Sounds FISH-Y to me

Today I received a call from my nurse navigator (an oncology nurse assigned to me during all of my Cancer surgeries, treatments, etc. She told me a little bit of good news involving my recent FISH test. The FISH test (Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization) is a test that “maps” the genetic material in a person’s cells. This test can be used to visualize specific genes or portions of genes. FISH testing is done on breast cancer tissue removed during biopsy to see if the cells have extra copies of the HER2 gene. The more copies of the HER2 gene that are present, the more HER2 receptors the cells have. These HER2 receptors receive signals that stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells.
The FISH test results will tell you that the cancer is either “positive” or “negative” for Her2/neu.

HER2/neu (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2), is a protein that appears on the surface of some breast cancer cells. It is an important part of the cellular pathway for growth and survival.

• HER2/neu-positive (HER2+) tumors have many HER2/neu genes inside the cancer cells (also called HER2/neu over-expression) and a large amount of HER2/neu protein on the surface of the cancer cells
• HER2/neu-negative (HER2-) tumors have few HER2/neu genes inside the cancer cells and little or no HER2/neu protein on the surface of the cancer cells

About 15 to 20 percent of breast cancers are HER2+. These breast cancers tend to be more aggressive than other tumors. HER2/neu status helps guide your treatment plan. My tumor is Her2/neu negative which is good news because it means that my tumor has fewer HER2/neu genes inside of it and the cancer is less aggressive than those that are HER2/neu positive! YAY FOR ME!!! (it's a small celebration but I'll take any I can get at this point!)

I also received the report on my hormone receptor status. Hormone receptors are proteins found inside some cancer cells. When hormones (estrogen and progesterone) attach to these receptors, they make the cancer cells grow.

• Estrogen and progesterone receptor-positive (ER+ and PR+) tumors have many hormone receptors
• Estrogen and progesterone receptor-negative (ER- and PR-) tumors have few or no hormone receptors

The hormone receptor status guides the treatment plan. My tumor is ER+ and PR+, (estrogen and progesterone positive which means those hormones stimulate the Cancer and cause it to grow.) Doctors need to know what stimulates the tumor to grow so they can interrupt the stimulants by using hormone therapies, such as tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, chemotherapy, and radiation.

I won't know my exact course of treatment until the surgery is performed and the lymph node biopsies come back from pathology. But thankfully we have these various tests and tools to help the doctors know best how to fight my individual Cancer cells.

©bonnie annis all rights reserved

The ultimate wake up call

Receiving a diagnosis of Breast Cancer has been the ultimate wake up call for me. As soon as I heard the words come out of the doctor's mouth, I immediately thought I'd just been given my death sentence. I was frightened beyond words.

I'm a realist and I know we're all going to die sometime. The question is not "if" but "when." For Cancer patients sometimes the "when" becomes an immediate issue when in all actuality, we should be focused on this issue every single day. There's a popular song out right now called "Live like you were dying" but how many people do you know that really live that way? I don't know many myself, in fact most people I know take every day for granted. They get into a regular routine and just assume they're going to wake up the next morning. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. I'm choosing to "live like I was dying now."

Life is precious and not to be wasted. Why then do we fill up our lives with meaningless, trivial details? Why do we waste time worrying over insignificant events and lose sight of the real issues of life? Why do we focus on things we can never change? Why is it so easy to focus on all the negativity in the world? We need to learn to live enthusiastically. We need to learn to live with optimism and hope.

The word enthusiasm comes from two Greek words meaning "God within." We are the conduit of His love and when we live enthusiastically, we allow His love to permeate our being. Cancer patients are often told that positive thinking will affect the outcome of their treatment in a good way. It's hard to be positive and enthusiastic when dealing with side effects from toxic chemicals swimming in your bloodstream, but it can be done. I know several women who've done it.

Let me tell you about one of the women I had the honor of knowing. Her name was Rachael. Rachael was in her late thirties and was the mother of two young children. When she was first diagnosed with Breast Cancer, she knew she was in for the fight of her life. She not only wanted to live for herself, but for her husband and her children. Rachael fought valiantly. She did everything the doctors told her to do. She changed her diet, exercised, followed the prescribed treatment plans, and did everything right. The doctors didn't give Rachael a good prognosis. In fact, they told her she didn't have long to live, but Rachael proved them wrong. With her deep faith in God, her positive outlook on life and great enthusiasm; she did all she could to beat Cancer. Rachael lived about 5 years longer than expected and in that time, I never saw her complain. I never saw her depressed. I never saw her be angry. Her will to live was strong. She loved God and always showed love for others.

I want my life to be like that. Getting diagnosed with Breast Cancer has been an ultimate wake up call for me. I don't look at things the way I did in the past any longer. I don't take things for granted. Every sunrise is a gift to me. I am choosing to live my life differently now. Instead of dwelling on problems or stressful situations; I'm learning to live in the moment. Like Rachael, I'm choosing to allow my faith in God to be what carries me through this difficult time in my life. I will cling to hope.

I am not ready to die. I am not willing to accept a death sentence. I'm not going down without a fight! I'm going to do whatever it takes to beat this disease and when I come out on the other side of it, when I can truly say I'm a survivor, I'm going to shake my fist in Cancer's face and say enthusiastically "you thought this was going to be an easy victory didn't you, but you were sadly mistaken." I am positive that I will be victorious because Christ lives inside me and the victory has already been won!

©bonnie annis all rights reserved