I never knew there were different types of breast cancer..just briefly, the "stage" is determined by the size of the tumor (stage 1, 2, etc)...the other thing is what is feeding the cancer cells..this is called receptor positive or negative...the cancer feeds on certain receptors in the tissue...some feed on estrogen, so you would be estrogen positive, some feed on other receptors...if it doesn't feed on certain receptors, then you would be receptor negative...all this blah-blah just means what type of treatment is needed...the standard treatment is chemo, surgery, and/or radiation...but depending on the path info, some people don't need all of those...see why you need to take notes?....
I was positive for estrogen, progesterone, and a protein called HER2..so I was "triple positive"..this is very common especially in menopausal women
the good news is that there are treatment plans for all the different types...everyone gets a plan that's specific for her or him (yes, men get BC too!)
after you see the doc, if you are still confused, the American Cancer Society has excellent resources and I would only go to that site..you can get a copy of your path report (I advise getting copies of everything, by law you are entitled)...Amer Cancer Society site has info on how to understand your pathology report
the main advice is don't be afraid to ask lots of questions!...this is your life and you need to ask about any thing you don't understand so you can make good sound informed decisions about your care ...
one other thing, do keep your spirituality up..I became more after cancer, but when I first got the diagnosis, I just told God, if this is Your will, then I accept it...I instantly became calm...I expected to die, honestly, but God regularly provided what I needed...strength, courage, good doctors, the finances to pay for treatment, support, and a good outcome...I've been learning that God doesn't cause troubles, but sometimes He allows it to strengthen our faith and prepare us for other things...that certainly has been proven to me
you can do this, just ask for His help
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