So here's the plan. On March 10 I will begin chemotherapy. I'm enrolled in a trial which will last either 12 or 24 weeks. I'll be taking two medications in conjunction with each other which target my specific kind of cancer.  My cancer is HER2 positive, which means these two "smart drugs" will target the HER2, which is the protein/gene that is causing my cancer to grow so rapidly. The tumors in my left breast have grown from being 4 cm when first measured to over 12 cm now.
The chemotherapy's goal is to shrink the tumors. There is a greater chance the cancer WILL NOT return if the tumors are smaller when I have surgery to remove them. Yes, I will have surgery after chemo.  There is no doubt I will have a mastectomy of the left breast. And, since the cancer HAS spread to my lymph node, there is no doubt I will have radiation for 7 weeks after I recover from surgery and before I have reconstruction. Those are the words of my doctor, Dr. Forero. The good news about being enrolled in the trial is that these two drugs have fewer visible side effects than regular chemo. The trial chemo side effects are fatigue, diarrhea (to the point of dehydration if I'm not careful), skin rash and I don't know what else yet. If the trial does not work for me, I will have regular chemo at some point down the road. I will receive chemo by a "port" in my chest every three weeks, as well as by oral pill daily. That's the plan as of right now.