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My Treatment Plan & Timeline: Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer
What to Expect

My Treatment Plan & Timeline: Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer

What to Expect

Author:

Aidan Morris

One of the things I’ve become most passionate about on my healing journey is the sharing of knowledge,  specifically treatment regimens of survivors. Doctors often prescribe the Standard of Care to their patients. The Standard of Care is a general treatment protocol that is accepted by medical experts and widely used. I am not knocking the Standard of Care; it’s an important cornerstone in the medical field. However, some forms of cancer require a tailored treatment plan. Especially when dealing with “newer” or more aggressive cancers. In these cases, the Standard of Care can be a starting point.

So, when do you need more? That’s a conversation for you and your doctor. For me, I used the Standard of Care as my baseline choosing to speed up lag time and diversify my treatment options. I combined five different types of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and immunotherapy (see my exact timeline below).

Some days were hard. Going through three years of treatment can be trying (read more about how I mentally prepared for chemo), but all of my therapies contributed to me being able to say that I am cancer free! So, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

My treatment plan and timeline for my stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Melanoma:

FridayApril 5, 2019
  • Diagnosed

Week of April 8th
  • Met with 2 surgeons. Heard their perspectives on possible treatment and surgery options.
  • Met with an oncologist
  • Learned about my cancer & its growth
  • Outlined my treatment plan
  • Set a start date
  • Genetic testing

Week of April 15th
  • Met with a Nutritionist
  • Had a PET scan to see if the cancer had spread
  • Had an ECHO cardiogram to see if my heart could handle the chemo
  • Flew to Houston to meet with doctors at MD Anderson
  • Met with an Oncologist, Surgeon, Radiation Oncologist & Plastic Surgeon
  • Confirmed my treatment plan
  • Confirmed the only type of surgery I should be having is a full mastectomy

April 22nd – June 14th: 4 Sessions of Dose Dense A/C Chemotherapy (Adriamycin and Cytoxan)
  • April 23: Dose of A/C
  • April 24: Intravenous hydration & Neulasta shot
  • May 7: Dose of A/C
  • May 8: Intravenous hydration & Neulasta shot
  • May 21: Dose of A/C
  • May 22: Intravenous hydration & Neulasta shot
  • June 4: Final dose of A/C
  • June 5: Intravenous hydration & Neulasta shot
  • June 14: Heart ultrasound to see how my heart was holding up during chemo

June – September: 12 Sessions of Taxol & Carboplatin Chemotherapy
  • June 18: T&C infusion
  • June 19: Intravenous hydration
  • June 25: T&C infusion
  • June 26: Intravenous hydration
  • July 2: T&C infusion, followed by immediate hydration
  • July 9: Fourth  T&C infusion, followed by immediate hydration
  • July 16: T&C infusion, followed by immediate hydration
  • July 22: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count

Had to skip chemo this week due to low blood count numbers

  • July 25: Flew to Houston to meet with my MD Anderson doctors about my chemotherapy progress
  • July 27: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • July 29: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • July 30 SixthT&C infusion, followed by immediate hydration
  • August 1: Acupuncture
  • August 2: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • August 5: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • August 6: Seventh T&C infusion, followed by immediate hydration
  • August 7: Acupuncture
  • August 9: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • August 12: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • August 13: Eighth T&C infusion, followed by immediate hydration
  • August 16: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • August 19: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • August 21: Ninth T&C infusion, followed by immediate hydration
  • August 23: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • August 26: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • August 27: Tenth T&C infusion, followed by immediate hydration
  • August 30: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • Sep 2: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • Sep 3: T&C infusion, followed by immediate hydration
  • Sep 6: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • Sep 9: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • Sep 10: Twelfth T&C infusion, followed by immediate hydration
  • Sep 13: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • Sep 20: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • Sep 23: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count
  • Sep 30: Neupogen shot to boost my white blood cell count

October: Single Mastectomy & Radiation Prep
  • Oct 2: Acupuncture
  • Oct 4: Flew to Houston 
  • Oct 7: Bi-lateral diagnostic mammogram, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, blood test
  • Oct 8: Anesthesia assessment, pre-op surgeon meeting
  • Oct 9: Guided axillary seed implant (to help surgeon zero in on affected lymph node
  • Oct 10: Single mastectomy and removal 22 lymph nodes in the left arm
  • Oct 12: Flew home
  • Oct 21: Flew to Houston, drain removal, physical therapy evaluation, lymphedema surveillance, met with Oncologist to discuss  pathology from tissue removed (I still had some residual disease in my breast tissue and in one lymph node, 6 months of Xeloda [oral chemo] was recommended).
  • Oct 22: Post-op with Surgeon to monitor healing and discuss findings, consultation with Radiation Oncologist, flew home.
  • Oct 28: Radiation simulation (imaging, mold making & set-up), physical therapy, PET scan

November: Radiation
  • My family and I flew to Houston to being my 6 weeks of radiation
  • Treatment was once a day Monday – Friday. Note: the first radiation session is a dry run
  • Complimentary physical therapy to reduce tightness and increase strength & mobility 3x a week

December: Radiation & Xeloda (Oral Chemotherapy)
  • Dec 1: Began taking Xeloda: 2x a day, 12 hours apart for 2 full weeks, then one week off (the full 3 weeks is considered 1 cycle)
  • Radiation continued 1x a day Monday – Friday
  • Physical therapy continued 3x a week
  • Dec 13: My final radiation treatment and physical therapy session
  • Dec 14: My family & I flew home
  • Dec 22: Start round 2 of Xeloda

January: Melanoma & Port Surgery & Xeloda
  • Jan 5: Start round 3 of Xeloda
  • Jan 26: Start round 4 of Xeloda
  • Jan 31: Toe amputation (Melanoma) & port-a-cath insertion

February – August: Xeloda (Oral Chemotherapy) & Keytruda (Immunotherapy)
  • Xeloda (oral chemo) – continued with my Xeloda cycles: 2x a day, 12 hours apart for 2 full weeks, then one week off
  • Last day of my last Xeloda cycle was August 1st
  • I completed 12 rounds of Xeloda
  • Keytruda (immunotherapy) – was trending very positively for triple negative, but was not yet approved by the FDA; it was however approved for melanoma – so it was a double dip for me
  • Keytruda is giving intravenously 1x every 3 weeks

August 2020 – Feb 2022: Keytruda (immunotherapy)
  • I continued to received Keytruda 1x every three weeks through Feb of 2022, completing two full years of immunotherapy treatment

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