It’s been a minute since I’ve shared an update—and not because I’ve been holding anything back, but simply because there hasn’t been much to report other than weekly fills of my expander and that's not exciting. BUT, that changed today after meeting with my medical oncologist, and I’ve got some things to unpack—not just medically, but emotionally.
Let’s rewind a bit.
After surgery and all the initial test results came in, I found myself sitting in this strange mental space. Everything I’ve shared—my thoughts, feelings, and unshakable optimism—has been authentic. But there was one feeling I hadn’t quite said out loud or put into the universe… until now.
Have you heard of the docuseries Scamanda? It tells the story of Amanda Riley, a blogger who faked a cancer diagnosis and collected over $100,000 in donations from her community. I watched it before my own diagnosis, and it turned my stomach.
Fast forward to April 30, when I received my diagnosis and joined online support groups. Many shared harrowing stories—difficult journeys filled with grueling treatments, heavy side effects, heartbreaking decisions. And honestly? My story didn’t match theirs.
This is where I started to feel a little like Scamanda - not in the sense that I created this narrative and diagnosis that wasn't true but in the sense that my diagnosis and treatment plan was in most cases very different from those I read about thus making me feel like an imposter.
I didn’t need chemo or radiation before surgery. I don’t carry any genetic mutations—my cancer appears environmental. My plastic surgeon was able to spare parts of my breast that many aren't able to, my oncologist only had to remove one lymph node which is very rare and I received clear margins when removing all of the tissue. My stage was reduced post-surgery from 1B to 1A. And I’m healing well. So why did I feel out of place in the breast cancer community?
I told Nick, “I feel like a breast cancer patient imposter.” His response? “No. Flip the script. Use this to highlight the power of early detection. Maybe it’ll help someone else catch it early too.”
He’s right. But knowing that didn’t instantly erase the feelings.
Which brings me to today’s lesson:
Lesson #6: The Oncotype DX Score
After surgery, your final diagnosis—including grade and stage—comes in. That took a week. But there’s another layer: the Oncotype DX Score, which helps determine your risk of recurrence and whether chemo might still be beneficial. That part took weeks. And today, we finally got to discuss it.
So, what is it?
The Oncotype DX test looks at 21 genes in your tumor (16 related to cancer and 5 as references) and assigns a recurrence score from 0 to 100. It’s designed for patients like me: early-stage, hormone receptor positive, HER2-negative, and lymph node negative. Basically, it helps answer the question, “Would chemotherapy significantly lower my risk, or would it be overtreatment?”
It’s a powerful tool—one that personalizes care and ensures we’re not throwing everything at the wall just in case. And it’s yet another step forward in navigating this path with informed, intentional choices.
So, what did my Oncotype score reveal—and what did my oncologist recommend next? Let’s just say I don't feel like Scamanda or an imposter anymore! Let's dive in, in part 16.
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