WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

It started like any other day.

Nothing dramatic. Just me, a warm bath, and a quiet moment on a Tuesday. Like many of us do, I casually did a self-check — no reason, no alarm.

Then I felt it.
A lump.
Solid. Left breast. I paused. Actually… I froze.

I stayed still, trying to convince myself it wasn’t real. I checked again. Still there. Still undeniable.

The calm vanished.

I got out and scheduled an appointment with my doctor, who took it seriously. He ordered a mammogram and ultrasound.

Then came the waiting — days that felt like years.

The results: Three masses in the left breast and a suspicious lymph node. Biopsy recommended.
Biopsy done. More waiting. More silence.

Then the call: Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

It hit like a punch I never saw coming.

I was quickly referred to a breast surgeon and medical oncologist. We made a plan — a roadmap to fight.

A PET scan confirmed it hadn’t spread. An MRI set the baseline.

This wasn’t just a diagnosis. It was the moment everything changed.

  • My treatment plan consists of Phase 1 and Phase 2. This treatment is a multi-step regimen.

    Phase 1

    • Pembrolizumab (every 3 weeks)

    • Paclitaxel (weekly for 12 weeks)

    • Carboplatin (weekly for 12 weeks)

    Phase 1 will last for 12 weeks in total.
    Labs and office visits are typically the same day prior to infusion during phase 1.

    Phase 2

    This phase consists of 2 different anti-cancer therapies.

    • A: Doxorubicin

    • B: Cyclophosphamide

    This treatment is repeated every 21 day (3 weeks). This is known as one cycle. Treatment is typically given for a total of 4 cycles.

    Labs and office visits are 2 days prior to treatment during phase 2.

  • Below are the procedures I have completed to date. It was a busy month!

    04/19/2025 - find lump in left breast
    04/25/2025 - Appointment with primary care provider for a check-up. Orders mammogram and ultrasound.
    05/01/2025 - Mammogram and Ultrasound completed.
    05/07/2025 - Met with PCP to review results. Results show several large suspicious areas. Orders biopsy.
    05/13/2025 - Biopsy completed.
    05/19/2025 - Pathology results in. Triple Negative Breast Cancer including in one lymph node.
    05/20/2025 - Met with breast surgeon. Discuss surgical options.
    05/27/2025 - Met with medical oncologist to discuss treatment options. Will start with chemo for 12 weeks first. Refer to “My Treatment Plan” for details.
    05/29/2025 - PET scan completed. Results showed no metastasis.
    05/30/2025 - Echocardiogram completed.
    06/04/2025 - First chemo infusion.
    06/06/2025 - Chemo port placement.

  • Yes, I was nervous going into this. The idea of having a port surgically placed in my upper chest was far from appealing. But in the end, it turned out to be worth it. Here are my thoughts and what I experienced.

    1. You’ll need someone to pick you up after the procedure. Although you’ll be awake during the surgery, they’ll give you medication to help you relax, which means you won’t feel anything — but you also won’t be in any condition to drive. Most hospitals won’t allow patients to leave in a rideshare like Uber or Lyft, so it’s important to arrange for a trusted friend or family member to be there for you.

    2. Prep time was more lengthy than the surgery. Getting into a gown (from the waist up) checking vitals, placing the IV. Once all of that is done you’ll be taken to operating area.

    3. Once you are in the surgery area you’ll be given a sedative to relax you. I honestly felt nothing during surgery.

    4. The surgery is about an hour. Once completed you’ll be taken back to the original room you were in before. You will be there for about an hour to monitor you and your vitals. See back and relax.

    5. After the hour and if all is good you are free to leave.

    6. Once the sedation wears off, you may feel some pain. Sleeping on my back was the hardest part, as I didn’t want to put pressure on the site. Two Tylenol helped, but some people ask their doctor for stronger meds — it's up to you.

    7. It took about two days before I started feeling like I could turn around in bed while I was sleeping. It does get better! It makes the chemo infusion process so much easier.

  • You absolutely MUST be proactive in your health care. When you are diagnosed with breast cancer or any other life changing disease time is of the essence.

    Do not settle for people who do not take your health care issues seriously. You must act quickly. It can be exhausting because I know. Multiple phone calls, follow-ups and voice mails but strive for urgency to be seen and get treated ASAP.

FAQS

  • Finding out you have breast cancer is not easy. It’s emotional. It’s sad. It’s draining. However, cancer treatment has come a long way. Here’s what I did and my journey.

    • Make a appointment ASAP with your primary care provider.

    • Most likely a mammogram, ultrasound and or biopsy will be scheduled.

    • Additional scanning like a PET scan or MRI might also be ordered depending on the results from the previous scans.

    • Once imaging is complete your doctor might refer you to a medical oncologist and a breast surgeon for treatment plans.

    • Each patient is different and there are many treatment plans available. Your doctor will discuss the best options you have and plan for treatment.

  • You absolutely do! Just because you cannot feel a lump doesn’t mean there isn’t something there. Depending on your age and risk factor and is important that you follow the guidelines for regular checkups, labs and or mammograms.

    Breast cancer doesn't always present as a lump. Other symptoms include changes in the breast's size, shape, or appearance, dimpling, or redness of the skin. 

  • Yes, breast cancer can be hereditary. About 5-10% of breast cancers are considered hereditary, meaning they are caused by inherited gene mutations passed down from a parent. Most breast cancers, however, are not hereditary and are due to other factors according to the American Cancer Society. 

  • While the risk of breast cancer increases with age, younger women can also develop it.  Several factors can increase the risk of breast cancer, including age, family history, genetics, lifestyle choices, and certain medical treatments. While some risk factors are uncontrollable, others, like diet and exercise, can be modified. 

  • Factors that may increase the risk of breast cancer include:

    • A family history of breast cancer. If a parent, sibling or child had breast cancer, your risk of breast cancer is increased. The risk is higher if your family has a history of getting breast cancer at a young age. The risk also is higher if you have multiple family members with breast cancer. Still, most people diagnosed with breast cancer don't have a family history of the disease.

    • A personal history of breast cancer. If you've had cancer in one breast, you have an increased risk of getting cancer in the other breast.

    • A personal history of breast conditions. Certain breast conditions are markers for a higher risk of breast cancer. These conditions include lobular carcinoma in situ, also called LCIS, and atypical hyperplasia of the breast. If you've had a breast biopsy that found one of these conditions, you have an increased risk of breast cancer.

    • Beginning your period at a younger age. Beginning your period before age 12 increases your risk of breast cancer.

    • Beginning menopause at an older age. Beginning menopause after age 55 increases the risk of breast cancer.

    • Being female. Women are much more likely than men are to get breast cancer. Everyone is born with some breast tissue, so anyone can get breast cancer.

    • Dense breast tissue. Breast tissue is made up of fatty tissue and dense tissue. Dense tissue is made of milk glands, milk ducts and fibrous tissue. If you have dense breasts, you have more dense tissue than fatty tissue in your breasts. Having dense breasts can make it harder to detect breast cancer on a mammogram. If a mammogram showed that you have dense breasts, your risk of breast cancer is increased. Talk with your healthcare team about other tests you might have in addition to mammograms to look for breast cancer.

    • Drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer.

    • Having your first child at an older age. Giving birth to your first child after age 30 may increase the risk of breast cancer.

    • Having never been pregnant. Having been pregnant one or more times lowers the risk of breast cancer. Never having been pregnant increases the risk.

    • Increasing age. The risk of breast cancer goes up as you get older.

    • Inherited DNA changes that increase cancer risk. Certain DNA changes that increase the risk of breast cancer can be passed from parents to children. The most well-known changes are called BRCA1 and BRCA2. These changes can greatly increase your risk of breast cancer and other cancers, but not everyone with these DNA changes gets cancer.

    • Menopausal hormone therapy. Taking certain hormone therapy medicines to control the symptoms of menopause may increase the risk of breast cancer. The risk is linked to hormone therapy medicines that combine estrogen and progesterone. The risk goes down when you stop taking these medicines.

    • Obesity. People with obesity have an increased risk of breast cancer.

    • Radiation exposure. If you received radiation treatments to your chest as a child or young adult, your risk of breast cancer is higher.

    Credit: https://www.mayoclinic.org/

Retake this course?
Retaking this course from the beginning will reset all of your tracked progress.
Retake