The Diagnosis

Invasive ductal carcinoma, HER2+ (ER/PR negative)

The tumor was in my left breast and 6cm in size, which automatically categorized me as Stage 3. One lymph node biopsied positive for cancer from the date of diagnosis, and only one lymph node had to be removed during surgery. We assume these were one in the same.

Read the blog post when I announced my diagnosis.

Family History

My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 80. I've always been told that because of the age of her diagnosis, the disease wasn't considered genetic. 

My particular diagnosis is not considered genetic. 

I had genetic testing to confirm I don’t carry a gene mutation, and I do not. My genetic test included the full panel of cancer genes (including BRCA) and only one variance was identified.

Treatment Timeline

All treatment was (and continues to be) under the care of an incredible team at UNC Rex Healthcare.

April 10, 2018 Had port placed and kept it for the entirety of treatment.

April 12, 2018 Started six rounds of chemotherapy, which included Herceptin, Perjeta, Taxotere and Carboplatin. A standard treatment of care of HER2.

Fun fact: I started chemotherapy on my 10th wedding anniversary. Read how we kicked off chemo with a celebration

What’s chemo like? Read my first week post-chemo reflection here!

April 24, 2018 I buzzed my hair! Naturally, we brought our friends along for that experience, too - read how we did it here.

May 3, 2018 My second infusion of TCHP (shorthand for the HER2+ chemo cocktail).

May 24, 2018 My third infusion of TCHP. You’d think I’d be really excited to be halfway through chemo, but I found the halfway point to be mentally challenging. Read why it wasn’t a physical issue for me, but a mental obstacle.

June 14, 2018 My fourth infusion of TCHP.

July 5, 2018 My fifth infusion of TCHP, and the now-famous infusion where I met Claren Englebreth!

July 26, 2018 My FINAL infusion of Taxotere and Carboplatin! Woohoo!

August 23, 2018 I had my bilateral double mastectomy exactly four weeks after finishing chemotherapy. I opted for immediate reconstruction, which meant that I had tissue expanders placed in my chest during the surgery. Both my breast surgeon and plastic surgeon worked together for this surgery.

During surgery, we learned that I had a complete pathological response to chemotherapy, and I only needed one lymphnode removed. Read the full blog post on my pathology report!

September - October 2018 I went through the expansion process, where my plastic surgeon filled my tissue expanders to the approximate size that I wanted my future implants to be.

Read more about the recovery process here.

October - November 2018 Completed 28 rounds of radiation.

August 2018 - March 2019 Completed the remaining infusions (every three weeks) of the targeted therapies, Herceptin and Perjeta. This concluded “active treatment.”

March 2019 - present On a quarterly check-in routine with my oncologist.

Read my thoughts on my first year “No Evidence of Disease” anniversary!

December 26, 2019 I had my tissue expanders replaced with saline implants. Have you ever thought about picking out new boobs? I hadn’t, but here’s how I did it.

Medical Team

This list represents providers I’m currently using in my post-cancer self-care, as well as providers I used during treatment. If they are on this list, I highly recommend! I’m happy to answer any questions about them, so feel free to send an email to me.

Oncologist - Susan Moore

Oncologist PA - Marie Carr

Breast Surgeon - Rachel Jendro

Plastic Surgeon - Richard Carlino

Radiation Oncologist - Courtney Bui

Post-Mastectomy Physical Therapist - Jordan Bunn at BreakThrough PT

Acupuncture Team - Triangle Acupuncture Clinic

Massage Therapist - Dilworth Bodyworks and Tammie Pennington

Chiropractor - Triangle CRC and Crabtree Chiropractic

Dermatologist - Priyanka Vedak

Nutritionist - Katherine Andrew

How was it found?

I noticed an odd vein in my chest a couple of week before I found the mass. It was just a vein I had never seen before. I assumed maybe it was something from working out. I made a mental note of it and that was it.

On Sunday, March 25, after a hot yoga class, I noticed discoloration on my left breast. It was a blueish purple and slightly raised - kind of like it was a scar that was healing (although I had no reason to have a scar). Later, my doctor would tell me it appeared to be a hemangioma.

After noticing the discoloration, I did a self exam and immediately noticed the mass. It was dense and distinct. It wasn't on the right side.

Saw my OB Monday. He had me into a specialist Tuesday. I was diagnosed Wednesday.

Because my tumor is considered aggressive, it literally likely popped up in a short period of time.

Read this post to understand more of what it’s like to find a tumor.

FAQs

Why did you do chemo before surgery?

Because my cancer is "aggressive," there's a strong likelihood that rogue cancer cells are floating around looking for a place to land. By having chemo first, I'll kill those cells; thus, I'll have a lower likelihood of cancer spreading to other parts of the body.

Did the cancer spread to other parts of your body?

Miraculously, no. My bone scan was clear. (And there are a number of scans completed prior to the start of treatment.)

We had a scare with a 4 cm tumor on my liver, but praise God, it's a focal nodular hyperplasia.

How do you do a breast self exam?

Here are easy ways to make sure you're checking yourself often for changes.

Who helped you throughout this process?

We are so fortunate that we had community near and far to cheer us along both during and after active treatment. I still can’t get over how much help we had!

My husband, Carl, was my primary caretaker. Read his post on what it was like to hear that I had cancer.

My friend has cancer - what’s the best way to help her?

There are SO MANY ways to help someone who has been diagnosed with cancer - regardless of the type of cancer. Each type of treatment comes with its own challenges, and each person responds differently to treatments.

I created my own list here that you can use as a starting point in helping your friend.