The Road Ahead

Friday, September 3. I have since met with my team of doctors and I know that I am in very good hands. I can't thank Dr. Smith enough as she was so proactive once she felt the lump in my breast. Dr. Hamill was so thorough with the ultrasounds on both my left and right breasts, mammogram and biopsies. Dr. Yadzi was so comforting as the surgeon whom will operate when necessary. Dr. Fagundes will administer my radiation in the Spring of 2011 and Dr. Lyss will adminster my chemotherapy and hormone therapy.

This team of doctors have a fantastic reputation and I am so blessed to have them all under the same roof and working together to bring my health back to 100% and cancer free. Plus, I was very lucky to have my mom, my dad, Taylor and Aubree in town during this time as well as rely on Rett's in town family for love and support.

Yesterday, I had my power port put in via outpatient surgery. This port will serve as my semi-permanent IV for all of my treatments. It allows for one injection site as the veins in my arms an't withstand all the sticks for the chemotherapy. Wondering what it looks like? I was too. It is triangle in shape and about the size of a nickel. It is about a 1/2 inch thick and is shiny purple. In the middle of the triangle is a pad where the needle will go. Coming out of the port is a tube the size of a spaghetti noodle. This tube carries the chemotherapy to my main artery and distributes it throughout the rest of my body. It is completely under the skin in my chest on the upper right hand side.

As of right now, I am still awaiting the BRAC test results. All of my doctors are expecting it to come back negative as there is no breast cancer history in my family and because I am so young (average age for breast cancer diagnosis is 50-70 years old). If the test comes back negative, my treatment will consist of the following:

• 24 weeks of Chemotherapy
•  I will then deliver Baby Oesch late February
• Lumpectomy
• Chemotherapy for 24 more weeks + 6.5 weeks of Radiation and 5 years of Hormone therapy (the tumor is estrogen fed)

I now have a plan. Which I know seems odds but knowing what is coming truly helps settle my mind a bit. And the best news is that the chemotherapy drugs that Dr. Lyss will administer will not pass through the placenta and therefore safe for the baby. It is truly all a miracle; a miracle that I got pregnant because the estrogen in my body allowed for the tumor to be big enough to be felt and diagnosed AND that Baby Oesch will be my miracle baby and our light at the end of the tunnel.