A Numbers Game

Sometimes I feel like this journey is a numbers game.  I met with my oncologist today and we had some time to talk and discussed the long-term outcome of this journey.  I asked the questions... I am ready to hear the answers.  I had stayed away from topics that would lead me past the next few months, but feel like I am grounded enough now to hear what the reality of this cancer is.

Do you want the good new or not the best news first?  

Good news: 85% survival rate over the next five years for localized breast cancer.  

Scary news: Dr. Meyering started the conversation by saying, "the statistics are alarming."  When your Oncologist says that you want to start crying or run out of the room.  I stayed strong, but had tears coming from my eyes, only because my eyes have been tearing over the last few days as a side effect. She then told me that assuming that her prognosis of Stage II is correct, based on the type of cancer I have, there is a 10-15% chance of my breast cancer spreading to other parts of my body over the next ten years.  Breast cancer can spread to the brain, bone, liver and lungs.  If my breast cancer spread that would be called metastatic breast cancer. If one has metastatic cancer, there is no curing it, like we are doing now with mine, it is just managing the cancer.  Alarming is right, Dr. Meyering!  I have been digesting the news all day today. 

If you are wondering why the stage of my cancer is still on the table, my Oncologist has made her best guess of prognosis for stage.  She really believes it is 2a.  However, since I didn't have surgery first, we will never really know what the true stage of the cancer is.  There is a possibility that it is stage 3 but we won't ever really know. So much information and yet there are so many things that are still unknown and that I will never know. One of my greatest learnings from all of this will be letting of go of the unknown.  One never really knows what will happen in life, but when you know there is a potential risk, knowing that is different than being healthy living life not really knowing what will happen to you. Make sense?


For those of you that like numbers and understanding risk:
1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
At age 30, 1 out of 251 will be diagnosed.
At age 40, 1 out of 69 will be diagnosed.
At age 50, 2 out of 36 will be diagnosed.
For women without a family history of breast cancer: 1 in 30 will be diagnosed.


The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for 2011:

• About 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women
• About 57,650 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be found (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
• About 39,520 deaths from breast cancer (women)

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.

The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35. Breast cancer death rates have been going down, which is great news. Right now there are more than 2½ million breast cancer survivors in the United States.  I will be a proud breast cancer survivor!  

Me Again...

I had a great check-up today, blood cell counts are where they need to be, I gained a few pounds and overall am on track.


I had a day out on Sunday with girlfriends... shopping, lunch and the Marilyn Monroe movie.  I enjoyed every ounce of it!


Yesterday and today I have felt so fantastic. As good as I felt before chemo started and have been rejoicing in the glory of working and then having a life after work.  I have energy and don't feel like much of a cancer patient this week.