We’ve got bad news
A week after I was diagnosed with Her2+ Breast Cancer, I went for my first PET Scan. A PET scan is similar to an CT Scan, main difference is what you are injected with before the scan. So, for 24 hours, I could not have sugars or carbs because before the scan, I would be injected with sugar-based serum called FDG. FDG stands for “fluorodeoxyglucose” and is a radioactive substance that gives off energy when injected into the blood stream in the form of gamma rays.
The PET scan is done to see if your cancer has spread anywhere else. For HER2+ positive cancer, it is common for it to spread. Mostly to bones or your brain. The day before my PET scan, I had a Brain MRI. We shoved a lot of tests into a span of a week and a half.
The results of a PET Scan can show the spread of cancer, and also has been known to show RA, Rheumatoid Arthritis. Now, no one tells you this going into the scan. They only focus on cancer. Now that we have had a lesson in what is going on, let’s talk about the results.
I got the results that the PET scan showed abnormalities the Wednesday before my first round of Chemo. Dr. H immediately wanted me to go for a bone biopsy of my sternum. There were two bone patches that lit up, my sternum and my sacrum. The reason I mentioned earlier that RA is known to show up on a PET scan is because I seriously believe my sacrum is RA. I have had pain that area for most of my life because of my scoliosis, which Dr. H found quite entertaining when reviewing my scan.
So, the Friday before Chemo, I was off to another biopsy. This time it was a CT guided bone biopsy, and again I was going to be awake for it. My radiologist was amazing performing the biopsy and kept me at ease throughout the whole thing. Now, I had to wait another four days to get my results.
The Results
On the day of my first chemo, I found out that my cancer had spread to my bone and I was labeled Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. YAY. There were going to be changing my chemo regimen from TCHP, to THP. By taking away the carboplatin this allowed for Dr. H and the doctor following me at MD Anderson to be more aggressive with treatment. I am on a dose heavy chemo regimen now.
I now live in fear that the cancer is spreading. Even though I am going through chemo, hearing that your cancer has spread once is enough to knock you on your ass. My team seems very hopeful and knows we are going to beat this, but at 28 hearing you have cancer is enough to ruin your life, but hearing you have stage 4 cancer that has spread is enough to put you out. Now, I am not out of the game, I am just fighting the game for my life, I refuse to lose.
