Letting people know

Cancer. Breast cancer, triple negative. How do you tell people? Just come out and say it -- and then there is an awkward silence, or crying or hurried reassurances that "in this day and age they will figure it out". 

I think so far that has been the hardest part -- whom to tell, how to tell, and how to handle their crying. Or their prying eyes that try to find the cancer now -- you look kind of pale... and I don't. Who would have thought that this would be something I would have to think about and figure out now... 

With all the tests, hospital visits and insurance calls between the normal daily life, I have just been able to tell very few close friends and few family members. But then again, what do you say? Got cancer, but do know yet what to do with it, or how to treat it and it is a rare kind, fast growing... and, by the way, please don't panic.

I got my diagnosis December 1st, a few days before my mom's birthday. George, who is in complete panic mode insists that I tell my parents and kids right this minute. 

So I waited to tell after mom's birthday and then told my daughter who is in college, though it is her exam week and she would be home at the end of December.... 

George felt it couldn't wait and everyone deals with this in their own way.

Cancer Call 12/2

On Friday, 12/2, I got a 5-minute phone call from the nurse at 4:30 who hurriedly explained that based on the biopsy I have stage 3, fast growing breast cancer with metastases in lymph nodes. This breast cancer is "triple negative" and can't be easily treated with hormonal therapy (whatever that means). 

The next steps would be to do an MRI and a CT scan to see if the metastases have spread to any other part of the body. But, alas, it is Friday evening, so she plans to work with scheduling all of these tests sometime next week. 

"Have a great weekend," to be brief and to the point. 

Oh joy, what a delightful surprise to receive a cancer diagnosis at the end of Friday! It's the perfect way to end a long week, isn't it? You can just sleep it off over the weekend and wake up fresh as a daisy on Monday, ready to tackle the next step in your journey. Nothing like a little cancer to add some excitement to your life, am I right?

Good thing that I have a stable psyche and to some degree I was prepared, because of all of my self-diagnostics with Doctor Google. 

And I am off to Doctor Google to figure out what is the "triple negative cancer". This is a less common, fast-growing type of cancer, with a limited number of treatment options that occurs in 12%-15% of the population, with high likelihood of reoccurring... 

Now I will wait for the official explanation with the oncology team in a week, shouldn't just trust some Google search.

Official Biopsy Result

Diagnosis  A. 

LEFT BREAST 1 OCLOCK : INVASIVE CARCINOMA

HISTOLOGIC TYPE: INVASIVE DUCTAL CARCINOMA

GRADE 3/3, AT LEAST 10.0 MM IN LENGTH, INVOLVING MULTIPLE CORES 

Breast Biomarker Report for Invasive Carcinoma (ER/PR/Her2-neu):

Estrogen Receptor (ER) Status Results: Negative

Internal control cells Present and stain as expected

Progesterone Receptor (PgR) Status Results: Negative

HER2 (by immunohistochemistry) Results: Negative (Score 0)