Timeline

July 2018 – Discovered lump

August 2018 – Tried for 3 weeks (unsuccessfully) to get an appointment with primary care provider.  

Tuesday, 9/11/2018 – Planned Parenthood to the rescue!  Manual breast exam at Planned Parenthood – they refer me for more imaging.

Thursday, 10/11/18 – Mammogram reveals micro-calcifications that could indicate cancer.  They schedule me for a biopsy.  

Thursday, 10/18/18 – Breast biopsy 

Tuesday, 10/23/18 – I get the phone call – I have breast cancer – ductal carcinoma in situ.

Friday, 11/2/18 – First consultation with breast surgeon.  We discuss lumpectomy (removing the tumor), mastectomy (removing the entire breast), and the possibility that invasive cancer may also be present because of the size of the mass.  Surgeon schedules me for an MRI.

Friday, 11/9/18 – Breast MRI

Monday, 11/12/18 – Surgeon calls with MRI results.  The mass is larger than originally thought – 6-7 cm.  She recommends a unilateral (single-breast) mastectomy. 

Thursday, 11/15/18 – Genetic testing, to see if I have any gene mutations that increase risk of cancer & recurrence

Wednesday, 11/21/18 – Brian, my mom, my friend Francis, and I meet with a plastic surgeon in Walnut Creek to discuss reconstruction.   

Monday, 11/26/18 – 2nd opinion

Tuesday, 12/11/18 – My surgery date!  Unilateral mastectomy with no reconstruction.  

Thursday, 12/27/18 – Began fertility preservation (egg freezing) treatments: two, then three daily hormone injections, and a daily blood draw & ultrasound.

Monday, 1/7/19 – Egg harvesting day! Surgery to collect my eggs and freeze them.