Tell Me More. I'm Intrigued.

Friday I met my oncologist, Dr. Park.

Dr. Park talks a lot, but I gather in this instance it's needed. Yet, it wasn't bad at all.

She was methodical and organized.

She paced her output of information very well.

I understood everything. I also recorded it so I can refer back to it because it was indeed a lot of information.

She started with my past, from childhood. No one wants to look back on their past challenges, but in this case, she needed to confirm all the information. "Fine doc, let's bring up my past."

Tonsillectomy.

Appendectomy.

Ankle fracture insert hardware.

Craniotomy.

Craniotomy.

Ankle issue, remove hardware.

Breast Lumpectomy.

After me it was onto the family. Then back to me. Current me.

We are inundated with prescription medicine commercials. I counted within an hour television program five ads for prescription drugs. More than any other consumer product or service.

I would see the commercials for medicines to treat metastatic breast cancer, with all the viral, beautiful women, but of course never knew what it was or what the metastatic in metastatic breast cancer meant.

Now I do.

Dr. Park went over my pathology results with a fine tooth comb, explaining everything in detail so carefully. What the numbers mean, what the letters means, and what it all means to me.

Even though I had my handy dandy phone sitting on a table next to me recording, I still never got lost. I listened intently and kept up with everything she was saying. After watching those commercials, I was now knowledgeable about the twins, HER2 positive and HER2 negative and how they matter to me. And that HR wasn't related to human resources.

Still all good news! My prognosis was great; the cancerous mass was removed, it was very small, the margins or tissue around the mass was clear and no spread to the lymph nodes area.

Hormone receptive positive and HER2 negative. It's the better prognostic of the cancers.

My margins were clear, however, there are some positive margins. These are in areas that cannot be removed through a lumpectomy but through a mastectomy. It doesn't mean that cancer is still in my body, it doesn't mean that there is growth potential, it means that it's a factor of relapse.

This is where the radiation treatment comes in, or in some stages, chemotherapy.

I was informed from the very beginning, due to the size and the early detection, I would require radiation treatments. That is still the plan, but I am in a holding pattern waiting on the final lab result, the Oncotype DX test.

The Oncotype DX tests helps doctors make decisions about treatments after surgery for early-stage, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

Genomic tests analyze a sample of a cancer tumor to see how active certain genes are. The activity level of these genes affects the behavior of the cancer, including how likely it is to grow and spread. Genomic tests are used to help determine the course of treatments after surgery.

Once I receive that back my radiology oncologist with advise, with detail, my course of radiation treatment. We haven't received the test back but I meet with her on Thursday 6/27.

Speaking of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Nice segue. Once of the many things I learned is that many breast cancers, true of the one I had, feed off of our hormones. After radiation treatment is complete I will begin hormone therapy to lessen my estrogen.

The radiation and hormone therapies are preventive measures to decrease the possibility of cancer returning.

I'm a person who loves to learn. I'm curious. Even though I had no desire to go into medicine, it fascinates me! Within the journey of the brain tumors, I absorbed all that I could. I was so engaged in each consult and image. Once in my neuro-ophthalmologist's office I was playing with a ceramic model of a brain, we sat and talked about the inside of the brain. He showed me where the tumors were on my brain and in my orbits area. I took it apart and then tried to put it back together, putting each intricate piece in it's place. It was so cool!

I feel the same way in this journey. I'm learning so much about breasts in general, the inside is fascinating! And learning what happens when there is an invader is even the more engrossing.

I'm captivated by the knowledge.