The Surgical Oncologist

Friday, September 10th, 2010
Over to the doctor's office I go - Faddis, is his name. What a wonderful man in a not so wonderful job. It takes a special person to tell someone they have cancer and your outcomes and excpectancies. I applaud him.

I went in with my mom and Jeremy and thought I would cry and cry and cry. Not one tear fell, I guess I cried enough the night before to be over it. The tumor is only .8cm, the level is 2 - meaning it has infiltrated my breast tissue, but still very small, and I have a high level of estrogen. It is a good prognosis thus far, but I would rather not have it all - I mean lets be honest.

We talk about a gene they test for in women who get cancer this early and if positive it increases your chances of cancer by 80%, and that may help me to make my decision. WHAT! They know this so why don't all the women get tested for it now and we can just be more proactive. The cost.... $3700. WOW, now that isn't cheap, and not all insurances cover it. Still not sure if mine will.

So he describes cancer more to us, and I ask more questions, but really I want to know the how, the what and the when. I will have an MRI, monday the 20th, which will tell them if I have more cancer anywhere else or just in the spot they think. If it is only in one place I can choose a lumpectomy which will remove a centimeter all the way around the lump - so three centimeters total around. I will have radiation and depending what they find once removed, or in the lymphnodes, I may have chemo. Chances of coming back, as long as I don't have the gene, 3%.

OR, I can have a total masectomy and reconstruction for both sides since my insurance will cover both sides because they must be equal. No radiation, and again chemo if they find that it has spread, determined by my oncotype (I know, new word just go with it. Apparently they rate the cancer somehow and give it a number, above some number tells them I have to do chemo). Chances of it coming back, less than 1%.

Next steps - wait for the gene test results (7-10 days), MRI results (9/20/10), and I meet with a plastic surgeon on 9/21/10 to discuss things there and see if it is something I want to do. I don't know but total boob job would be pretty cool. No more sagging and the perkiness can return. I will feel like I am 20 again, well at least my boobs will look like it.

And we wait........