Recently dx'd - sigh

Near end of September when diagnosed and everything feels like it's moving pretty fast. So many new faces on my medical team plus the nurse navigators for each part of this journey.

Anyway, Stage 1 - Invasive Ductal Adenocarcinoma

HER/2 was negative, but ER and PR were positive. I don't quite get the difference between carcinoma or adenocarcinoma. I thought they were both malignant - maybe not?

Anyway, even with imaging it's a bit convoluted as to the size of the actual tumor. 7mm is what I was told, but between my finding the lump in the first place, gyn able to palpate it before all the diagnostics were ordered, and even surgeon can palpate this mass/lump that feels the size of a ping pong ball - it's measuring small on imaging. I've lost count of how many times I've had to explain how I found the lump in the first place. Well, duh - my breast has been on and off having weird pain that I'd dismissed as probably some of my other medical issues but when it started having burning zingers - figured I best check it. And voila there was this lump that wasn't there a few months ago.

Surgeon recommendation lumpectomy (scheduled for this Friday), plus he will remove for certain a sentinal node and possibly an axillary node.

Between all the imaging (diagnostic mammo, ultrasound, MRI w/contrast), different prominent lymph nodes are cropping up. One axillary node was fine needle biopsied via ultrasound guided same time they did core needle biopsy. Only came back "reactive", whatever that means.

Anyway, recommendations at this point are of course the surgery as stated above, some kind of estrogen receptor blocker med (Unknown which one yet, as I don't see Med Onc until a couple of weeks after surgery) and radiation.

Unless something changes via post op pathology, Rad Onc is recommending 13 treatments of some kind of external beam radiation?

I am oddly more concerned about the radiation than I am the cancer. Rad Onc is aware I have a diagnosis of Sjogrens which is a cousin autoimmune to scleroderma, RA, etc. This modality of treatment is contraindicated for scleroderma. Never been tested for scleroderma but do have connective tissue issues.

I'm also informed this radiation could result in scarring on top of left lung (left breast is the cancer one) and the more I read up on this treatment, it can also affect the heart????

Has anyone who has been through this radiation treatment chime in on their experience (straight up front pluses and munies - not sugar-coated )

Factor in also that I have an extensively complicated medical situation. 

They didn't do the DNA testing, as I have no first generation relative with breast cancer (that I know of anyway)

I'll fret on the Med Onc recommendation when I get there. Lots of questions about that too. How on earth are they going to work around not only my current meds, but my extensive allergies?

A couple a friend found that are commonly rx'd to get me started checking on contraindications, etc contain sulfate. I am allergic to sulfate. Do they all have sulfate in them?? I hope not.

Would not be fun at all if the risks of treatment outweigh the cancer.

Thankfully they are not recommending chemo. 

Anyway, I guess emotionally it's more bothersome that not another collection of specialists and yet another condition to ad to my list and another surgery?? 

I'll get through next week, then call the nurse navigator for Rad Onc. I have more questions. 

Thanks for listening