This post contains affiliate links, which are designed for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to other websites. For my full disclosure policy click here.
Hi there! I’m Stephanie and I am a breast cancer survivor.
But you probably know that already.
Most people come over to this page from somewhere else on my blog in order to read my full cancer story. If you keep scrolling, you’ll find it in full detail below. Poop, boobs, nipples, ovaries, the works!
If, on the other hand, you’re more interested in the Reader’s Digest version…I’ve got you covered as well!
After having my third child (“Ladybug”) in September of 2015, my right breast did not produce milk. During my post-op appointment with my OB/GYN (I am a C-Section mom), I mentioned my struggle to nurse on that side. She checked things out and said that she thought she felt a slight lump directly under my nipple.
I really wasn’t concerned, and the fact that nothing showed up on a follow-up ultrasound pushed the issue even further back in my mind. I nursed Ladybug for one year with one breast. Heck, if moms of multiples can keep up with nursing their babies…my ONE breast could feed ONE baby, right?
So the year passed and I weaned Ladybug. A couple of months later, in December of 2016 (on my birthday, as a matter of fact), I found a large lump directly to the side of my right areola. It was so large, in fact, that I could visibly see it. My stomach sunk…the “invisible” bump had grown.
After my first mammogram (no big deal, by the way), a follow-up ultrasound, and biopsy, I received the news that I had breast cancer on December 21, 2016.
I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (which turned out to be Stage II-C after a scare putting me at Stage III-B for a short time). I received the full pathology of my cancer after my bilateral mastectomy (with immediate placement of tissue expanders for reconstruction) in February of 2017.
My cancer was ER/PR positive and HER-2 negative. I had micrometastases in my sentinel lymph node, but they did not remove additional nodes for examination because it would not have changed my treatment plan.
That treatment plan began in March of 2017 with chemotherapy.
Since my cancer was acting somewhat aggressively, my oncologist opted for dose-dense chemo. I received 4 rounds of AC chemo over eight weeks (12 weeks is more typical), then I switched over to weekly rounds of Taxol over the course of 12 weeks.
A PET CT Scan showed no evidence of distant disease.
I opted to have radiation due to my positive sentinel node biopsy. So I spent the late summer popping in at the radiation oncology department everyday. I had 28 rounds of radiation over the course of five and a half weeks.
After treatment, I made the difficult decision to have my ovaries removed. I also completed the reconstruction process in April of 2018, with nipple reconstruction in October 2018 (I have a blog post in progress to talk about this process).
Speaking of blogging…I decided to blog about my journey in the hopes of “paying it forward” for the help and comfort that I received from reading about the experiences of other bloggers. As of January of this year, the main website of Mommy Standard Time is being run as my business (because the “hobby” was just getting too expensive). This means that you will probably see some ads as you read my cancer-related posts. Also, in order to provide a consistent experience for my blog readers, ANY link that takes you to Amazon will be an affiliate link.
I just want you to know that my whole-hearted intention in posting about cancer has been to be helpful (and not earn advertising fees). I don’t want anyone to feel like I’m trying to profit from my breast cancer experience. Ultimately, I’m just trying to pay for this little corner of the internet so that I can continue to keep my story available for those who need it.
On that note: Here is the rest of my cancer-related content that you might find useful. The first one might be especially interesting to you, since it gives you the Reader’s Digest version of my story (one photo at a time) in a quick video.
Helpful Cancer Posts
What 365 Days of Cancer Looks Like
Motivational Music for Working Out with Cancer
What You ACTUALLY Need for Mastectomy Recovery
Breast Cancer Survivorship – What NO ONE Tells You About the First Year
How to Tell Your Kids You Have Cancer
My Breast Cancer Story
This is my entire cancer story, blogged as I was living it. I have done my best to give you an idea of the highlights in each entry in case you’re looking for a particular aspect of breast cancer. If you click on one entry, you will be able to continue through my story from there using the “continue reading” link at the bottom of the post.
1) Why I Am Blogging About My Cancer Journey
3) Diagnosis – Part One {Mammogram and Ultrasound}
4) Diagnosis – Part Two {Biopsy and Results}
5) Weekly Update #1 (January 15, 2017) {Genetic Testing, Initial Consults with Cancer Team, Skin Biopsy,Tumor Details}
6) Weekly Update #2 (January 22, 2017) {Echocardiogram}
7) Weekly Update #3 (January 31, 2017) {More Tumor Details, Surgical and Chemo Game Plan}
8) Weekly Update #4 (February 5, 2017) {Preparing for Mastectomy}
9) Weekly Update #5 (February 12, 2017) {Mastectomy and Recovery}
10) Weekly Update #6 (February 20, 2017) {Post-Op Appointments and Pathology Results}
11) Weekly Update #7 (February 26, 2017) {First Saline Injection, Radiation Game Plan, PET Scan, First Zoladex, Chemo Teaching}
12) Weekly Update #8 (March 6, 2017) {First Round of Chemo, First Neulasta}
13) Weekly Update #9 (March 11, 2017) {Toxicity Check, Facial, One Month Post-Mastectomy}
14) Weekly Update #10 (March 18, 2017) {Second Round of Chemo, Hair Loss}
15) Weekly Update #11 (March 28, 2017) {Chemo Side Effects}
16) Weekly Update #12 (April 2, 2017) {Third Round of Chemo, Bummers, Bright Spots}
17) Weekly Update #13 (April 10, 2017) {Battling a Cold, Plastic Surgeon}
18) Weekly Update #14 (April 17, 2017) {Last Round of AC Chemo}
19) Weekly Update #15 (April 24, 2017) {Plastic Surgeon, Game Plan for Finishing Expansions}
20) Weekly Update #16 (May 1, 2017) {Taxol 1 of 12, Zoladex, Ovary Discussion}
21) Weekly Update #17 (May 8, 2017) {Taxol 2 of 12, Wig}
22) Weekly Update #18 (May 15, 2017) {Taxol 3 of 12, Mother’s Day, Independence}
23) Weekly Update #19 (May 21, 2017) {Taxol 4 of 12, Sore Expansion, Losing Eyebrows and Eyelashes}
24) Weekly Update #20 (May 28, 2017) {Taxol 5 of 12, New Chemo Day}
25) Weekly Update #21 (June 4, 2017) {Taxol 6 of 12, Expander Before and After, Brown Fingernails}
26) Weekly Update #22 (June 11, 2017) {Taxol 7 of 12, Peach Fuzz}
27) Weekly Update #23 (June 18, 2017) {Taxol 8 of 12, Emotional Day at Chemo}
28) Weekly Update #24 (June 26, 2017) {Taxol 9 of 12, Side Effect Update, Zoladex, Facial}
29) Weekly Update #25 (July 2, 2017) {Taxol 10 of 12, Talking Radiation, Scary Reminder}
30) Weekly Update #26 (July 12, 2017) {Taxol 11 of 12, OT Consult, Gross Fingernails, More Peach Fuzz}
31) Weekly Update #27 (July 16, 2017) {Last Day of Chemo, Last Expansion}
32) Weekly Update #28 (July 23, 2017) {Radiation Scans, Change of Plans}
33) Weekly Update #29 (August 6, 2017) {Losing Breast Volume, More Radiation Scans, Hair Dye For Peach Fuzz}
34) Weekly Update, August 13, 2017 {First Week of Radiation, OT Visit, Hair Loss Update}
35) Weekly Update, August 20, 2017 {Second Week of Radiation, Zoladex, Port Flush, Eyebrows}
36) Weekly Update, August 27, 2017 {Third Week of Radiation, Eclipse, Red Armpit, Party Planning}
37) Weekly Update, September 3, 2017 {Fourth Week of Radiation, Fingernail and Hair Update}
38) Weekly Update, September 10, 2017 {Fifth Week of Radiation, Sadness}
39) Weekly Update, September 18, 2017 {Last Week of Radiation, Zoladex, Port Flush, Surgery Plan, Tender Mercies}
40) Weekly Update, September 24, 2017 {Oophorectomy}
41) Weekly Update, October 1, 2017 {Refilling the Tissue Expander, Fingernails, Irritability}
42) Weekly Update, October 8, 2017 {Post-Oophorectomy Check-Up, Cancerpalooza, Hospital}
43) Weekly Update, October 15, 2017 {Survivorship}
44) Monthly Update, October 2017