well....I now know more....and not necessarily anything I wanted to know, yes I was still harboring a tiny hope that this has just been a very long dream, oh well.
I have officially been diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Cancer. They are not absolutely sure of the stage yet but all indications are that it is stage two. Now for those of you who don't know anything, which was me until this weekend when I read everything I could find online... this means-a-the cancer started in the milk ducts and has now spread to the fatty tissue around that area in my breast, hence the invasive label. The next place it would go is the lymph nodes however they think they have caught it before that and that is very good. The stage has to do with the size of the tumor and where it has spread to so that is why they are not being definitive on that yet.
The Onacoligical surgeon today discussed two options with us for treatment. I could have a lumpectomy where they remove the lump and an area of surrounding tissue. This is an outpatient procedure and is what is most common apparently. However there are some drawbacks to it as well. if they find cancer cells in the surrounding tissue that they removed when they look after the surgery, then they have to go back in and remove more and frankly who wants a second surgery? And I am also being tested for the BRAC gene which if I have they would go back in and do a mastectomy at that point, and the gene test takes three weeks to get back. Plus there is six weeks of radiation treatment after the lumpectomy before the chemo.
Or I could opt to have a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery all at once. Not have to do radiology(nothing to radiate) and then jump right into chemo, which will probably be a six month treatment. Oh..and did I mention I would opt for a double mastectomy and get smaller perkier boobs?
So perhaps you can tell from my descriptions which option I am choosing, and if not, it is B.
Now before you get all worked up, I have thought and talked this through with several people including several nurses. Considering all of the factors and my track record(I continually hurt myself the same way over and over, not intentionally, just do, and always in a symmetrical fashion) this seems like the smart option. I don't want to have to have her go back and take out more in a couple of weeks, and I don't want to have to have a mastectomy in three or four if I have the gene and I certainly don't want to have to do this again in 5-10-15 years. And yes I am young and healthy, but the young thing sorta works against me as well in this case so why not just take care of it as much as I can now and not have to do it again? Plus...did I mention the smaller perkier boobs part? :P
So now we call tomorrow and schedule that surgery which I know will happen next week or the following one and then I have 1-2 weeks after that until I start chemo.
I really am doing fine and more importantly I know God has a plan fr me, not sure what it is, but i never am really, but I have an inkling that it includes seeing my grandkids:) And I am a very firm believer in the concept that He never gives you more than you can handle.
So to quote a wonderful friend, "Apparently He has decided you can no longer handle your DDs and has decided to relieve you of that burden:P" I love my friends, they are just as silly as me:)
I will keep you all posted.
Blog ya later-
K
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