Surgery Postponed for a Week

Hello family, friends, and followers!

Yes, I met with the surgeon at the Huntsman Cancer Institute on Thursday and he said the bottom line is that he wants to meet with the Huntsman Tumor Board this coming Thursday and talk with them about my complex case. I was quite upset with the news because I finally had accepted I was going to have the surgery and now it will be another week.

A few things did take place Wedesday/Thursday. I read through some paperwork the Cancer Center gave to me for the D.C. Trip in case I got sick and had to go to the hospital for some reason. My CT scan that was done at the beginning of November said there is a nodule in my lung. It said it may be a cyst....but I've heard that before and it was CANCER. I pointed it out to the Huntsman team I met with.

Secondly, the resident that performed a breast exam on me was concerned about a lump he found in my right breast and there was an indentation of my breast which is another warning sign of cancer. My initial cancer was in the left breast and 3 lymph nodes.

Then, Dr. N. felt the lumps in my axilla and said that he wanted an ultrasound and biopsies of them that day. He also wants me back down there next Wedneday for another MRI. He said radiologists have their own way of ordering MRI's and reading them. I'm guessing they'll review them with the tumor board in Thursday morning.

There were two radiologists that performed the ultrasound and the lead radiologist thinks the lumps are both cysts. Again, with the damn cyst diagnosis, when I almost accepted that diagnosis. If I hadn't, I would be looking at a stage III or IV cancer right nowl It's alreqdy highly aggrssive enough as it is. So, I insisted on the biopsies. Another radiologist performed three biopsies and he had an extremely difficult time getting into the lymph node/tumor/scar tissue because it was so hard. He said he was glad we were doing it and it was not a cyst or it would have popped easily with the biopsy needle and the clip which makes a poppong sound as it takes the tissue sample. I will be called on Monday or Tuesday with the biopsy results.

Then, we have to make another trip down there for the MRI on Wednesday. It's about a two and a half hour trip for those of you from other parts of the country, or the world. As long as we don't have snow on the roads it's a good drive. Snow is another matter altogether!

I did some Christmas shopping yesterday and almost dropped after the second store. Once home I was very out of breath and exhausted. At the Huntsmand my blood pressure was 149/98, which is very high for me but I attributed it to nerves. Today I went to a church service and was exhausted by the time I was dressed and ready to go. I again and extremely fatigued and short of breath. So, now I'm in bed ready for a nap. I may call the cancer center and let them know I'm not bouncing back the way I thought I would. I'm just about a month out of my last chemo session and maybe I'm expecting too much too soon, or something else is going on. I just know I again, can barely stay awake or walk a flight of stairs, or shop!! And I love Christmas shopping so that was a big bummer!!!

Oh, I just remembered one more thing. Michael and I met with an OB/GYN to her opinion on just having my ovaries and Fallopian tubes removed versus a complete hysterectomy because I am BRCA2+ and she without a doubt I need a full hysterectomy. She is concerned about other peritoneal cancers such as liver, stomach, and gall bladder cancer, even though triple-negative breast cancer typically recurs in the lungs, liver, or brain first. THAT'S why I was so upset to see the finding that there is something in my lung. She thought it would be GREAT is if they could do the double mastectomy and the hysterectomy at the same time, and I've made several phone calls and that just want haappen at this point. Maybe that can be done at the same time as my breast reconstruction. Michael asked her again, why it's so imperative I have her double mastectomy before radiation and she said, "because we want you wife to be here in five years." That made my heart skip a beat and reminded me of how aggressive this cancer is.

Thanks to all of you for your support from near and afar. I can see statistics of visits to the site and I've been excited to see viewers have looked at the site from Canada, Russis, Germany, Indonesia, and many more countries.

While I said I was ready mentally for the surgery to happen tomorrow, I have to admit the surgery scares me....I won't say to death...but I'm extremely anxious to wake with no breasts and from the photos I've seen of other women, incisions are very long. So, the postponement give me a few more days to adjust to he thought of surgery...and get additional
Christmas shopping done.

I'll post again once I know what the biopsy results are and when surgery is scheduled.

Ciao!
P.S. I found a few typos and corrected them...the others I hope can be excused because of my fatigue. Thanks!