Surgery is scheduled!

Met with my oncologist and surgeon today.  According to the MRI report, the tumor has shrunk to less than half it's original size.  That is really good news!

It will be interesting to see what they find in the pathology report on the tumor after surgery.  The mass on the MRI might turn out to be 'dead' cancer cells.  That's what I am hoping for.

So, I am scheduled for my surgery - March 28th.  Next Wednesday!

The surgery will be a modified radical mastectomy (that includes axillary lymph node dissection).  Otherwise, it would be considered a simple mastectomy if the lymph nodes were not involved.  Alas, I had two that showed up positive.  But, they showed up quite a bit smaller on the follow-up MRI.

Many thanks go out to everyone that has helped in any way.  Me and my family really appreciate it.  We wouldn't be able to get through all of this without you!!!
Hugs!

A Quick UPdate!!!

As I type this I am having my last Taxol treatment!  A weight is lifting.  I might float right up to the ceiling when all the steps have been completed for my cancer treatment!

I am looking forward, now, to the next step, SURGERY.

I will have another MRI the end of next week to see how effective the chemotherapy has been.  Also another blood test to see how my blood cell counts are doing and my bone marrow and all that fun stuff.  So far my body has held up amazingly!!!  It's especially amazing because I have been having the dose dense regime (every 2 weeks instead of every 3).  Truly the result of blessings, prayers, and all of you out there putting my name in the Temple!  Thank You!!!  Words don't even express.

If all goes well with the MRI and blood test I am hoping to schedule my surgery for March 28th.
I will be having a mastectomy with sentinel lymph node dissection (but may have to have the axillary lymph node dissection - where they take all the lymph nodes on that side, well not all, but most).

So, on to recovery from this last round.  I'm hoping the neuropathy doesn't get too bad.  But, I am just so happy it's the last!!!

More to come!
Hugs to everyone...we all need them!

Breast Cancer Clinic Summary

A breast cancer clinic is a phenomenal thing.  We met with all the experts (surgeons, oncologists, cancer nurse, patient advocate, etc.) in basically one meeting, well, one-on-one over the course of a morning.  It was a tiring day, but a good opportunity to get the facts and all of the experts recommendations.  It's also getting a second, third, and fourth opinion!   I feel like we're all on the same page.  Very helpful!


The unanimous recommendations that came from the Tumor Board meeting (all the doctors met together to discuss my case) was that I have a PET scan to rule out any cancer that may have spread to other organs, genetic testing done, another biopsy on a lymph node that showed up on the MRI, neoadjuvant therapy (to shrink the tumor first), and a simple mastectomy.  


I don't think "simple" is really a word I would use with mastectomy, but I guess it's the medical way of saying it's not a radical mastectomy, which would include removing muscle and lymph nodes.


So, plans have changed a bit.  After a lot of prayer I do feel confident that the doctors recommendations are the way to go.  Surgery will come later at the end of March.  Next week is going to be a busy one.  But, as I have learned in the last two weeks, things can change, and quickly!
Monday - PET scan
Tuesday - port-a-cath surgery
Wednesday - oncologist meeting to set up therapy
Thursday - lymph node biopsy


Again, thank you to everyone for your continued prayers, concern, help and support!

MRI

I had my MRI yesterday.  It ended up being an intravenous MRI which surprised me a bit.  So, it wasn't quite without pain as I had imagined, but I am getting more used to being poked.

This MRI was a lot different than I imagined too.  I was put face down with my mumma's (as my kids call them!) sticking through holes in the MRI bed.  Awkward!
They slid me backwards into the machine.  This was actually good because I couldn't see how close the thing was around me.  I looked at it afterward and I probably would have had a little panic attack.  It was pretty close!

The entire test took about 40 minutes.  20 minutes without iv and 20 minutes with iv.  A pretty long time to have to be perfectly still, but I made it through.  The last five minutes of the test I felt like my breast bone was going to fall off.  They don't pad the bar that goes between the mumma's!  And, yes there is a reason for that.  Apparently it would mess up the test if there was any padding between.  Yikes!

So, I am expecting the results in a another day.  I am actually looking forward to it and hoping that it clears up any lingering questions about the tumor and anything that the mammogram may have missed.

Right now I am still scheduled for surgery on November 16th.  Today I am expecting to have a mastectomy.  The tumor is 8 cm (which is considered quite large).  Although the surgeons seem to think that breast conservation (lumpectomy) is doable, I have a feeling it won't work.  But, either way it is coming out.  It hurts and I want it gone!

Thanks to everyone for your continuous prayers and positive thoughts.  I am feeling the strength of them!