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My Breast Cancer Diagnosis And Treatment Plan
The title says it all, so if you want to skip the breast cancer talk and get back to the fun stuff, now’s your chance.
On November 1 of last year I had my first ever mammogram at age 41. The next day I found out I needed further testing and two weeks later I had a follow-up ultrasound and biopsy of two of three tumors and one of a few suspicious lymph nodes. From the appearance on the ultrasound, I was told they were about 95% likely to be cancer. On Monday of the following week (aka Thanksgiving week) it was official.
Type of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is classified both on location and whether it has receptors for estrogen(ER+ or -), progesterone (PR+ or -), and/or HER2 growth hormone (HER2+ or -). If it’s negative for all three hormone receptors, it’s called triple negative breast cancer. I have two types: invasive ductal carcinoma that is ER+ and HER2+ and invasive lobular carcinoma that is ER+ and HER2-. All are PR-. It is also stage 2, and grade 2. Stage describes the extent and is what most people are familiar hearing. Grade is how slow or fast it’s likely to spread. Grade 2 is not as slow as 1 but slower than 3.
Genetic Testing
Because I have a family history of breast cancer, I had genetic testing. I do not have any known genes for breast cancer, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2. It did show I have two variants. That just means that those genes are still being looked at for contributing to breast cancer. Most of the time variants get moved to the harmless category, so for now having them makes no impact on treatment or advice for other family members.
Treatment
Because I’m complicated (ha!), it took some time and more test results for my oncologist to determine the best course of treatment. It also uncovered some weird activity in my left femur on a PET scan. Thankfully a bone biopsy came back negative for cancer, although we will still need to keep an eye on it. I also get to say I had someone drill into my bone while I was awake, which my weird self thinks is kind of cool. Not that I want to ever have to do it again, but since it happened I’m embracing the cool but slightly gross factor.
We knew that the best course was chemo followed by surgery, probably radiation and definitely a year of a targeted HER2 therapy called Herceptin. Which type of chemo was the question. Eventually, she decided on six rounds of TCHP for the chemotherapy, which is two chemotherapy drugs, Taxotere and Carboplatin, and two HER2 targeted therapies, the Herceptin I will continue and Perjeta.
Chemo Port
For the chemo and Herceptin infusions, I have a port. That link gives more details on what that is. When I first heard that I would need one I was definitely grossed out by the thought of it, but now that I’ve seen how much easier it makes the infusions, I’m very glad to have it. I just can’t think about it too hard because it still makes me a little squeamish.
How I’m Feeling
I receive chemo once every three weeks. So far I’ve had four rounds, so I’m over halfway done. Yes, I’m bald now, but it is about to be summer in Texas, so the timing isn’t too bad. As far as other symptoms, I mostly feel tired achy, like I have the flu for the first week, more easily tired the second week and almost normal the third week before it starts all over again.
I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised at how much easier it’s been than I was expecting. Part of that is probably the almost half a dozen anti-nausea meds they’ve given me. Between the two or three preemptive meds chemo week and the two as needed at home, my nausea is so well controlled I think I’ve managed to put on a few pounds.
Annoying Side Effects
I do have a few other side effects that are more a nuisance than anything. Heartburn is way worse than usual, and I occasionally get hot flashes. The most annoying thing is chemo mouth. Basically everything tastes weird at best, like I drank nail polish remover at worst. It does make it a little hard to drink water or find things to eat when it’s bad and so far I haven’t found one thing that consistently helps. It also seems like the things that taste the best then are some of the least healthy. Like Sonic Cheddar Peppers, for example. Probably explains the few extra pounds, tbh. I also can’t stomach coffee for about a week and a half after a treatment. I should probably cut it out the whole time, but no. Just no. (Currently sipping my second cup.)
I have another round coming up next week, my last one the first week of May and then surgery the second week of June. I’ll share more on the other parts of my treatment as they happen.
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A warm Jacket from two pairs of jeans!
Check out this lovely jacket from nicedressthanksimadeit.com. She makes use of two pairs of jeans and some denim from her stash.
Perhaps you remember the Designin’ December Sewing Challenge? Find a designer original you like and recreate it for yourself. I always say: Why buy …
A warm Jacket from two pairs of jeans!
Quick Drawstring Bag Tutorial or How to Reuse Your SubEarthan Cottage Soap Wrapping
I wrap my soaps in fabric because it looks nice, it allows the soap to breathe (read here for why), and because it feels better than plastic. I often wonder what happens to the wrapping. I’m sure there are some that toss it. I know of one person who collects the fabric for quilts. For those of you who, like me, don’t want to throw away something that could be useful but don’t know what to do with it, I have a tutorial for a drawstring pouch, just for you.
This is done with the wrapping from one of my soaps, but you could make it in any size you like.
Materials
Cloth wrapper from soap (roughly 8×11 inches)
Jute string from soap (about 29 inches)
Thread
Tools
Needle or Sewing machine
Safety pin or Bodkin
Scissors
Iron
First, iron your fabric flat. Then, fold down a long edge about 3/4 of an inch to one inch and press. This is for the casing. It doesn’t have to be super precise.
Sew a straight seam along the bottom of the flap to form the casing. All the sewing can be done by hand or machine. I have no time or patience, so I choose machine. Fold your material in half with right sides together like a book.
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| The fold is at the bottom of this photo. |
Next, starting just below the casing seam, sew down the side and across the bottom. I use anywhere from a 1/4 to 1/2 inch seam allowance for this. Again, it doesn’t have to be precise.
With scissors, clip the bottom corners, being careful not to cut your stitching. You could probably skip this step, but it helps the corners look square and crisp. Turn your bag right side out.
Now it’s time to thread the string. Tie one end of the string to a safety pin, large paper clip, or attach a small bodkin. This makes it easier to work it through the casing. Thread it through the casing, safety pin first.
Once you get the string to the other side, remove your safety pin or other tool and adjust the string so that the ends are even.
Knot the ends together once or twice to keep it from coming out.
Ta-da! It’s done! Perfect for organizing your purse, storing jewelry or other small items, or as a small gift bag.
Or holding your favorite bar of soap.
Tutorials are always a little complicated to write because it’s easy to overlook small steps in things you do frequently. If something is unclear, please ask. 🙂
If you have any other creative uses for a SubEarthan Cottage soap wrapper, I would love to hear it!
Instant Pot Sausage Potato Soup (Great for Crock Pots, Too!)
With freezing temperatures and possible snow in the forecast, it seemed like the perfect time to revisit this delicious sausage potato soup recipe.
I love the slightly spicy, creamy Zuppa Toscana soup from Olive Garden. Since going gluten-free and dairy-free, Zuppa Toscana and pretty much anything Olive Garden are out of the question. With the cold weather, though, I really crave soups. I made some potato soup a few days ago that was yummy, but just not the same. Today I realized I happened to have everything I needed to attempt a sausage and potato soup very much like Zuppa Toscana.
It doesn’t have quite the same creaminess due to substituting almond milk. Cashew milk is a creamier substitute, but I didn’t have any on hand. For a first dairy-free attempt, it turned out pretty darn close.
I made my sausage potato soup in my electric pressure cooker. You could easily make it in a slow cooker or on the stove top, but I like how the pressure cooker really develops the flavors, similar to cooking in a slow cooker but without the long cook time. I also love that I can use the saute function on my pressure cooker to brown the sausage. This prevents having to dirty a skillet, like I would if I used a slow cooker.
Sausage Potato Soup
Dairy and gluten free sausage potato soup inspired by Olive Garden's zuppa toscana. I prefer making it in my electric pressure cooker but it could easily be done in a slow cooker or on the stove top.
Servings: 6 people
Equipment
- Electric Pressure Cooker, unless cooking on stove top or slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Sausage
- 3-4 Largish potatoes, sliced
- 1 medium Onion, diced White or yellow.
- 2-3 cups Kale, torn or chopped. Could substitute spinach or other greens.
- 6-8 cups Chicken broth (gluten-free if desired) You want enough to cover the rest of the ingredients in the pot without too much over.
- 2 cups Almond or Cashew milk
- Salt to taste
- Crushed red pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Select the "Saute" function on the pressure cooker.
- Add the olive oil and brown the sausage.
- Add the onion a few minutes before the sausage finishes browning to soften.
- When the sausage is browned, turn off the "Saute" function.
- Add the potatoes, kale, broth and seasonings. Do not add the almond or cashew milk yet.
- Lock the pressure cooker's lid in place and select the "Soup" function. I used the 30 minute function.
- After the cooking is complete, either wait for pressure to naturally release or CAREFULLY do a manual release. Soups spray and spatter if you immediately try to release the pressure, so I recommend waiting at least ten minutes if you are going to manually release the pressure.
- Add the almond/cashew milk and stir. The soup should be hot enough to heat the milk addition without additional cooking.
- Enjoy!
Notes
I don’t really measure recipes like this, so most measurements are approximate.
The stove top instructions are basically the same. Brown the sausage in a big soup pot, add the ingredients except the milk and simmer for around thirty minutes. Add the milk and serve.
For the slow cooker, brown the meat on the stove, add everything but the milk to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add the milk and serve.
Please leave a comment if you try this and let me know how it turns out. If any of my instructions need clarification, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments, too.
For more electric pressure cooker recipes and tips, click here. To stay up to date on SubEarthan Cottage happenings, please sign up for my newsletter.
A Few Changes
Just before Thanksgiving, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I finally began treatment last week after many, MANY scans and tests. Hopefully now that everything is in place I will be able to get back into something of a routine, but I have one more biopsy tomorrow that could change my treatment plan a bit, so we’ll see how that goes. Fingers crossed that this one is normal and everything can proceed as planned.
Because chemo does wear me out, I will be limiting any made to order items in my shop at times and may add a day or so to expected shipping times just in case.
Blog-wise, I’ve debated how much I want to share. After thinking about how much reading other people’s cancer treatment stories help me with knowing what to expect, I’ve decided I will probably be pretty open about it. There will still be plenty of crafty posts and recipes, too, so it won’t be a complete change in subject.
I also may share some other blogs that I think are fitting from time to time. If you are interested in writing a guest post or having your work featured, please check out this page Want to be featured?
Homemade Candles are the Way To Go
I love candles. Making your own is a great way to recycle old wax into something uniquely yours. This post from Crafting a Green World shares several methods for candle making.
Whether you’re rolling beeswax candles with kids or pouring a multi-color, multi-layer jarred candle, homemade candles give you the power to fill …
Homemade Candles are the Way To Go