Introduction

What happens when your 30 years old and your diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (the most common form of breast cancer)? Well, you blog about it. Overwhelmed by the amazing outpouring of love and support the easiest way for me to keep you all in the loop (and for you too keep yourselves as informed or uniformed as you like) was to just put it all out there on the internet for the world to see.

THE STORY
I had not purchased a new sports bra in 12 years and had continued to use the free ones I got in college. For me and my barely size As, a sports bra is merely a social convention. Anyways, I purchased some compression sports bras and after two weeks of wearing them noticed they were uncomfortable on the right size. After waiting through two periods to ensure that the growing mass was not a cyst (as I had hoped) I finally got up enough courage to go to the doctor. She sent me for a mammogram and an ultra sound. The mammogram showed nothing (dense young tissue), but the ultra sound showed a definite mass. And here is where all the fun begins.

ULTRA SOUND
So, there I was laying shirtless on a table with my arm over my head and the ultra sound technician says she needs to get the radiologist. The radiologist is on coffee break, but returns the page and comes in. They take some ultra sound pictures and the radiologist informs me that I need a biopsy. She informs me that my tissue is very dense, I crack a joke about of course their dense have you seen the size of them? The radiologist was not amused.  From the ultra sound they send me up to see the Nurse Practitioner, who is beyond lovely. She tells me that this is most likely a fibroadenoma (benign mass), but the biopsy will tell us for sure. However, I am reading the sign in her office and I am not overly optimistic.

Signs of breast cancer:
Can you feel the mass? Check
Has the mass changed the shape of your breast? Check
Does the mass hurt? Check
Is the area hot to the touch? No! (Yay, maybe it is benign)

5 DAYS LATER (AND A WHOLE LOT OF WEIRD ASS DREAMS) THE BIOPSY
So, back on the table shirtless. Biopsy starts off with a win. Left breast is mass free and doesn't need to be biopsied, things are looking up. Next up, the right. After confirming my name and DOB 6 or 7 times 4 samples are extracted. They look harmless floating in the jar (those bastards). They give me a water and an ice pack and its squishy time again! When they take the biopsy samples they place a small piece of metal to mark the spot and they need to check it is in the right place. Well a whole lot of squishing, but the marker is not visible. Finally, the radiologist (a new one with a sense of humor this time) says its ok I can go home.

WAITING PART I
I head back to my parents house and after a night full of ice packs and sleeping through the East Coast airing of the Olympics, I watch the PST showing. Not really sore the next day and Mom and I decided to check out the NH outlets to try to distract ourselves. Trying on clothes the day after the biopsy, maybe not the best plan. However, we are successfully distracted until 1:30 pm.

3:30 PM 8/8/12. THE PHONE CALL
Phone rings (well in my case rocks out). Both mom and I are thinking same thing. Yes! Early phone call, fibroadenoma here we come. Hello Nice Nurse Practitioner how are you today. I'm sorry what did you just say to me. It's breast cancer. I am sure she explained lots of other things to me after that, I know I just asked her to call me when they new if it was estrogen sensitive or not, but I don't think stunned starts to describe it. Through tears I said to my mother "F*ck vegetables, I'm eating nothin' but hot fudge sundaes from here on out". I lied, I had spinach with dinner. I cursed it out and ate it bitterly. But, I did have a snickers bar with dinner.

MEETING OF THE MINDS/THERE IS A PLAN!
Another 5 days later (and millions of phone calls/e-mails with a lot of really really supportive people!) was the meeting with the genetic counselor, medical oncologist, surgeon and radiation oncologist. To say things got off to a rocky start would be an understatement. I had a minor meltdown in the genetic counselors office because she (in my opinion) was taking way to long to get to the point and was simplifying the process a little too much. Lady I have a masters degree, I know you did not just explain what a chromosome was. But, there was agreement that given my age BRCA analysis should be done. Fine. Step one done. Next up the plan. The Nurse Practitioner sensing my full on meltdown mode, sends me and my parents to eat lunch. Then its plan time. First good news of the day, because the cancer is estrogen sensitive at this point I don't need to have chemotherapy unless the lymph nodes say I do. I will just need hormone therapy for the next 5 years and will have hot flashes. Fine I will save money on heat, love it. Next up the surgeon. More good news. I can probably get away with a simple lumpectomy. Yay for keeping body parts! If my lymph nodes cooperate then it will be a more simple surgery and I'll only miss 3 days of work. If the lymph nodes are cancer free then it is on to radiation for 7 weeks. The radiation oncologist looks at my fair skin and basically prepares me to be burned. More good news they make a cream for that and she recommends I start using it now. It's called Jean's cream.

TOM PETTY WAS RIGHT:

Up next MRI and meeting with the surgeon. Looking forward to getting the ball rolling on treatment because frankly I am tired of singing Tom Petty on endless loop in my head. My energy level is good, sense of humor is fully intact and I started back running this week. Thanks for all the support, and I'll post again by the end of the week.