Staging is just one way to describe the cancer. It is not the whole story. It basically can just tell you the cancer’s size, location and how far it has or has not spread.

Grade of your tumor is how fast the tumor is growing. Grade 1 means slow growth Grade 3 is the fastest growth.

Lumpectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the tumor.

Mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast.

Sentinel Node Biopsy is when they biopsy your lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread through the lymph nodes or left traces of spreading in your lymph nodes.

Most people diagnosed with breast cancer will not need chemotherapy. However, if you do need chemotherapy there are a variety of chemotherapy drugs that you may be prescribed, and they interact very differently. Chemotherapy can impact fertility so I did undergo fertility treatments to preserve my eggs prior to chemotherapy. I’ll talk about that in another post because it was a whole ordeal unto itself. Each person’s experience through chemotherapy is different. I had a relatively easy chemotherapy regimen compared to many which was 4 total treatments, 1 each 3 weeks for 4 months of Taxotere and Cyclophosphamide.  Some folks have no trouble working through chemotherapy. Others can’t do anything. Listen to your body and try not to judge yourself. I was nauseated constantly, everything tasted like metal, I passed out from bone pain and constipation and had a consistent low-grade fever of about 100.1. I did not do anything but complain during chemotherapy and looking back I don't think I could have done anything differently and I wish I had been kinder to myself.

Everyone is different but I would suggest not trying the icehut or paxman cooling caps. They work for a limited portion of the population and did not work for me. They add time to treatment, and it is uncomfortable. I shed the entire time through chemotherapy and wished I had just shaved my head from the beginning.

Radiation for me was 5x/week for 20 treatments. My main symptoms were nausea and tiredness. Acupuncture and yoga were incredibly helpful for me during this time. Yoga surprisingly really helped me with my energy and anxiety. I also used cannabis, specifically RSO products to be able to treat my nausea.

As far as wigs I found out that cheap amazon wigs are far better than big investment pieces and give you more versatility. I also used cotton wraps to cover my head because they were adjustable and cooler. I wish I had gotten my eyebrows micro-bladed prior to chemotherapy because losing my eyebrows was very jarring for me. I also lost my eyelashes and used false eyelashes. I found it difficult to regulate my temperature and had hot flashes randomly where I would just be pouring sweat. I had night sweats so bad that there was an outline of me in sweat that permanently stained our mattress.

My mental health really struggled during and especially immediately after treatment. I saw that my illness and my pain were causing others pain and it took a toll on my self worth. I was unable to work or provide for myself. My debt made me feel undeserving of treatment. I felt like a black hole, sucking all positivity and light in and turning into nothingness. Depression causes lack of energy but lack of energy can also influence depression. I also found that AFTER treatment the depression got worse for a few months. It was a lot of wondering how to go back to any kind of "regular" life. I found this is very common (mayo clinic, Dana Farber) and I learned it is better to reach out. I found great support from other folks who have had cancer in their lives online.

Cancer is scary. It is also common. You are not alone and I am here if you have any questions! Reach out :) Love yall.