Because I had FVL, there was an increased risk of an autologous fat transfer failing. I opted for silicone reconstruction.

I’m not, and I’m not sure why! It could be because my hormone receptors were “just barely positive.” That’s a good question for me to ask my doc!

Triple-positive breast cancer is a type of breast cancer. It has cancer cells that test positive for the following three features:

(1) estrogen receptors (2) progesterone receptors (3) a larger amount of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) protein

Triple positive breast cancer is very aggressive, but because we know three things helping it to grow, we have more weapons available to prohibit its growth.

DM me. I have a template I can share, or if you’re not techy I can help you make one.

I was not looking for criticism, but I also wasn’t “just wanting upvotes.” I shared it because it has been helpful to my loved ones to see my treatment plan visualized, and it other patients who have seen it have expressed how helpful it was for them when trying to understand which treatments to expect. I hoped that it would be helpful to others by sharing it in a more public space, and based on the comments and DMs I’ve received, others have found it genuinely helpful.

I am baffled that anyone thinks someone going through cancer treatment is IN ANY WAY motivated by fake internet points. I hope you never experience a life threatening illness, but if you do, perhaps you’ll be inspired to use more energy helping fellow humans and less energy scouring Reddit looking for opportunities to make snide comments.

I wish my team had presented this to me in advance, or at least something like it. I keep feeling blindsided by the "but wait there's more" aspect of my treatment.

Out of curiosity, what's your blood disorder? I have FVL and MTHFR, which is why I chose implant-based reconstruction rather than autologous reconstruction.

I chose to make it vertical because my family and friends will be referencing it on their mobile devices while app-switching to/from other vertically oriented apps.

The colors do not represent anything in particular.

I suspect if you, or someone you love, we’re going through cancer this would be a little easier to comprehend, but I understand that without that life experience and context, it’s difficult to read unfamiliar data in a colorful vertical gannt chart.

Triple-positive breast cancer is a type of breast cancer. It has cancer cells that test positive for the following three features:

(1) estrogen receptors (2) progesterone receptors (3) a larger amount of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) protein

Triple positive breast cancer is very aggressive, but because we know three things helping it to grow, we have more weapons available to prohibit its growth.

Yes -- people want me to reassure them that I'm "okay now," or "in remission," or "cured," or that the surgery "got it all out," or "had clear margins." When they ask like that, I know they want me to reassure them; they don't really want to hear the nitty gritty of how I'm doing, and what other treatments are still ahead of me.

I am so sorry for you and your sister. I know that metastatic breast cancer treatment has come a long way, but that still sucks.

It’s basically a vertical Gannt chart.

I feel ok today. The Nerlynx side effects are my current challenge, but I’m hopeful my doctor can get me the recommended prescriptions tomorrow to help relieve some of that!

I had Herceptin in my TCHP chemo cocktail. MegBundy most likely achieved pCR (pathologic complete response), which means her chemo completely killed her cancer.

When a triple positive patient gets pCR, she gets Herceptin infusions (or shots).

When a triple positive patient doesn’t achieve pCR, the prognosis isn’t as rosy, so they throw stronger drugs at it, including Kadcyla, Nerlynx, Zometa, and whatever other new treatments they can concoct (new treatments are coming out almost every year).

I did post a link to the graphic on r/breastcancer, but that sub doesn't allow images to be directly posted on it. (BTW that sub is a wonderful resource for breast cancer patients, and has been one of my most frequently visited websites throughout!)

This is such a hard question to answer honestly... I don't really know how I'm doing. Physically I feel okay. Mentally/emotionally, I'm scarred, but not unable to live my life. But there is always a chance that my cancer cells went roaming in my body and are taking root again, so I'll never really know if I'm ok.

Thank you for the very kind words -- that's the impact I was hoping it would have. Before being diagnosed, I had no idea how long the breast cancer "journey" would be. As I approached each milestone, I thought "ahhh I'm finally in the home stretch!" and my cancer team would say "actually, there's more..." I'm grateful there are so many lines of treatment available for my type of cancer (the alternative would suck), but life truly will never be "back to normal" for me.

Made by hand in Canva, in an effort to help my friends and family visualize my overlapping treatments.