On July 19, 2006, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  Luckily we caught it early and because of the tremendous progress made with cancer research, I can look forward to soon being a cancer surviver.

I don't know about you, but I was completely shocked with these statistics: 1 in 2 men will get cancer in their lifetime. 1 in 3 women will get cancer in their lifetime.

I am happy to join Team Tangerine (in memory of Justine Claise and in support of other soon to be cancer survivers like myself) in the walk to cure cancer.

To donate, please make checks payable to the Walk to Cure Cancer, and mail your checks to: Team Tangerine C/O Christina Roberts 52 Tower Street #3 Worcester, MA 01606 You can also donate via credit card (Please see instructions on this web page).

Check back often. I will be using this page to update the status of my fight.

************************************************************

End of February? Beginning of March? - Don't quite remember. I felt a lump in my right breast. I'm sure it's nothing. After all, I'm only 29. I'm pretty healthy. Eating good, exercising. Maybe it's been there all along and I just feel it now because I've lost weight and my boobs are shrinking.

Okay, okay. I'll get it checked out.  But I'm sure it's nothing.

My very sweet primary care physician, Dr. Nawab, felt the same thing. It was a hard lump - about the size of a pea. She could feel that it was attached to the breast tissue - not the skin.  Because I had just, just found it, we decided to wait a month and see if there were any changes.

Fast forward a month. It's still there. It doesn't hurt. It hasn't grown. But, it's still there.

Dr. Nawab sent me for blood work and a chest x-ray.  Both came back okay.

But it's still there.  "I'm going to refer you to Dr. Gulati, a very good surgeon. Let's remove it, do a biopsy, and find out what it is."

So I meet with the surgeon. He doesn't seem too concerned. I'm young. There is no family history of breast cancer. "It's probably blah blah blah" - but we'll do an ultrasound.

I watched the screen as the technician moved the cold scanner over my breast. There it was. A big dark circle. It stood out like a sore thumb. "We're going to have to do a needle biopsy. It's the only way to tell if the tumor is benign."  Oh great! Now it's a tumor.

I HATE NEEDLES!! I was surprised at how well I handled the needle biopsy.  There were four other women in the room. We joked and laughed  - they made me feel completely at ease and I didn't have to kick them as I had threatened to.  I closed my eyes and didn't feel a thing. "Call your doctor next Wednesday. We should have the results by then."

"Oh, Christina, Dr. Gulati has been trying to reach you. He's in surgery now but I'll have him call you as soon as he gets out." - ummmm. He's not supposed to call me. I'm supposed to call him.  Maybe he got the good results early and just wanted to put my mind at ease. I'm sure it's nothing.

Dr: "We got the biopsy results. The reason I called is the tumor is malignant."

Me: "Oh, good."

Dr: "No. Malignant means cancerous"

Me: "Oh, not good."

Dr: "No"

Me: "Bad"

Dr: "Yes"

Oh my god! You've gotta be f-ng kidding me!!!!!!

 ************************************************************

Surgical Pathology Report

Clinical History

Right breast, 6:00 - 9mm solid nodule

Diagnosis

-Infiltrating Carcinoma with Lobular and Ductal Features involving five (5) out of six (6) cores

-DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma in situ): Present, Grade 2/3, Cribriform type

-Calcifications: Absent

-Lymphovascular Invasion: Not seen

-Estrogen Receptor (ER): Positive in >90% tumor cells

-Progesterone Receptor (PR): Positive in >90% tumor cells

 ************************************************************

I have breast cancer. It still feels so weird to say that. But, I can be nothing but optimistic.

From what we can tell so far the tumor is small (9mm), so even though it is invasive (spreading to the surrounding breast tissue) I am considered Stage I.  This is of course assuming that there is no lymph node involvement - which we won't know for sure until after the surgery.

 I meet with an oncologist tomorrow (7/26) at 2:00.  Dr. Edmiston is the Director of UMass' Comprehensive Breast Center. I'm so happy that she agreed to see me.

Let's get the ball rolling.  I want this thing out!!

 ************************************************************

Dr. Edmiston is wonderful. She congratulated me and seemed really surprised that I even noticed the lump because it is so small. She seemed very sure that I am just in Stage I, and predicted an easy recovery.  She sent me for another chest x-ray and more blood work.  I'm scheduled for a bi-lateral mammagram and MRI on Monday. They should have the results and I will be able to meet with the surgeon and radiologist on Wednesday.

We're going to do breast conserving surgery (lumpectomy) where they will remove the tumor and some surrounding breast tissue. It shouldn't alter the look or feel of the breast at all.  Then they'll zap me with a few rounds of radiation and I'll be cancer free.

She said something about feeling a thickening in my left breast - hmmm. I'm sure it's nothing. But the mammagram and MRI will be able to pick up any abnormal crap going on. We'll see...

************************************************************

Fabulous news!!! - The ball is rolling - spinning out of control - and I love it!!

Dr. Quinlan's office called yesterday (7/27). Dr. Edmiston had expressed to them my desire to have the surgery done asap and they are able to expedite things. Here's the plan and appointments so far.

Monday July 31

Marlboro Hospital

1:15 Mammogram

3:15 MRI

I need to get the MRI results emailed to Dr. Quinlan and take the films with me.

5:00 Meet with Dr. Quinlan back in Worcester and review

Tuesday August 1

12:30 Pre-Testing with the nurse practitioner and anesteiologist

Wednesday August 2

SURGERY!!!! YAY!!!!   Time tba

Thursday August 10

12:00 Post op exam

 ************************************************************

What a day! The mammogram wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Just a little uncomfortable. I hated the MRI. The machine was so loud - even with ear plugs - totally nerve wrecking - it was hard to stay calm and still. Then they had to inject a dye into my veins  which felt cold, then hot, then just totally weird - adding to the total discomfort. Whatever! It's done.

I met Diane at Dr. Quinlan's office. What a sweetheart. And I just LOVE Dr. Quinlan. He's awesome.

We discussed the surgery, the good, the bad and the ugly.

We'll be doing a sentinel node biopsy and a lumpectomy.

I have to check in at outpatient surgery tomorrow morning. They'll send me to mammography where a radiologist will inject radio-active fluid into my right breast.  Then I wait.  I'll be put to sleep for the surgery.  Dr. Quinlan will then inject blue dye into the breast.  He'll make an incision under my arm and remove the 'hot'/blue/palpable nodes and send them to the pathologist for a frozen section.  In the meantime he'll go in and do the lumpectomy and close that up.

If no cancer is found in the nodes he'll close that up too.  If cancer is found then he'll have to do an axillary dissection - removing all the lymph nodes under the arm - leaving me with a drain. Pray that I don't wake up with a drain in me.  I think I'll totally lose it.

When they do the final pathology 2 "lousy things" can happen.  A negative node can show cancer cells and/or cancer cells can show up on the edge of the specimen. I won't bore you with details because right now I need to think positive. And I'm positively sure that I'll wake up with no drain in me, there'll be no sign of cancer in ANY node, and we'll have perfectly clear margins.

Bad news is - something weird showed up on the MRI in my left breast.  They're rushing to schedule an ultrasound for this morning. UGH! 

*****

Okay

I need to go at 12:30 for my pre-testing. Then I need to take my films and rush over to the Marlboro hospital again for 2:30. They're going to do the ultrasound on the left breast and depending on what they find they might need to do a fine needle biopsy or core biopsy. Fun fun.

 *****

Yay! The ultrasound didn't pick up anything in the left breast. We're going to leave it alone and just watch it closely.

I have to be at the hospital tomorrow morning (8/2/06) at 7:30am.  Surgery is scheduled for 11:45.

 ************************************************************

8/3/06

I feel fabulous!! Much of that has to do with the fact that I no longer have a cancerous tumor in my body.  And the most exciting discovery - the cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes.

Yesterday was a tough day. We got to the hospital at 7:30.  They brought us to a 'room' (basically an area partitioned off by a curtain w/ a bed and a few chairs). I was instructed to strip down and put on a very stylish johnny. We sat around playing speed scrabble for a while.  Then they came and got me and I had a fun wheelchair ride up to mammography. They checked my vitals again. Asked about my allergies again. Gave me a local anesthia and guided by the ultrasound, stuck a wire in my boob which would let the surgeon know what area to remove.

Then they did another mammagram - much better this time since my boob was totally numb.

The worst part was having them inject the radio-active fluid. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Talk about pain! ugh. It was terrible. They did 5 or 6 shots all around my nipple. There was nothing fun about it. Totally sucked.

Then they sent me back down to my 'room'.  Waited around for awhile. Until they were ready to bring me up to surgery.

More vitals, more questions, They hooked up my IV. More waiting. Dr. Quinlan came in to say hi. He left. More waiting. Then they wheeled me into the operating room.  The anesteiologist told me I would start to feel sleepy...

Next thing I knew I was awake - in excruciating pain. But I had no drain in me :)

They gave me a pill.  Didn't make me feel any better. Then a shot of morphine. Aaah. A little better.

I rested for a bit and then they kicked me out :)

As they were wheeling me out to the car I got totally nauseous.  Did a nice projectile vomit.  On the way home we had to pull the car over again. More throwing up.  Got home. Felt sick as a dog. Nothing would stay down.  Water. Vomit. Toast. Vomit. Tomato soup. Vomit. ugh. gross.

Slept like a baby and today I feel like a new woman.  Still sore - the vicotin helps. My urine is still blue. But I'm able to keep food down. Ahh. Feels so good to eat.

Looking forward to a nice relaxing day.

************************************************************

Well, It's been a week since surgery and I'm feeling good. The upper part of my right arm is still numb and I haven't regained full range of motion, but I can't complain. I'm not really in pain. Just sore.

I happily turned 30 today with no malignant tumor in my breast. :)

Tomorrow (8/9) I meet with Dr. Layeeque - Surgical Oncology at 9:00, Dr. Cicchetti - Radiation Oncology at 9:15, and Dr. Edmiston - Medical Oncology at 10:00.  We'll have the final pathology report and we'll plan future treatment.

****************************************************************

Please see my new blog http://christinaroberts.blogspot.com/