Treatment Plan

So today was oncologist day. 

I can’t say I was really looking forward to it but thankfully the appointment is now done and dusted. I saw a really friendly (and hopefully super smart) oncologist called Dr Malik who is hopeful that the treatment regime will be effective. He explained the treatment needs to be aggressive for three reasons: 

1. Breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 35.

2. Aggressive and rare cancer.

3. Risk of small cancer cells still inside my body that can’t be seen on a PET scan and recurrence.

Therefore, I’ve been prescribed a much more aggressive regime of chemo than say a 75-year-old would be offered. 

Chris and I were both surprised about the duration of the treatment, but I’m obviously happy to adhere to any treatment plan that provides the best outcome. 

The kicking cancer’s butt plan

-       Four rounds of Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide ‘Red Devil’ chemotherapy (one round given every two weeks). I will receive this as a day patient over about four to five hours every Monday then return home. This is the nastiest chemo and will cause hair loss and many unwanted side effects and apparently be very draining. 

-       This treatment will be immediately followed by a weekly Paclitaxel chemotherapy for 12 weeks (also given as a day patient) and maybe one other chemotherapy drug mixed in if my body can handle it. 

-       I may or may not have radiation therapy (they’re still deciding). But if I do this will occur after all of the chemotherapy treatments. 

The positive points to take away were:

-       The mastectomy surgery was successful in removing the cancer with clear margins and had not spread to my lymph nodes therefore is classified as early breast cancer. 

-       The surgeon who I also saw today is happy with my recovery and I’m getting stronger and more mobile each day.

-       Aggressive cancer normally responds really well to chemotherapy. 

In terms of moving next year, the oncologist was confident in supporting our plans and we have some planning to do to make it all work. (This will be the hardest ops task Chris has ever been given).

Thanks again for all of the messages of support as well as the food deliveries and donations. We have been overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity and kindness. The situation we’ve found ourselves in is really difficult and it feels awkward accepting help, but we are deeply grateful for it. 

That’s all for now, I promise to update you all where possible during treatment.

Love Kirby