2012 Begins

2012 began with a big bang! It all started with a routine annual exam and it unraveled from there.

On 12/20/11 I went in for my routine annual exam and my doctor felt a lump on my breast, but didn't seem too concerned about it. She said let's get some imaging of it just in case.

We went on our Christmas Vacation to Disney World and had a blast....except for the road trip!

Upon returning I had to go have my first ever Mammogram on 1/5/12...as I am only 32 years old I was hoping to put that off another 8 years. After the Radiologist reviewed my x-ray's they decided to do a sonogram to see if they could tell more of what the lump was. After further reviewing she decided to have me schedule a biopsy...again just in case because she couldn't tell exactly what it was from the x-ray or the sonogram.

The following week on 1/12/12 I went in to have a biopsy done. This procedure was really weird as I was on the table with one person doing a sonogram as the other was putting a needle in my breast to take a piece of it to test it. The radiologist got what she needed and said that the pathologist should have the results back by Friday or Monday.

As I was driving home from picking up Amaya from school on Friday 1/13/12, my phone rang and it was the Radiologist who had just done my biopsy the day before. I immediately became nervous and anxious to hear my results. As I was pulling into my garage she gave me the news, unfortunately this was cancerous. I have Amaya pulling at me to give her the keys and I have this doctor on the phone giving me all of this information that I needed to write down. I gave Amaya the keys to go in the house and I just stayed in my car talking. She gave me the name to a surgeon, oncologist, and reconstructive surgeon. Most important she told me what this dreaded lump was called...Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. She explained that is the most common form of breast cancer and that it is very treatable. I was in complete shock, this Dr. is telling me that I have breast cancer over the phone while I am sitting in my garage. I was told my next step is to have an MRI and then call the surgeon. Our conversation lasted maybe 30 mintues and I don't think that I could even tell you all of the information she gave me in that short period of time. Now what am I supposed to do? I immediately called Ruben and blurted out the news to him while balling my eyes out...still in the garage in the care with Amaya in the house. He headed straight home. I then called my mom and had to tell her, but my dad answered and so I told him first who then put my mom on the phone. She couldn't contain herself either. We were just both blubbering messes trying to hold a conversation.

I am on my journey to fighting this horrible thing called breast cancer!
My first step was to get an MRI done. I had my MRI scheduled for 1/19/12 a whole week after finding out the news and it was killing me not knowing anything as I was not scheduled to meet the surgeon until the following Tuesday. I ended up meeting with the surgeon on 1/18/12 to get more information before doing my MRI. She gave us options on chemo and surgery. Many things to have to think about. Do I want a masectomy or a lumpectomy? Will we do chemo first to shrink the tumor or after surgery? She also said I need to have a bone scan and a CT scan before meeting the Oncologist. My bone scan was done on 1/26 and my CT scan was done on 1/27. After many prayers all of my scans came back showing no signs of the cancer spreading to other parts of my body!

I met with the Oncologist on 2/2 to find out what the next step was. The surgeon thought it would be best to meet with the Oncologist and start chemo right away rather than waiting until after surgery. The Oncologist explained that I have stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. I am in stage 2 since my tumor is more than 2mm as it is measuring 2.8mm and that my cancer is very aggressive. He wanted to get started right away. I have to have one more scan called a PET scan to check again whether or not this tumor has spread anwhere else in my body. I am doing this today 2/8. Please pray that this stays put and hasn't traveled anywhere in this month span. Next step is a port/biopsy. I will be participating in a study of a new chemo drug which requires another biopsy to get started. After that I will begin chemo....Taxol once a week for twelve weeks with a possiblity of receiving the test drug MM-121 for two of those weeks and then a mixture of two drugs they call AC once every two weeks 4 times. After adding all of that up it is 5 months of chemotherapy.

The hardest part so far has been telling my girls. Amaya really doesn't understand and hasn't asked many questions except can we get a pink wig. Karina on the other hand keeps to herself and is scared to ask me anything. My family is fighting with me and I love every one of them!

The picture in this post was taken on 2/4 as I wanted a family picture to cherish while I had hair and before this disease takes its tole on my body. I am ready to fight this disease and win! With God's help I will be this before-cancer person again and then be a Breast Cancer Survivor!

My Journey to be continued.....