So, it’s still Friday, November 4, 2005 and I have to get my friend home and settled and drive myself home and let my husband know what’s going on. We called a friend who is a (breast) surgeon and as luck would have it he had a temp secretary who had no idea who I was. The surgeon was doing a Whipple procedure which is very long and extensive and could last for hours. We decided to drive to his office at the hospital and wait – and wait and wait – for hours until he saw me by the elevators as I was getting ready to leave. We were with him until around 9:00 p.m. He didn’t think it was anything except cysts since I am a “D” cup and have a history of cystic breasts.  However, to be certain I had a biopsy on November 16th and then came the worst part – WAITING and . . .

My surgeon called on November 20th (my birthday is on the 23rd)  8:30 p.m. and told ‘us’ that the tumor was malignant.  This was when I really found out how important it is to have friends with clout – my breast cancer surgeon got me in to see my oncologist on the 21st and we decided at that time that I would have a lumpectomy, sentinel node biopsy and have a port inserted for my chemotherapy.

I had my surgery on November 30th and the results were:  2 cm tumor, Stage 1, Grade 2, clear margins, no lymph node involvement, ER/PR+ and HER2 +3. Due to the HER2 +3 (this is the protein that assures the cancer will spread to other parts of the body), my oncologist suggested that I have a new test called Oncotype DX.  This test assesses the likelihood that breast cancer will return, or recur within 10 years of the initial diagnosis.  This test allows patients and doctors to have a better understanding of the specific characteristics of the individual breast tumor, and critical information for treatment planning discussions.  The Oncotype DX came back showing that I am in the highest percentile for recurrence and that’s why my protocall is so long.