So, in keeping with sharing my journey in order to be of some help to someone else, heres what Ive learned so far about being diagnosed with cancer. Its never simple, first of all. There are a bazillion (slight exaggeration) things to educate yourself on, and it takes a little while to get all the answers. I will share specifically about breast cancer, because I have spent a week or so researching (and by researching, I mean scientific and medically recognized sources, not places like Wikipedia, etc). Once cancer is found, they have to determine its size and type to begin with because there are several types. Next comes the determination of whether it is In Situ (where it started) or invasive (spreading to other tissue). Then they look at how differently the cancer cells look from the healthy cells and they determine differentiation....how fast the cancer may be growing, and they give it a grade. Those things are determined within the first couple of days after the biopsy. Further testsing of the biopsy is needed for breast cancer because treatment is dependent upon the details. They need to know if the cancer cells will respond to hormone therapy, and they need to test the HER2 gene, which also aids in determining treatment type(s). These tests take about a week to get results. In the meantime, tests like MRI, PET or CT scans may also assist in more detailed information. Then its time to meet with the surgeon and oncologist (there are 2 oncologists to meet with.....one specializes in radiation, and the other specializes in chemotherapy). One of the most important things I have learned so far is that it is my body and my ultimate decision on how the cancer is treated. Everyone at the cancer centers has education and experience, and they can offer lots of information, but the decision is mine. Ive shared this today for everyone to understand that breast cancer is complicated, and although most of us have no clue what questions to ask, the information is at our fingertips. Ask lots of questions, make sure you understand with as much precision as possible, and if you have a suspicious area or a doctor who isnt willing to give you details, run enough tests, or your gut is telling you something isnt right, go somewhere else. Cancer is serious and deadly, as we all know, but early detection makes all the difference in the world!! God bless
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 23:25:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015