As my breast surgeon said on our post radiation follow up visit, "We need to get the word out to women that a diagnosis of cancer is not the death sentence that it once was. They need to know that treatment for early stage cancer is relatively easy."
My hope is that the following timeline will encourage women to get their screening mammograms and that the following will answer questions about the overall process should a "tiny mass" be found. My blog (starting from the first post) documents my experience along this timeline.
December 9th - Routine screening mammogram with a suspicious finding
December 16th - Second mammogram and ultrasound to confirm the finding
December 18th - Tumor biopsy
December 26th - Receive the results - Invasive ductal carcinoma, estrogen (ER+) and progesterone (PR+) receptive (the delay in receiving the findings was extended due to the Christmas holidays and medical offices being closed)
January 10th - First appointment with breast surgeon to discuss surgical approach given my preferences for breast preservation (the delay in getting in to see her was that I chose to wait for my primary care doctor's top breast surgeon recommendation - I did not regret the decision to wait)
January 20th - Savi Scout marker placement into the tumor in preparation for surgery
January 21st - First appointment with the radiation oncologist to discuss radiation treatment choices - I chose the high intensity, internal brachytherapy
January 23rd - Radioactive die injection to highlight the lymph nodes
January 23rd - Lumpectomy surgery
January 28th - Results of the lumpectomy received - tumor margins were clear and lymph nodes were clear of all cancer cells - approved for brachytherapy
February 3rd - Brachytherapy Savi device inserted into the tumor cavity by the breast surgeon
February 3rd - First day of radiation treatment
February 4th - Surgeon calls with the news that my Oncotype DX recurrence score is extremely low with a 3% risk of breast cancer recurrence in the next 9 years
February 7th - Last day of radiation treatment; Savi device removed from the tumor cavity by the radiation oncologist
February 21st - Follow up appointment with the surgeon to drain fluid from the tumor cavity
February 26th - Follow up appointment with the radiation oncologist