Jennifer's Diagnosis and Treatment Timeline
Diagnosis
Jennifer was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. There was a malignant tumor in her right breast that breached the duct in which it was located.
T2N0M0 means that the Tumor was 2 cm in size, the lymph Nodes were negative, and there was no Metastasis. (Those are zeros in the formula, not the letter O.)
Other Stats--
Cancer Stage: 2
Cancer Grade: 3
ER/PR Status: Negative
HER2 Status: Negative
Treatment Timeline
Jennifer had a mammogram, an ultrasound, a biopsy, and a diagnostic mammogram on December 1, 2010. Those four procedures are not typically performed on one patient all in one day. The standard protocol is to make an appointment with your primary care provider after you receive abnormal results from a mammogram. Plans are made in that appointment for further testing. Jennifer requested a different protocol when the ultrasound merited a biopsy. Having those four procedures done on the same day traumatized her body, and she recommends that patients follow the standardized protocol.
It's also important to note that Jennifer was diagnosed at Christmastime. And she chose to have her surgery in January so that her young children would have a relatively normal Christmas. Her medical team did not recommend that.
Dates--
Diagnosis: December 3, 2010
First meeting with the surgeon: December 3, 2010
Surgery/Lumpectomy: January 6, 2011
Start of chemotherapy: February 18, 2011
End of chemotherapy: April 22, 2011
Start of radiation: May 23, 2011
End of radiation: July 1, 2011
End of treatment celebration: July 10-13, 2011*
Start of personalized follow-up schedule with medical team: Three weeks after end of treatment
*Jennifer spent a few days at Disney World to celebrate having finished six months of cancer treatment. It was an important victory to commemorate, and she hopes that all of her Survivor Sisters will celebrate their victories as well.
