In the beginning........

This has not been the summer I envisioned 3 months ago!  As a teacher, I had so much I planned to do.  This was the summer before my first year as a tenured teacher and I had so many programs I was hoping to plan and implement for next year.  First things first, though, and as summer began, I made all those appointments I had put off:  dentist, dogs to the vet, and a mammogram.  Summer quickly derailed.

After my mammogram, I was called back for follow-up regarding something of concern.  At this point, I was still not worried.  I had more than one friend who had the same sort of call back and everything was normal.  In fact, I was a bit suspicious of the clinic and their desire to get all they could from insurance.  I even talked to my doctor to confirm it was needed.  He agreed.

I first got truly worried not at the mammogram, but when they rushed me into another room for an ultrasound.  As I lay on the table thinking back to my last ultrasound, when I was pregnant with my now seventeen-year-old, I began to cry.  I wasn't worried for me, but for what this would mean for her.  

Many biopsies, MRIs and doctor consultations later the verdict is:  Invasive ductal carcinoma.   Words no woman wants to hear.  I HAVE CANCER.  The tumor is about 2 cm, and is estrogen positive and HER2 positive.  Those factors combine to make this an aggressive form of cancer.  Here is what completely derailed my summer:

The solid white spot in the middle is a tag that was inserted during the first biopsy.  The white mass around it is the tumor.  The white veins are normal and, for the most part, not of concern.  The good news, tests all confirm the cancer doesn't appear to have spread to the lymph nodes or any other system.  I am pre-operative Stage 2.

Fast forward, school starts tomorrow.  None of those amazing plans were completed.  Instead I retooled for a different sort of year altogether.  I have started 20 weeks of chemotherapy.  I go every Wednesday and will continue to do so until November.  In November, I will switch to a different chemo drug and only go every other week.  I won't be finished until just after Christmas.  This requires a substitute teacher every week.  This is now how I spent my summer.....preparing.  I am even prepared to lose my hair.

Because there are so many people in my life that are interested in my progress, I decided to start a blog to keep everyone updated.  This way, I don't need to try to remember to whom I have told what.  I will try to post each week during my chemo treatment, or the day immediately following.