If you haven't read about the MRI, skip this and read that first otherwise, this post might not make much sense!
After a not-restful night, I decided to email the doctor in the morning. Just after noon, he called.
NO CHANGE TO TREATMENT. The only difference is that he's going to take both out at the same time. They're small and close together (lucky me) and the only thing is that Dr. N. has to lance me with two harpoons, instead of one.
Will he be able to find it, since he missed it before? Yes, he assured me. Once they know it's there, they can hunt it down by ultrasound and lance it.
Only one node, the Sentinel, will be taken out. In the U.S., I know they go and get more but not here. I'm zen with that. The logic is that once the cancer has spread, it's spread and it's Chemo time. I hope not but again, I'll do what I gotta do to keep on this planet another few decades! No fat arm problems. I was so dreading that.
No talk of mastectomies.
The evening before I had a long chat with a double-lucky survivor. She had some great insight. She also tried to get me mentally ready for a possible mastectomy, which last night, wasn't that far from my consciousness, and unscaried the whole deal. I needed to hear that. It was nice talking to someone who's been there.
This afternoon, a few hours after talking to the Surgeon, I called an English friend's mother who is also going through this. She's about a month ahead of me. There are some differences. Only one lump, less radiation (probably because she's post-menopausal) and no MRI. But basically, the dye, harpoons and surgery were the same. She had one small setback too. They had to bring her back in to get clear margins, and did. I guess everyone has at least one bump in the road. Hope this is mine!
But she was very positive too. The surgery, no big deal. The after care, no big deal. The dye and harpoons don't hurt. One thing she said that the other friend couldn't (unfortunately) was that I had had babies. How can I be worried about pain with this?!?
The surgery is "just a little sleep". It wasn't even very long, she assured me. Keep telling me that!
Just what I wanted to hear.
I think I'll go have a glass of wine with dinner tonight. The last two days have been veeeeeeery stressful!
After a not-restful night, I decided to email the doctor in the morning. Just after noon, he called.
NO CHANGE TO TREATMENT. The only difference is that he's going to take both out at the same time. They're small and close together (lucky me) and the only thing is that Dr. N. has to lance me with two harpoons, instead of one.
Will he be able to find it, since he missed it before? Yes, he assured me. Once they know it's there, they can hunt it down by ultrasound and lance it.
Only one node, the Sentinel, will be taken out. In the U.S., I know they go and get more but not here. I'm zen with that. The logic is that once the cancer has spread, it's spread and it's Chemo time. I hope not but again, I'll do what I gotta do to keep on this planet another few decades! No fat arm problems. I was so dreading that.
No talk of mastectomies.
The evening before I had a long chat with a double-lucky survivor. She had some great insight. She also tried to get me mentally ready for a possible mastectomy, which last night, wasn't that far from my consciousness, and unscaried the whole deal. I needed to hear that. It was nice talking to someone who's been there.
This afternoon, a few hours after talking to the Surgeon, I called an English friend's mother who is also going through this. She's about a month ahead of me. There are some differences. Only one lump, less radiation (probably because she's post-menopausal) and no MRI. But basically, the dye, harpoons and surgery were the same. She had one small setback too. They had to bring her back in to get clear margins, and did. I guess everyone has at least one bump in the road. Hope this is mine!
But she was very positive too. The surgery, no big deal. The after care, no big deal. The dye and harpoons don't hurt. One thing she said that the other friend couldn't (unfortunately) was that I had had babies. How can I be worried about pain with this?!?
The surgery is "just a little sleep". It wasn't even very long, she assured me. Keep telling me that!
Just what I wanted to hear.
I think I'll go have a glass of wine with dinner tonight. The last two days have been veeeeeeery stressful!
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