Battle Plan

So after a variety of appointments today my course of treatment is set!
On December 13th I will be undergoing a modified radical mastectomy of my left breast. This means that they will go in and take out my lymph-nodes and breast tissue but leave the muscles intact. My recovery time is expected to be 2-3 weeks during which time I will have two drains and will have a 5 lbs lifting limit. They will install a pump which will administer some numbing meds to keep me comfortable for the first few days and I will be able to take some pain meds. As part of the surgery they will also be putting in a port-a-cath that will be used during chemo. Depending on the time my surgery is scheduled for (I will find out on Thursday 12/12) I will either go home the same day or the next morning.
I will have several follow up appointments but the most notable will be my appointment on 12/24 with the oncologist. At that time he will look at my incision and determine when we will start chemo. I will undergo 6 rounds of TAC (Taxotere (docetaxel), Adriamycin (doxorubicin), and cyclophosphamide) which will be given to me every 3 weeks for a total of 6 doses. This means I will have 1-2 treatments before baby is born and then have the remaining 4-5 after baby is here. After that we will discuss radiation treatment.
I have a consult with a high risk OB on Tuesday to see if he will take my case.
My last appointment of the day was with genetics. This meeting was very informative. We found out that the BRCA 1&2 mutations express themselves on different chromosomes. I have the testing kit and the next time I go in for blood work will have them take the extra vials for the testing. (I was already poked once today and didn't feel like getting poked again). Once we get those results we will decide if I will take further action or not.
Feel free to comment, email or message me with any questions.