History:

1. Stage III breast cancer- lobular-- originally thought to be Stage II (that's the difficulty with lobular, for those of you who know. Dx- June/July 2002. Moderate growth, although my oncologist treated it as aggressive.
2. Lumpectomy- Aug 2002- discovered pervasiveness of disease in right breast-- lobular, not ductal. (long story about how I selected my oncologist but will share sometime)- 3 of six lymph nodes were cancerous- had sentinel node biopsy
3. Treatment course: Tumor conference with surgeon, oncologist, radiation oncologist and others yielded recommendation of chemo followed by mastectomy and then radiation.
4. 6 infusions- 3 weeks apart - Adriamycin, Cytoxan, Taxotere (yes, all 3 all the time)
5. Bi-lateral mastectomy, since lobular patients have an increased probability of a second dx in the other breast-- and my mother, who passed away from the illness-- had that second dx.It was a good decision-- even after chemo, there were 5 cm of cancer remaining in the right breast, and pre-cancerous cells were found in the left one. To this day, I have not had reconstruction and joke about being "pancake girl."
6. Radiation-- I believe 35 treatments.
7. Nearly 2 years of lupron shots in lieu of tamoxifen or arimidex (had negative reactions).

The above does not cover the seemingly endless CT scans, MRIs of the brain, EKGs, bone density tests, and other procedures.  The list above is simply the highlights.

Side effects:

• Chemo brain, although no one told me of this side effect
• Nausea, but worse from the anti-nausea meds
• Fatigue (of course)
• Hair loss (of course)
• Insomnia
• Headaches, possibly mild ischemic attacks as shown on an MRI
• Plantar fasciitis - not fun at all
• Severe bone pain from the neulasta shots
• Weakened immunity from infection
• Drops in CBC
• Some neuropathy

There could have been others, but after beginning to keep a journal for both medical and personal reasons, I decided it was best not to dwell on the side effects.

I am a cognitive psychologist and inventor who has combined cognitive neuroscience with nutrition, computer-based training, and mindfulness meditation (and other modalities as needed) into a customizable program that addresses many problems, such as ADHD symptoms, memory impairment,and many not-otherwise-specified problems. A federal grant in 2004 helped me develop this approach and I hold a patent on the system.

I "climbed out of the pit" of cognitive problems and a weakened body from the chemotherapy. I also had a spike in my tumor marker blood test just a few months after the radiation had ceased. I developed a 4-part program that I have followed.

Coping mechanisms: Humor, research, living in the moment, showing up at the office, watching tennis and Tour de France on tv, wonderful neighbors-- and did I say humor?

Why I've been rather quiet until now (except for survivor presentations): I have passed the not-so-magic-anymore 5-year mark and now truly consider myself a survivor. Also, many survivor issues are emerging. My insurance company, for example, will no longer pay for an annual tumor marker test or hormone level tests without symptoms.

websites: http://www.vabion.com-- one of the companies I have started. There are excerpts from the chemo brain guide to recovery that i've put into an eBook.

Also, I've sponsored the creation of this chemo recovery site that will feature nutrition, pain management, and finding your mental prowess again. It's www.healthafterchemo.com. I'm very excited about the pain management approach, developed by an RN and MD.