Another Whammy

I am trying to be up beat, but the other shoe fell yesterday evening. My doctor called with the preliminary pathology report and even she was upset. The tumor was 3.1cm, which we expected. However, there was a second 1.3cm tumor located in another part of the breast, a surprise to say the least. I am so grateful I opted for the mastectomy and not the lumpectomy. In addition, the surgeon removed a small section of skin from on top of the tumor as a precaution and the epithelial cells were cancerous as well. This indicates the tumor ‘sucked’ in the skin cells, which is very unusual, and the cancer is highly aggressive. Lastly, she removed 16 lymph nodes and all the nodes were cancerous meaning the cancer has spread through my lymphatic system and may have metastasized elsewhere. As it stands I am now considered a 3C stage cancer, which is very serious. I have been asked to go into Johns Hopkins for a CAT scan on Friday to check for liver and lung damage and they are arranging a bone scan as well. If any of these are positive I will have to have a brain scan too. The only good news was the blood work from my pre-op indicted normal liver function and a chest x-ray done for surgery also indicated my lungs were clear. So what does this all mean? It means I will definitely have to undergo radiation in addition to chemo, which will add an additional 6 weeks to my recovery time, and at least a 3 to 6 months wait after chemo and radiation before I can have my reconstructive surgery. So yes, my journey is now even longer and will be a tougher fight, but with friends and family like you I can make it.

I thank everyone for the thoughts and prayers. The flowers and gifts you have sent have made me smile and brought tears to my eyes. It is so wonderful to know how many lives I have touched.

For those of you local to me I know we will appreciate meals as soon as I start chemo and while I am undergoing radiation. I have been told feeding my family will be hard to do during that time. I will post my start date as soon as I know.

1 Week Post Surgery

I am slowly recovering from the mastectomy. It is taking me much longer than I expected. Yes, it is major surgery, but I assumed since it was soft tissue this would be easier. I left the hospital with two drains and was able to have the longest one pulled yesterday. It was pretty yucky just thinking that this long 10” piece of plastic tubing was in my chest from my waist to my sternum. The second drain will be removed on Friday and I am told it is the shorter of the two. I still need pain medication for sleeping at night and late in the day as I start to hurt again after moving around. Morning and afternoons I feel pretty good. I have lost feeling in the back of my arm from my elbow to my underarm. The doctor told me that I should get most feeling back but will have some numb patches that remain.

2 Days Post Surgery

Well it is now two days post surgery and I am moving around albeit slowly and with the help of drugs. I have managed to come downstairs (from bed) to eat small meals but do find myself sleeping a lot. I have slept pretty well at night and the pain medication has been great for that. Today I took a shower and Mark removed my bandages for the first time. It was frightening to see my chest, but it helped that my husband kept saying over and over how much he loves me. I still have two huge drains attached in my chest. They will be removed in the next few weeks. I really hope next week, but it will depend upon how quickly I heal. Everyday I get stronger which is a good thing.

I want to thank everyone for all their kinds thoughts, prayers, cards, flowers, gifts and phone calls. Wow, I feel very loved. I hope to get thank you notes written next week.

From the That's-Gotta-Hurt Dept.

We left the house this morning at 5:15 for Cheryl's surgery appointment. After taking her back for pre-op, the family (sans critters, they stayed overnight at a neighbors) came and saw her off to surgery. The operation began at 8:05, and lasted for about 2.5 hours. The doctor proclaimed that everything went well, and we'd know more in about a week with a final pathology report. I was able to go back and see her around 11, and besides being really, really loopy, she seemed to be in pretty good shape.

But, as has happened in the past, Cheryl was slow in recovering from the anesthesia. She was finally discharged at about 3:30, and we finally got her home around 5 PM. She's currently resting in bed and has taken some medication for the pain, and has even been able eat some soup.

So, today starts the first major step of a fairly long road. To paraphrase a parable I read awhile ago, as Cheryl looks back at this path after her recovery, she'll see two sets of footprints in the sand, hers, and her support group. And we hope, that when she looks back and sees only a single pair of footsteps at the most difficult of times, she'll realise that she wasn't alone, or abandoned, we were there, we were just carrying her.

Thanks.

Off-Loading of Work

I flew down to Atlanta on Sunday and saw some distant family members that I have not seen since my brother's wedding (assure them I was still alive and kicking) and then had dinner with a dear friend. The purpose of my trip was to off load my work projects temporarily (I hope). My boss and a colleague made the experience go much better than I expected. I thought I would cry through the whole process, but I only shed a few tears. I really love my job so this is a hard thing for me to do. However, I know all my projects will go forward while I am away and I can still keep abreast of them, as I am able. I flew back into Baltimore airport where I met my parents who came in for the big day and cried at meeting them.

Today I am getting ready for surgery. I need to get my prescription filled for pain medication and buy gauze and tape and run errands as I may be house bound for bit.

Pricked, Poked, Pictured and Prodded

I got my pre-op physical today, which involved being at Johns Hopkins all day, going back and forth between floors of the outpatient building for EKGs, chest x-rays, blood drawn and a physical. I got the go ahead for surgery on Wednesday and will need to be at the hospital at 6am. In oncology I tried on wigs and was having a tough time deciding between being a brunette with lots of red highlights or a brunette with a few blonde highlights hmmm. Mark and I also met with the nurses to go over post-operative care. Pretty scary as I will be discharged with two drains coming out of my chest that have to be emptied every 4 hours the first day and twice a day thereafter. They said the drains should be removed 1 to 3 weeks after surgery. We talked about me staying one night or going home after surgery and I elected to go home. Even the nurses said I will get more sleep and be more comfortable. My parents and Mark will be here so I am sure between the three of them they can take care of me. Now I need to find big shirts to cover the drains for the next few weeks. I should be healed in about 3 to 4 weeks and ready for my next step of my journey.

Tonight my daughter and I went to the Relay for Life event. It is an all night event to raise money for the American Cancer Society. They had a survivors dinner and walk in which I participated. I was really moved by the experience and hope the whole family can participate next year.

Surgery Date

I got a call this morning from Johns Hopkins with a surgery date: May 24th. Wow, sooner than I expected. I am having a single mastectomy with lymph node dissection. It should take 2-3 hours and then they are sending me home. Yes, outpatient surgery. I cannot believe insurance will not pay for a single night in the hospital. I am heading to the hospital tomorrow for a pre-op checkup, blood work and a post mastectomy care class.

Now I need to figure out what to do for my daughter’s (Miranda) birthday the day after surgery, cancel my spa trip that was to take place the end of the month with a dear friend and see how much work I can get done in two workdays.

Why the Blog...

I am not much of a blog person, but felt this is the most effective way for me to reach everyone and update them with my progress. Please check regulary for updates.

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The big whammy

As many of you know I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April at the age of 42. I noticed a lump in my left breast at the end of January and told my primary care physician when I saw him the following week. He asked when my mammography was scheduled and I said March 3rd, which seemed OK to him. I showed up on March 3rd for my mammography only to be told since I had a lump that it needed to be a diagnostic mammogram and I needed a new referral from my doctor and had to come back when a radiologist was present (I love manage care). Two weeks later I got an appointment and sure enough after a mammography they had to do an ultrasound and the radiologist thought the lump looked suspicious. I was referred to a surgeon and got a biopsy performed in early April. One week later on April 10th the cancer was confirmed.

Lesson to all women: please do not discount any lump you may notice no matter how small.

I set up appointments with two surgeons: one here near the house and one at Johns Hopkins. I decided to go with Johns Hopkins as their reputation is wonderful and they have an integrated breast cancer center, which includes close ties with radiology and oncology. The drive is about 1 hour from the house, but doable.

The only problem is they are so busy that three weeks after my initial visit I still do not have a surgery date. I should have one this week. I elected to have a mastectomy performed with a prophylactic mastectomy of the other breast (remove both) and immediate reconstruction using the DIEP method. Unfortunately, the plastic surgery team is all booked up and I will have to do my reconstruction later. The doctor is looking to remove the cancerous breast and lymph nodes (it has spread) right now and will remove the other breast later. I have opted for a radical mastectomy as the cancer is aggressive (has grown from 2.5 to 3 cm in one month) and due to my age I never want to experience this again (or at least reduce my odds). After 4 weeks of recovery I will begin 4 to 6 months of chemotherapy. Yes, I will loose all my hair.

For those of you who are familiar with cancer my tumor is both Estrogen and Progesterone positive and Her2Neu positive. What this means is that the cancer grows in the presence of these substances and thus I will be given both chemotherapy, and hormone suppression therapy in addition to Herceptin to stop the caner from spreading to the rest of my body.

At this time I plan on taking disability from work and give both my body and mind time to heal from this ordeal. I hope to go back to work part-time in the fall, but only time will tell.