cancer. GREAT. I had a core needle biopsy the next day and found out not too many days after that (although it felt like an eternity), that I had invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) in my right breast. My radiologist then referred me to a surgeon who specializes in breast surgery and an oncologist who is a breast cancer specialist. I met my wonderful surgeon and was scheduled for a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy on July 26th. First I had a MRI on my left breast, which was normal, yay. The surgery went well and we thought the lymph nodes were clear. Well, it turns out there was 1 positive node, which by the way, wasn't one of the sentinel nodes. This finding solidified the need for chemotherapy, followed by radiation. I have to admit, the positive lymph node put a damper on things. But, I'm moving forward. I had a port inserted on August 14th in my left arm for chemo. I start that adventure August 21st. Eight rounds over 6 months, once every 3 weeks. Oh, joy. I'm being treated by the Cancer Institute of Florida in Orlando and so far I have been very impressed with my medical team; they are top-notch. And if you know me well, you know my attitude toward doctors, surgeons, etc., based on some not so good experiences with family. So my good feelings about my team says A LOT. I'm going to have genetic testing in order to determine how relevant breast cancer is for the rest of my family. I won't go into the technical aspects of all this here, but more info can be found at www.myriadtests.com.

I am very thankful this is considered an early breast cancer. Not as early as I would like, but no one asked me what kind of cancer I would prefer. Go figure. I am totally trusting God to walk beside me through this and He has also blessed me with an awesome family and a terrific group of friends. I want to thank all of you for your incredible support and prayers. Amen!