Questions?

Hi, I get a lot of the same questions. That tells me I have some things to share. Maybe I have and they were missed, or maybe I thought I did and it was really just a dream. I pick the latter of the two.

What is the treatment schedule?
I will get 4 doses of chemo, one every other week. I start Nov 20 and end Jan 2.
Then, if things go well, lumpectomy. A surgery that will remove the tumor.
Followed by 6 weeks, 33 sessions 5 days a week, of radiation. Sessions are about 7 min each and I can walk my dog, the nurses have a greed to watch her while I am in getting my rays on. Its the new tanning!
If chemo does not shrink the tumor and eliminate it's two ugly step sisters, I might have more chemo, but it will most likely result in a mastectomy. No radiation is needed for a mastectomy.
Lymph nodes will be checked when I have surgery. Since the chemo will hit them too, if cancer is there, the need to go in and check seems redundant.
Then, hormone replacement for 5 years. Just a regular ol pill popper.

How did you find it?
I found it while participating in topless tooth brushing. I hate toothpaste on my clothes, even pj's. So I wake up, hit the head, (Sailor talk to use the restroom), hop on the scale, and brush my teeth on the way to the shower. (Aren't you all so happy you know exactly how I wake up now?) So while brushing away, I saw what appeared to be a bruise. I think, wow, I should have noticed that in such a sensitive area. I feel it. Well, it's a knot. Man, I really knocked that. hmmm... no incidents come to mind. It feels like a knot in my back from tension or something. I have no idea breast anatomy education at all, so I go on with my day. It doesn't take me long to realize there is no bruise and that what I thought was a bruise was really a shadow from the lump. I do checks every month and was floored that I have something so big in my breast with no notice. Last month nothing, this month clearly some thing large has crawled up in there and hatched or something.
I let it go 3 months. Gasp! It's ok, I am a pretty lumpy gal and have had more than a few scares before. Doc and I agreed to wait this long and if nothing changes with the lump, I go in. This time she didn't say cyst. Then she made me go a week with no under wire! OMG!!! I think that might have been the worst part. I sent and bought a ton of the cutest sports bras in the world and sported a tube boob for what felt like and eternity, it was really only a week.
Then I went for a mammogram and sonogram. It is important to do both. My mammogram only showed density, no tumor, no cancer, very little calcium-and indicator, and not much else. The sonogram however, showed my little rice size tumor. Of course the tech and sup doc both sat there and said, what is that, I don;t know, have you ever seen that before, no- but get a picture, save it and measure it. OMG!!! Hello! I am in the room!!!! Then the doc pats my leg and says son;t lose any sleep over it. I say no worries, I won't. I had already decided whatever it was has been there for a while and I was ok last week. If it's cancer, my worries and fears will feed it. I had to stay positive and knew it would make a difference if all my fears were put in someones hands. Then the doctor said Oh you will, you will. The blood in my body went somewhere else and his comment chilled my bones. What a jerk! It rocked me, but a little retail therapy and a lot of verses later, I was back.
Then I met my favorite doctor of all time! My surgeon. He talked to me about the findings and made no promises that it was or wasn't cancer. He did give me my stats and said he would rush the pathology report and leave the littlest scar possible to do the biopsy. He was kind and honest with me about everything. So, he did the biopsy. He numbed me up, turned me on my side to avoid puncturing my lung, thanks doc, and pierced my left girl 2 times. On the third I felt pain. Pain like no other! My whole chest was on fire but not hot. I started crying. First the pain, then the fact that it didn't numb up, I knew those cells were different. He offered to stop, I said no way, get a good sample. I will never let someone do this again, so get it all now. So he finishes the 5 passes, 4 was no pain, but 5 hit it again. My mind is sure of it, I came home and started this blog, read my Bible and started cleaning for company. I didn't want to buy books or anything because I didn't want to jinx myself. On the 23rd Dr D looked me in the eye and said it's cancer. I said ok, what do we do first. He said You kind of knew didn't you. I say, It didn't numb up. He said that kind of tipped him off as well.
So I've eaten ice cream every night since.

You might not loose your hair, why did you dye it, cut it, and buy a wig?
I will lose my hair. I know many of you have a friend or family member that didn't. Different cancers need different drugs and those different drugs have different side effects. The drugs that I will be taking will make my hair fall out. I plan on staying in my favorite place, in complete control, and will shave my head. Maybe even before chemo, for the ultimate control. Now that I have my wig, I might just shave it today.

Is there anything I can do?
Yes! Pray for me, with me or without me by your side. Support my friends and family. They are doing so much and need all the help they can get. I am not a good patient. I try, but I just can't stay still. I think I did a little too much walking this morning, so I now I am writing the worlds longest blog. hmmm.... Ok, also, I can't donate blood, so someone needs to do that, fill my spot kind of, and maybe volunteer at my fav places; YMCA, Family Services, and SRL- Chamber of Commerce.

Are you excited to take time off?
No. Sorry, I know many of you would love for me to sit home and eat bon bons while I get chemo, however, work is very important to me. I don't want any child to think that you have to stop living when you get sick, it keep my mind alive and busy, and most importantly how depressing would it be to stay home all winter! So, the Y, being the great place that it is, has agreed to make my office a germ free zone. It pretty much is right now, I work in the house next door to the main building and very few children are ever there. Just about 6 staff work over there and as long as my blood counts are good I will be there. I will be taking days off here and there right after chemo and on days I don't feel good. But I have chemo every other week and hope to only miss a few days.

I want to answer these too, but will have to come back, body says relax and take a nap, so that's what I am going to do. :)

What kind of cancer is it?
Does it run in your family?
Are you scared?