Cancer Free -- Let's Keep it That Way

I'm about 2 weeks out from surgery, and finally staying awake long enough to reflect back on it and what is still to come. 

Surgery went well, no complications. The lymph node biopsy showed no active cancer cells, so I did not have all my axillary lymph nodes removed--very happy about that. However, the breast tissue did have some remaining cancer cells, called a residual tumor. The surgeon removed it with clean margins, so right now I am considered cancer free! The goal is to keep it that way, with follow up chemo and radiation. 

The residual tumor changes my follow up chemo regimen. My cancer is Her2-positive. Her2 is a protein that makes cancer cells grow faster, but it also provides a target for antibody treatments which can be quite effective. I was already going to get a year of Her2 antibody treatments, but because of the residual tumor I am getting a pretty new type of chemotherapy that combines that antibody treatment and chemo into one medication. I am starting that today. It is designed to reduce the risk of recurrence by destroying any undetectable cancer cells that might be floating around, and it is not as hard on healthy cells as traditional chemo.

Radiation was in my plan either way, and that will start in a few weeks after my body heals from surgery. I will get that for 6 or 7 weeks. This will further blast the areas where the cancer was detected, to make sure it doesn't try to come back.

That's what I know at the moment. And now, a nap.