So...Cancer. Now What?




Wanted to start this blog off on a positive note- my doctor said that I'm doing so well, that he's moved my treatment up by an entire month. What does that mean? It means I've got 4 more treatments left, over the next 8 weeks. If things continue to go well, I will then have one month for bone marrow recovery and then my surgery.

My next 4 treatments will be interesting because I'm starting a new medication - taxol. From what I'm told, I shouldn't feel as nauseous, but I will be exceedingly sore. The best way to describe the soreness is, when you have a high fever and your skin crawls if someone so much as touches you. These days are rough for me, because holding my son becomes difficult. Crossing my fingers that these symptoms will be short lived!

Many of you don't know this, but when I was first diagnosed, my doctors were really searching for a reason why. Why would a 28 year old, healthy person get breast cancer? Because of this we opted to do some genetic testing to test for genetic mutations. This is when I found out that I carry what's called a BRCA 1 Genetic Mutation. At this time we are unsure whether it came from my Mom or Dad's side, although my surgeon is confident it came from my Dad's.

Because I have a genetic mutation, BRCA 1 in particular, I have an extremely large chance of breast cancer returning. This is the reason we have chosen to do a bilateral mastectomy. Both of my boobs with be GONEZO! This will greatly reduce my risk of ever getting breast cancer again, yay! Bring it on. I will get reconstructive surgery at the same time, and guess what? My hoo-has are gonna look better than when I started this thing.

Another implication of BRCA 1 is I also have a higher chance of getting ovarian cancer. Along with that, comes a higher chance of pancreatic cancer, colon and uterine cancer. Because of these chances, it has been suggested to me that I don't carry anymore children - this has been a tough pill to swallow, considering I just started my family! This will be a conversation and decision between myself, my husband, and our amazing team of doctors. I could be looking at a complete hysterectomy very, very soon.

Now, I know all of that sounds super daunting. But you know what? I've got an amazing support system. My family, plus an amazing team of doctors, including my awesome neurosurgeon brother-in-law, who are consistently making the right decisions to further my care. No matter what, I will get through this. Now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel-- Paige will be good as new by early April, and I'm SO GRATEFUL.

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 1, 2016 at 5:57 PM

    Love this and love you! You are such an inspiration. Your courage and attitude never cease to amaze me :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownDecember 1, 2016 at 7:59 PM

    Paige you don't know me but your Mom and I went to school in Shenandoah, good friends. I want you to know I pray for you, your family and your Mom. You are a fighter, I can tell. Continue with the positive attitude, I know you are going to BEAT this! God bless you, keep fighting the good fight.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Favorite *AND LEAST FAVORITE* Month

Image
October is my favorite month. Or at least it was, until I got diagnosed with Breast Cancer nearly 3 years ago.  Suddenly, the ENTIRE month became all about pink, all about awareness, fundraising, etc. While I want you all to know how appreciative I am of the support - I must also remind you this month is a tough one for me. Reminders are everywhere: TV, billboards, bumper stickers, shirts, ribbons, social media posts, walks, and the list goes on. What some people don't realize, is that I live with the horrible scars physically and emotionally that serve as an cruel reminder everyday- not just in October. So please forgive me, when I once again, take a social media break for the entirety of October. I've decided to distance myself and fully enjoy every second of my favorite month with my family. I want to see my son smile when he picks out a pumpkin, jump in the leaves and watch the season change. I want to take a walk with the dog and unplug to fully enjoy the c...
Read more

War is Exhausting.

I often find it hard to verbalize how I feel about my life now. While I’m still adjusting to this “new normal”, I definitely thought I’d be farther along in the healing process.  It feels as if I take one step forward and two steps back pretty consistently. Most days it takes all that I have to get out of bed and do normal things like work or go to the store.  My home feels safe and warm- like cancer can’t get me in here. Not with my husband and my baby, we are whole here. But if I leave, if I talk about the pain- it’s too real, it will become real, and cancer will take me away.  I’m always waiting for someone to take away my happiness. I’m afraid to be too happy, too comfortable - because I know too well this can be squandered in an instant. My mind is at war with my body. I find it hard to know what is real and what is not- is this pain real or am I causing it by obsessing?  I’m haunted by what I call “intake notes.” The little form I fill ...
Read more

A Dismal Diagnosis Amidst My Greatest Joy

Image
Let's start my story from the beginning... I woke up on a Saturday morning in September and prepared to go to work as usual. It was harder these days to even get out of bed, as I was 36 weeks pregnant with my baby boy! I hopped out of the shower and proceeded with my usual lotioning routine - I was so nervous about getting stretch marks from my pregnancy, I made this an almost daily ritual. It was then that I felt a lump on my left breast. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, but my first thought is that it's definitely pregnancy related. So what did I do? Googled it, of course! Google told me that it was more than likely a clogged milk duct from my pregnancy, and not to worry. Well, that's never good enough for me, so naturally I stressed about it all the way to work. After talking with my colleagues for an hour or so, I thought it was best that I just call the doctor and be sure that I'm not crazy. Luckily, my OB office had a two hour Saturday window that I c...
Read more