Diagnosed

During my routine annual exam, my OBGYN NP felt a lump in my right breast. She sent me for a mammogram (haven't had one yet, as they pushed the starting age back to 40) to take a look. There, they asked if I had time for an ultrasound (uhh, yes please), then she called for a doctor to come in (I've had enough ultrasounds that I know it's not normal for a doctor to come in), and he asked if I had time to have some biopsies done. One on the original lump and one on an auxiliary lymph node (again: yes please). I got news a few days later that the lump and lymph node were positive for breast cancer. I met with the breast surgeon who gave us the low down on the results. Estrogen Receptor - positive Progesterone Receptor - positive HER2 - negative (There's other stuff, but this was the important information) This particular combination fits into this special category of cancers - back to this later. Because it had already spread to the lymph node, she recommended we see the oncologist first before any surgeries, planning to fight systemically, then remove the tumor and lymph node. The oncologist started me on hormone therapy medication that day. The estrogen that my body produces is feeding the cancer, so he wanted to curb that right away. Because of other non-related issues, I already have a hysterectomy scheduled for January - now they'll plan to remove the estrogen producing ovaries as well. He had many more tests and scans he wanted to see before we made treatment decisions. So I've been X-RAYed, CAT scanned, MRIed, biopsied, genetic tested (waiting on results) and still have more scans scheduled. (Side note: all of these appointments are full of people telling me "you're so young" - it's lovely 😊) The one test that I'd been waiting for was the oncotype test. This is where my particular combination of positives and negatives plays in my favor. Cancers that are hormone receptor positive and HER2 negative can potentially be fought with hormone therapy alone. Using material from my original biopsy, they were able to test that particular cancer to see what the "benefit of chemo" is (in addition to hormone therapy). A score under 18 is "low benefit" a score of above 30 is "high benefit". My score came back at 20 - on the low side of the gray "decision area". I am being aggressive with body part removal (planning a double mastectomy & full hysterectomy) and studies show a very similar level of recurrence with or without chemo - so we're not planning on doing chemotherapy at this time (blue hair is here to stay!). My next steps are to meet with the radiologist and breast surgeon again. I am fine and I will be fine. The doctor told me that I was more likely to get hit by a satellite falling from the sky than for this cancer to kill me. So every time I see a shooting star, I jump a little. I feel fine, but I have Stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Yeehaw!