Breast Cancer Timeline
A timeline of my breast cancer journey from when I first discovered the lump to where we’re at currently. I’m currently being treated through the UK’s NHS so my process might be different than other countries.
May 13, 2024
Completed all five rounds of radiotherapy!
May 7, 2024
First day of radiotherapy treatment.
May 3, 2024
Called the GP as I still had not heard when I should be coming in for the Prostap shots – I guess it was expected for me to call and schedule an appointment despite not receiving any notice that they had the “prescription” from the Oncologist. Earliest they could schedule is May 23.
May 2, 2024
The foobs have arrived in the mail! Surprised at how heavy they feel and while I’m not entirely sure when I would wear them, its nice to have the option to.
April 25, 2024
Routine 3 month heart scan, first one since surgery which seems to go pretty quick when they don’t have to position the wand around a mound of fat. Scan comes back clear, 64%.
April 23, 2024
Had an appointment for a breast prosthetic fitting where I tried on various “foobs” to decide on a size and shape – settled on what equates to a B cup. I was given a not-very-cute bra with pockets that hold the foobs in place and would have the actual foobs ordered and mailed to the house.
Also did my routine 3 month blood work which came back fine.
April 8, 2024
Met with an oncologist – not my main one I had been speaking to throughout my chemo treatment to discuss the next steps since surgery. Since I had a complete pathlogical response I could carry on with the Phesgo shots for Her2+ until the end of the year. I was given a prescription of a Tamaxoifen pill that I would be taking daily for the next 10 years to help prevent a reoccurence. News to me however was that since I was hormone positive and premenopausal, they recommend I get Prostap, an ovary supression shot every 1 to 3 months for the next 5 years through my GP.
April 5, 2024
Follow up appointment with the breast surgeon. They had removed 7 lymph nodes, 3 of which showed signs that they had been affected by cancer. However the lymph nodes and the tumor showed no active cancer cells so I had a complete pathological response to chemo! Since I won’t be having reconstruction (although they stressed I can always change my mind if I wanted), my next follow up with the surgeon would be in a year. A nurse checked my seromas and it was decided that I would leave them be since they weren’t causing any pain.
March 19, 2024
Surgery day!
March 18, 2024
Radioactive dye injection to help locate the lymph nodes.
March 12, 2024
Had a surgery preassessment with an anesthesiologist go through health history and make sure that there wouldn’t be any issues with the anesthesia.
March 1, 2024
Met with the surgeon to find out the MRI results: no cancer cells seen in the breast or lymph nodes! 🥳 This will need to be confirmed on the pathology report when I have surgery, but it’s exciting news! We also finalized surgery plans, the surgeon has agreed to do a double mastectomy with no reconstruction and will only need to remove a few lymph nodes now which helps reduce the risk of lymphoedema.
February 29, 2024
Had my final MRI scan to see how much progress chemotherapy made on the cancer.
February 20, 2024
Appointment with Psychologist regarding surgery.
February 13, 2024
My 7th and final chemotherapy session! I also was able to have my PICC line removed!
February 12, 2024
The final time I have my PICC line flushed and get bloods, as well as seeing the lovely nurse who took the time to make sure I was comfortable every appointment. I made them a little card with their doggo as a thank you.
February 9, 2024
Finally met with surgeon to dicuss the various surgery options.
January 24, 2024
Chemo 6/7
January 2, 2024
Chemo 5/7
December 28, 2023 (Day 138)
Phone chat with the oncologist to discuss side effects
December 7, 2023 (Day 117)
Chemo 4/7
November 28, 2023 (Day 108)
Mid-treatment MRI Scan
November 16, 2023 (Day 96)
Chemo 3/7
November 13, 2023 (Day 93)
Phone call with a member of the oncology team.
October 26, 2023 (Day 75)
Bloods were good to go, so Chemo Session 2 of 7 is done! Despite having the same drugs as the first time (EC & Steroids), the session went by super quick – about an hour. The first time they needed to constantly supervise to make sure there were no reactions so it makes sense. Given some extra anti-nausea meds and my 7 daily injections to help with my white blood cells, my favorite /s
October 24, 2023 (Day 73)
Weekly PICC line flush & bloods drawn to make sure my counts are high enough to go through with Chemo Session #2. Not having to be pricked for blood is so nice haha.
October 21, 2023 (Day 70)
Welp, so begins the inevitable head hair shedding, especially as I decided against cold capping. I found a few stands on my pillow and while showering I noticed a lot coming off in my hands. A few days earlier I was able to lightly pull on my armpit and “lady garden” hair, most came out with no resistance which was so odd 🤣 Many folks commented that hair loss would start roughly 2 weeks after the first chemo session, which was about right for me. I look forward to finishing the shedding phase because.
October 17, 2023 (Day 66)
Weekly PICC line flush. Finally used to the PICC, no longer feeling the weird sensation in my chest other than the occasional time if I’m leaning at an odd angle. Showering is a bit of a pain since it needs to stay dry but I just make due with cling film and using the shower head wand.
October 16, 2023 (Day 65)
First follow up meeting with the Oncologist to go over symptoms experienced from the first chemo, most was felt in the first week: mild diarrhea on day 1, constipation day 2/3, tingling in the hands and feet, sore vein where the IV was inserted, nausea, dry eyes, gritty mouth, and a wrecked sleep schedule. Oncologist prescribed 5 bottles of mouth wash and eye drops, but no changes to chemo treatment.
October 13, 2023 (Day 62)
Mild panic that PICC line was bleeding so made a visit to the clinic to get the bandage changed. Turns out when the nurse who redressed my PICC after the CT scan said “it wasn’t a clean job” was referring to the bits of blood on the bandage, not the placement of the wire lol. All was good though, no issues, but helped give peace of mind when they say to watch out for signs of infection.
October 12, 2023 (Day 61)
To make sure that the cancer hasn’t spread to other places, they had me do a full body CT scan. This was much more comfortable than the MRI scan and they were able to use my PICC line to inject the contrast dye. The neglected to mention the dye would cause some areas to become warm LOL
October 9, 2023 (Day 58)
Had my PICC line installed, while the procedure is pretty quick and pain-free, the sensation of a tube in my chest is slightly uncomfortable. I’ll have the line flushed once a week and have blood drawn from it before chemo.
October 5, 2023 (Day 54)
First day of chemotherapy! The process was pretty uneventful and took about 3 hours from start to finish. I was given an Akynzeo anti-sickness tablet before starting, a saline flush, 2 giant syringes of Epirubicin, 1 syringes of Cyclophosphamide, and some sort of IV steroid that lasts for 5 days. For at home I’m to take anti-sickness tablets Dexmethasone and Domperidone, as well as 7 Filgrastim injections daily to help stimulate bone marrow to grow more white blood cells.
October 4, 2023 (Day 53)
Got a phone call to schedule an appointment to have a PICC line inserted next Monday.
October 3, 2023 (Day 52)
I received a letter in the mail with the news my genetic test came back negative for any mutations with the BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 genes which is good! Then had an hour long pre-chemo phone call with a nurse who talked about my treatment, what side effects I may experience during the process, and answered any questions we had. It was a lot of information to take in, but she was lovely and we have a better idea of what to expect going into my first session on Thursday.
September 28, 2023 (Day 47)
Went in for a blood test that has to be done 7 days before my chemotherapy treatment. Arrived home to a pre-chemo therapy packet with documents on the drugs I’d be taking and a cancer treatment booklet to take to my appointments. I also got a letter for my CT Scan that was scheduled on the same day as my first chemo session? No idea if this was an error, but I called to reschedule it to the following week to avoid any issues.
September 22, 2023 (Day 41)
I received several letters in the mail with various appointments. One letter contains information regarding my first chemotherapy session: a pre-chemo telephone appointment and my starting start on October 5. Before chemotherapy I would need to schedule a blood test 3-7 days prior and have two negative Covid tests 48 hours prior.
The two other letters contain dates for follow up appointments with the oncologist.
September 18, 2023 (Day 37)
I have my first meeting with the Oncologist to discuss my chemotherapy treatment plan. He explains I will have a total of 7 sessions, one every 3 weeks: 3 for Epirubicin & Cyclophosphamide, 4 for Pertuzumab, Tratuzumab, & Docetaxel. After the sessions, I will need to continue the shot for up to a year and Tamoxifen for 10 years. MRI scans will be done after the 3rd and 7th session to help monitor how the tumor reacts to treatment. We also discuss the different side effects I could experience during chemotherapy and how to mitigate them. While I request an appointment to have a Port installed for easier access to veins, it seems likely I will instead have a PICC line. He also put in a request for a full body CT scan to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread to any other areas. My first chemotherapy session should be scheduled within 2-3 weeks.
September 15, 2023 (Day 34):
I receive two letters in the mail with my second biopsy & HER2 results. The biopsy of the lower lymph node was clear so the cancer has at least not spread too far. My HER2 results were positive which makes my breast cancer type Triple Positive (+++). This means it is highly reactive to hormones but thankfully there are many treatment options that can target the cells.
September 11, 2023 (Day 30):
Before I can begin chemotherapy, I have my heart health checked through an echocardiogram. I got to watch my heart beat on the ultrasound monitor as the tech took several readings and images from different angles. There appears to be no issues and the images are sent off to the Dr.
September 6, 2023 (Day 25):
During the my second ultrasound, the tech agrees the other areas picked up on the MRI are cysts, but as a precaution decides to take a biopsy of a lymph node located below the initial positive node. A mammogram was done to ensure the marker was placed properly but took two different techs to get the right angle.
September 1, 2023 (Day 20)
After a week in “How bad is it?” limbo, the Dr explains the biopsy came back positive – 2x2cm ductal carcinoma, grade 2/3, strongly ER & OR +, awaiting HER2 results. Cancer cells were found in the sampled lymph node. There are spots near the lump they suspect are cysts from the MRI scan but want to schedule another ultrasound & biopsy to be sure. We go over the general treatment plan of chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy. He suggests I get genetic testing done to see if I have the BRCA/PALB cancer gene markers which can affect decisions later on. I agree and have my blood drawn to send off to the lab – results are to be expected in 6 weeks.
August 31, 2023 (Day 19)
First time getting an MRI scan. It’s also my first experiencing having a cannula inserted for the contrast agent and I nearly pass out from a vasovagal reaction. After my blood pressure returned to normal, I have fish oil pills taped to my nipples and listen to the soothing sounds of the MRI machine as it takes several images of my chest before and after the dye injection. The images are sent to the Dr in time for the team meeting.
August 24, 2023 (Day 12)
After a breast examination at the breast clinic, the Dr is concerned about the lump and swollen lymph node in my left armpit. I’m sent next door for a mammogram, a ultrasound & needle core biopsy of the lump and lymph node, and a second mammogram to check marker placements. The biopsy will need to be sent to a lab and await test results, but based on images, the 2cm x 3cm mass is suspected to be malignant. The Dr orders an MRI in hopes it’ll be done before next Friday’s team meeting after which we would meet to discuss the biopsy results.
August 16, 2023 (Day 4)
Made an urgent GP Appointment. The Dr suspects the lump is a cyst but submits a 2 week referral to local Breast Clinic to have it properly checked out.
August 13, 2023 (Day 1)
Woke up in the middle of the night to a sore spot on my left breast and felt a lump. No symptoms indicating it was cancer, so I decide to wait a few days before having it checked out.
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