I have decided to include a short version first with just the changes/updates for those that only want, or have time for, the facts. For others that have the time and want the chronological just keep reading. :)
Short Version: Had to have one lymph node biopsied as it was a little suspicious. Preliminary pathology looks good but final results will take 3-5 days. All else is the same.
Today was a very long day. We started at 5 am as Delaney woke up and was stuffy and feverish. So I gave her pain reliever and tried to put her back to sleep. She went to sleep around 5:30 and I just decided to get up and start the day since the alarm was scheduled to go off at 6 am. Stephen stayed with Delaney, since she is still teething, and we didn’t want to try and get her cleared today. Mom and I rode the shuttle and left at 7:30 for a 9 a.m. appointment. Lucky we arrived early as they scheduled my lab for 7:15 but forgot to tell me. So we headed downstairs and got labs drawn. We then went back up for the mammo and ultrasound.
They took me back early and I got the mammo done. Then I had over an hour and a half of wait time until they called me back for the ultrasound. However, in the meantime I was waiting in a hospital gown but hey I got to keep on my pants. I’m truly learning to love those gowns, and the blue just does great things for my complexion. I was lucky enough to meet a wonderful MDA volunteer. She is a breast cancer survivor; she set and talked with me for a while. We talked about how God loves us and the fact that we have to give our situation up to faith as we don’t have control, only God does. I also asked her about how she deals with the fear of recurrence and she said the same way, through faith. If he got us through this once he will give us strength again. The outcome might not be what we want but it’s what he wants and he is our maker and knows our very sole. She suggested a book called ‘Praying through Cancer” and said it’s available at the resource center. I didn’t make it down there today to get it but I’m going to try and check it out soon. She also said her chemo and radiation wasn’t an issue and didn’t slow her down at all. She said she tells her story as she wants others to know that it’s possible to have very few side effects. She said of course we are all different, however it’s possible.
Evidently after she spoke with me, she ended up talking with mom when she was in the waiting room. They got to talking and Mom said she was from Kansas. The Volunteer, whose name I think was Diane, said I was just talking with a young lady from KS does that happen to be your daughter? Mom said yes and they continued talking for about an hour. I was in my imagining appointments for almost four hours so everyone had plenty of time to make the connections. She also asked mom to remember to tell me to ‘take it one day at a time’. It’s ironic she said this, as my cousin Rebecca sent me a pull tab that I put on my purse and it says the same thing.
So after the mammo I had the ultrasound. During this it appeared one of the lymph nodes might be a little larger than normal and the radiologist decided to go ahead and biopsy it. Since I’m so young and my cancer is so aggressive she said they are going to be aggressive right back and leave no stone unturned. So I had one lymph node biopsied. It wasn’t really bad at all; it was like giving blood but with a larger needle. The radiologist said the preliminary pathology looked good but the final would be 3-5 days. I’m a little sore tonight but nothing compared to the breast biopsy. The radiologist also said that the reason my cancer was hurting is that there is a blood vessel with nerves around it and the cancer is pushing on it causing the pain. She was very gentle, very compassionate. When I was finally released from the biopsy at noon we ate at the café.
Right after I walked out Stephen calls and he had taken Delaney to the doctor. She evidently has a double ear infection due to teething. The double ear infection is nothing new and the pediatrician had said if she had one more then she needed tubes. So when we get back I will be calling our ENT, Dr. Harris. Yes, it’s crazy our family has an ENT but we do; as both Gavin and Arrington have had surgery by him and so have I. Delaney has been boarder line for several months and since I now have this cancer, I think she and I will both be better if she gets tubes ASAP. They made so much difference with Arrington and I’m sure they will help her too. The doctor also tested her for Strep but that was negative, thank goodness. He gave her an antibiotic for the ear infections and said she should be OK soon; those teeth popping in are just giving her a run for her money and ours. She should be able to be cleared tomorrow as she’s already looking better.
After lunch Mom and I met with the genetic counselor. It was enlightening and she pedigreed our family. From just looking she said she would guess the BRCA 1 gene came from Dad’s side. Since he was tested on Tuesday, we’ll know if that is correct shortly. We’re hoping to hear by early next week his results. I’m confident Dr. Nicholas will call him immediately once they are in. the good part about BRCA 1 is that it doesn’t really affect men as much as it does women. It also has less effect on them the BRCA 2. So that is a positive point if my brothers do end up having it.
We also met with a high risk breast specialist. Both she and the geneticist discussed my options and it seems to be unanimous that a double mastectomy is the best bet. It’s important to remember that even with the breast removal that there is still about 5% of breast tissue left and there is the possibility of that tissue getting a recurrence. I think this is why radiation is being considered but won’t know all about that until we see Dr. Smith, the radiology oncologist, next Tuesday. I will also be referred to a gynecological oncologist to monitor my ovaries until they can be removed after the breast cancer treatment. They also suggested that I have my hysterectomy by this specialist as they will ensure they get out all the tissue and are familiar with the procedure for prophylactic treatment.
I also found out the PET scan is next Tuesday morning. I asked for a schedule when I checked in today and the front desk staff gave it to me but no one has called me to tell me that yet. We finally got back to the hotel around 4:15. We were actually on the same van as with the couple we left with at 7:30. It was kind of funny since we were on the same schedule.
We then went and ate dinner and met a woman at the next table and began talking. She gave us her card and said she’d like to know how I was doing and that she would pray for us. She said that she knew it might be odd, but she could feel and see, by a sense she had, that I would be a survivor of this. Mom and I talked about that and it made us feel good. We told her how God was already acting for me and that we knew prayer was working and the more the better. I also talked with her about a lump in her breast they were watching, and suggested that she get it biopsied, as they told me mine was not malignant when they first saw it January too. I don’t mean to be an alarmist, but how can one know it’s not cancer unless it’s tested?? So all of you reading my blog, if you think something isn’t right health wise, pursue it, as you know your body best. And thank you God for my healing!
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