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Hi all. November I decided to have a cyst removed from my left breast which had been there for a few "years". No mammos ever picked it up, even up to 3 years ago, but I knew it was there. Always told, "reduce coffee/ chocolate intake". But, during the past year, it was getting larger...so, one day in November, I said "I want this thing out!"
Went to my gyno, he took a sonogram, saw cyst AND another small mass. Went to the surgeon, he did a lumpectomy, bread-loafed mass and cyst, came back cancerous. No surrounding tissue though, thank goodness! Level 7 out of 9 aggressiveness. All scans PET, bone, MRI came back negative. Went for sentinol node check....took out 17 lymph nodes...all positive, cancer still left in (wrapped around my nerve endings). Doc said if he removed them I would have no use of my left hand or arm. So, we're treating cancer as very aggressive. Both tumors were 2.5 and 3.0 cm. Since the cancer is still there, stage 4 level 7. I'm starting a 90 minute initial dose of herceptin tomorrow the 14th. Every week thereafter, Herceptin, Taxol and Carbo for the next 6 months, once a week, 3 hours. Fish test came back HER-2 positive. Have 4 sons, littlest 7 years old, feel as healthy as an ox, and am very scared.
I work full time, plan on going to a 4 day work week. Was working midnight shift, just offered day shift (taking it!!!!) so I can get a full nights sleep. What should I expect to happen? When will I lose my hair? Have 2 wigs, cut my hair, removed my silk-wrapped nails (am very vain!) I know I have to let go of all of this to get better. Could use some support.
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