The pink journey...

First came the lumpectomy and it wasn't as bad as you might think. First let me explain. The breast cancer was closer to my chest wall and since I crossfit 5-7 days a week for about 6 years my body fat percentage is not too high which translates into not very large chest.  The scar was about 2 1/2 inches and within a few days looking alright.  Maybe the worst part was the removal of lymph nodes.  Dr. Wilkie took 9 lymph nodes to test and cutting those nerves in my arm pit made it feel numb and that continues to a little bit today and this surgery was back in November. No working out, nothing over head, nothing heavy, and rest were Doctor's orders.  The lymph nodes were sent off for Oncotype testing.  Waiting for the results would determine if there was to be chemo but radiation was a definite go.

Thanksgiving holiday leads into Christmas and still no test results.  I call and no one seems to be able to give a date for the test results to be in so let's go ahead and start radiation.  20 treatments over the month of January. The radiologist and the technicians are so nice and 10-15 minutes a day seems to go fast.  I will have to say I was still getting up at 4am to workout at 5:30 teaching my full day until 2:30 and then receiving radiation.  I will also tell you I was in bed around 4:30-5 each afternoon because I was tired.  Thank goodness Kaile and Carson were able to drive themselves to school, work, make dinners and help out around the house.  Tim went to every single appointment and treatment. We would talk all the way there, while we waited in the waiting room and all the way home.  He was my rock! Then as I was getting ready to meet with the radiation oncologist the nurse says yay we have your results today. What oh good-everyone has said all along don't worry your score should be below 26 you are so healthy, eat right and exercise. Dr. gives us the paper and right smack in the middle is 28. What does that mean? Chemo? for how long? chance of reoccurrence? would it make a difference? is the breast cancer going to come back? We are filled with questions and  when is someone going to tell me I don't have to go through chemotherapy.

I call my Breast Navigator to talk. She tells me there is a weekly meeting and all the doctors will meet and talk over the score to recommend should we or should we not. Time is standing still until this meeting.  Every doctor at the meeting recommends chemotherapy because they would have been happier with an Onkatype score of 16 because of my age-great 48 but if I were 50 then maybe no chemotherapy.

Recommendations are 4 treatments of 2 cocktails every 3 weeks. Yes all chemotherapy for breast cancer makes you lose your hair. What am I going to tell the kids at school? We had a teacher pass this year and I am not sure how I can do this at school. What about Kaile and Carson? Am I going to be sick all the time? Tim helps to calm me down and gets me to take one moment at a time. He reminds me I will get through this, like the surgery, the radiation, the Murph each year, and 12 weeks will go by in a flash. "1becomes 2, 2 becomes, 5 and before you know it you have 10 pull-ups." I replay it over and over in my mind.  Now I have to call my mom and dad and tell them our next step is chemotherapy.

Before chemotherapy a port must be put in and that ends up falling to the day before my first chemo treatment.  The first chemo treatment is long like 9-2:30 long but I feel alright.  The nurses are so helpful. I hear it is the shot the next day that will take it out of me. Make sure to take Claratin before and during the first few days to help.