Monday I see the radiological oncologist. Lucky me. You know from earlier posts just how much the little twerp irritates me. But the good news is - this will be the LAST time I ever have to lay eyes on him (although as I said before, he really is easy on the eyes). One last eyeful then sayonara, twerp!
Following that visit, I go to the gastroenterologist. This is the same dude I had when I had the perforated ulcer back in 2004. My primary care doc is trying to get to the bottom (no pun intended) of my diarrhea and want me to do a colonoscopy. Well, so did the gastro back 6 years ago. I side-stepped that but did agree to a follow-up endoscopy to make sure the ulcer was dead and gone. It was, since I did it to myself by eating 20 Advil a day. No problem with ulcers anymore. So I go see him then he will schedule the dreaded colonoscopy. Having never done one, I can only go on what friends have told me: the prep is worse than the procedure.
Final doctor is my oncologist. I am dreading this one because he will want me to start taking Arimidex. I really don't want to take it but I am sort of ambivalent. On the one hand, it is proven to prevent recurrance but on the other hand it is proven to cause osteoporosis, joint pain and there are MANY other side effects it can cause that are too numerous to list. I am going to ask him if he is going to test my estrogen levels because the drug is supposed to drop them like a rock. I am suspecting he won't do it.
I have a problem with the blanket assumption that the drug works the same for everyone. I am not everyone and I want to know it's working if I am going to poison myself.
So after him, I head to the airport for a trip to Birmingham. I love that city. Anyway, only there for the day then back home.
So Marty is off tonight...shock! A Friday night where we can actually have a date like real people! Have to think of somewhere to go that I really have been wanting to try.
Since I have been taking the B12 supplement, I have tons more energy. So tomorrow is "clean out the garage" day. UGH! But it needs to be done.
About Me
- BarbaraA
- Treasure Island, FL, United States
- Just another one of the women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer every 65 seconds.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Three Year Anniversary and Results of my Saliva Test
Kind of an odd combination: anniversary and test results but WTH. First the anniversary: last year we went to the Grand Canyon (awesome) and year one we went to Key West and stayed in a cool B&B (also awesome). Due to the BC, I had no planning time (or energy) but managed to cadge 4 days off work the week of 8/15. We are going to Anna Maria Island to stay at the Harrington House B&B. We stayed there on our honeymoon and had a blast eating in every 4 star restaurant on the island. This year will be a repeat eating fest (I will TRY to stick to my anti-cancer diet but may cheat with dessert).
Anyway, yesterday was the day and we went to our local fave restaurant, O Bistro. I cheated a little and ate veal (I am sure it was hormone-fed) but no dessert. 2 glasses of Cabernet. Woo hoo!
Now, the test result was very interesting. It is a saliva test that measures hormones. The results and optimal ranges are different than the blood hormone tests and I wish I knew the saliva level for estradiol that taking an Aromatase Inhibitor would generate. I have been taking AI-type supplements as well as eating AI foods. One woman on my BCO forum said her estradiol was 10, which her doc said was great but hers was a blood test. Mine was .7, which the saliva testing company said is low. Optimal for menopausal women is .5-1.7. ??? Sigh. So much I don't know and haven't a clue how to find the answers.
But I will keep plugging away.
Anyway, yesterday was the day and we went to our local fave restaurant, O Bistro. I cheated a little and ate veal (I am sure it was hormone-fed) but no dessert. 2 glasses of Cabernet. Woo hoo!
Now, the test result was very interesting. It is a saliva test that measures hormones. The results and optimal ranges are different than the blood hormone tests and I wish I knew the saliva level for estradiol that taking an Aromatase Inhibitor would generate. I have been taking AI-type supplements as well as eating AI foods. One woman on my BCO forum said her estradiol was 10, which her doc said was great but hers was a blood test. Mine was .7, which the saliva testing company said is low. Optimal for menopausal women is .5-1.7. ??? Sigh. So much I don't know and haven't a clue how to find the answers.
But I will keep plugging away.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Cluster Headaches in late Feb-early Mar lead to BC diagnosis
Well, before the BC diagnosis I had an attack of cluster headaches. I have had 3 episodes of these in the past 6-7 years and you REALLY don't ever want to get these. They are migraines only worse. In me they start out slowly. One a week, then 2 then one a day and gradually they build up to their peak which lasts about 3 weeks. In the peak, they happen 4-5 times a day. Unless you have had a migraine, you have NO idea and even if you have had one, imagine SIX in a row!!!.
For me the only thing that could even touch them was Imitrex. It is a miracle drug for migraine-sufferers. The key is: you have to get the pill down BEFORE the thing kicks in fully. Now these miracle pills cost 25.00 each CO-PAY and my insurance company will allow me THREE pills per week. I am having headaches SIX TIMES A DAY!!!!!. So I am paying out of pocket. Luckily, Walgreens has an Rx program where you pay 20.00/year and they discount all drugs and Walgreens brand stuff so for the standard 9 pill refill I ended up paying 90.00. Not bad but in case anyone wants to know, I spent 1995.00 on generic Imitrex. If I didn't have the money, I would have pawned everything I owned to get the pills.
Anyway, I was coming out of the peak period and was having them maybe 2/day and decided "Gee, it has been a long time since I had a physical and a mammo and a PAP. Maybe I should find a primary care doc and get it done." I have always been healthy..cholesterol fine, BP low/normal. I had a GYN whom I didn't like so hadn't gone to him in 7-8 years. So I pick one and go to the doc. She Rx's a mammo and thus began the BC saga. I had a UTI and she RX'd Cipro, which I took for 3 days and that did it.
So long about this time frame, I develop diarrhea. Very annoying but I sort of ascribed it to the generix Imitrex. Now it is 4 months later and I STILL have it. After I got the BC stuff out of the way, I found a new primary (fired the other one - see The Beginning post) and he ordered a ton of blood tests and stool tests and also a urine test. Those results came back yesterday:
Stool - fine
Urine - mild UTI
Blood - Slightly low red blood cell, very low B12, sugar 100 = high side of normal, cholesterol = high side of normal
So he gave me a B12 shot (YIKES!! NEEDLE!) and told me to take a 1000 mcg supplement. Meanwhile, he has me going to a gastroenterologist whom I see on the 2nd. He wants a colonoscopy. I REALLY don't want to do it but I need to fix this so I am doing it.
For me the only thing that could even touch them was Imitrex. It is a miracle drug for migraine-sufferers. The key is: you have to get the pill down BEFORE the thing kicks in fully. Now these miracle pills cost 25.00 each CO-PAY and my insurance company will allow me THREE pills per week. I am having headaches SIX TIMES A DAY!!!!!. So I am paying out of pocket. Luckily, Walgreens has an Rx program where you pay 20.00/year and they discount all drugs and Walgreens brand stuff so for the standard 9 pill refill I ended up paying 90.00. Not bad but in case anyone wants to know, I spent 1995.00 on generic Imitrex. If I didn't have the money, I would have pawned everything I owned to get the pills.
Anyway, I was coming out of the peak period and was having them maybe 2/day and decided "Gee, it has been a long time since I had a physical and a mammo and a PAP. Maybe I should find a primary care doc and get it done." I have always been healthy..cholesterol fine, BP low/normal. I had a GYN whom I didn't like so hadn't gone to him in 7-8 years. So I pick one and go to the doc. She Rx's a mammo and thus began the BC saga. I had a UTI and she RX'd Cipro, which I took for 3 days and that did it.
So long about this time frame, I develop diarrhea. Very annoying but I sort of ascribed it to the generix Imitrex. Now it is 4 months later and I STILL have it. After I got the BC stuff out of the way, I found a new primary (fired the other one - see The Beginning post) and he ordered a ton of blood tests and stool tests and also a urine test. Those results came back yesterday:
Stool - fine
Urine - mild UTI
Blood - Slightly low red blood cell, very low B12, sugar 100 = high side of normal, cholesterol = high side of normal
So he gave me a B12 shot (YIKES!! NEEDLE!) and told me to take a 1000 mcg supplement. Meanwhile, he has me going to a gastroenterologist whom I see on the 2nd. He wants a colonoscopy. I REALLY don't want to do it but I need to fix this so I am doing it.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Zappage Continued
So happy to have the biopsy yesterday behind me. I woke up this morning and man oh man did my jaw HURT!! There is major swelling (looked like a toothache you see in cartoons) and major bruising like someone hauled off and whacked me in a bar brawl. Come to think of it, a bar brawl never hurt this much. The bruise is about 6 inches and runs from my neck below the jaw joint up onto my cheek. Nice. Fortunately, no client visits so no need to try to cover it up. I can see one of my well-meaning clients trying to do a spousal abuse intervention.
So I have to break down and take an XS Tylenol. (BTW-Had to do 3-4 XS Tylenol per day for a week, that's how bad this thing hurt.) Off I go to the rads. They give me a parking pass and a card with my name and a bar code. She shows me how to swipe the bar code and explains that the board back in the treatment area lights up to let the techs know I am here. Woo. High tech. I go change and sit in the waiting area. As soon as I click on the TV, they come get me. Name DOB and in I go behind the two foot thick walls. Up go the arms, commence prayers then chant "Die cancer die". Done 3 minutes later and since it is Friday, I see the doc. (Every Fri.) So since it has only been two days, not much has happened so I ask him about whether my heart and lung are getting hit. He says no heart and a teeny tiny bit of lung. I ask how much is teeny tiny. He says negligible. I'm like "It's not your lung. " and he basically dismisses me.He tells me he is on vacation next week and he will see me in two weeks. I change and go.
So I wake up on Saturday and have a dry cough. At first I thought it was the stopping smoking. Then I scared the crap out of myself by Googling. So then I was convinced I had radiation pneumonitis, despite the fact that this side effect only shows up 4-6 weeks after treatment is over.
Lesson from Breast Cancer 101: No Googling; research only trusted sources such as breastcancer.org, cancer.org, mayoclinic.org. or you may not make it through treatment since you will either be confined to a loony bin or be dead because you just couldn't take it anymore.
The first full week begins and I settle into the routine. Wednesdays they xray me to be sure the positions are OK, then do the treatment. So the first week passes and I see the substitute doc. First thing I ask him is about the cough. He tells me it must be not smoking because rads can't do that to anyone unless it is 4-6 weeks after. Then I ask him how much lung is getting hit. He says 1%. I ask how many Grays that is. He says 6 Gy. I leave, head home and go straight to Google.
I know, I know. Never go to Google but the good sites don't have what I need to know. I want to know how much my risk for lung cancer in that lung increases my getting 6 Gys of rads. Well, I find out: 25-35% greater chance of lung cancer.
REMIND ME AGAIN: WHY did I quit smoking?
So Marty's band is playing that night and I am tired so I figure I'll take a little nap and lie down at 5:30. I wake up needing to pee and it it 6:45...in the MORNING!!! Man, the radiation fatigue just whammed me. And did the same thing Sat. Lie down for a nap and next thing I know it's morning. So Sunday around 2, I get the overwhelming fatigue washing over me so I lie down and just veg but don't fall asleep. After 15-20 minutes, I get up and am OK. So I add this to my coping arsenal.
The fatigue set in right at the halfway point, just like my support websites said it would. So since day 1 I have been using emu oil. I reasearched it and not only is it a moisterizer, it is an anti inflammatory as well. Rads swells the breast as well as burns it so this is working for me so far.
Monday is the 4th of July holiday so I got a three day weekend. Only 9 more to go.
Wed is xray day and Friday I see the rad onc, back from vacation. Meanwhile the boob looks fine. I am emuing 3-4 times a day. The nipple is tan with red dots (?). The rad onc says I need to put cortisone on the boob now and writes the Rx. I try it over the weekend 2/day and emu 2/day and it gets redder so on Sunday I switch back to all emu. Noticible difference. No more cortisone.
5 more to go. Still have the dry cough. Boob still tan with red dots and chest above boob itches. Emu gives great relief. Final xray Wed then final treatment Friday followed by the 'See ya don't wanna be ya' with the rad onc. Spoke too soon. He wants me back for one final visit in 3 weeks. Can't wait to kiss him goodbye (figuratively with a raised middle finger).
For a the techs' 'see ya don't wanna be ya' I sent an edible arrangement of fruit dipped in chocolate with a card that said:
So I have to break down and take an XS Tylenol. (BTW-Had to do 3-4 XS Tylenol per day for a week, that's how bad this thing hurt.) Off I go to the rads. They give me a parking pass and a card with my name and a bar code. She shows me how to swipe the bar code and explains that the board back in the treatment area lights up to let the techs know I am here. Woo. High tech. I go change and sit in the waiting area. As soon as I click on the TV, they come get me. Name DOB and in I go behind the two foot thick walls. Up go the arms, commence prayers then chant "Die cancer die". Done 3 minutes later and since it is Friday, I see the doc. (Every Fri.) So since it has only been two days, not much has happened so I ask him about whether my heart and lung are getting hit. He says no heart and a teeny tiny bit of lung. I ask how much is teeny tiny. He says negligible. I'm like "It's not your lung. " and he basically dismisses me.He tells me he is on vacation next week and he will see me in two weeks. I change and go.
So I wake up on Saturday and have a dry cough. At first I thought it was the stopping smoking. Then I scared the crap out of myself by Googling. So then I was convinced I had radiation pneumonitis, despite the fact that this side effect only shows up 4-6 weeks after treatment is over.
Lesson from Breast Cancer 101: No Googling; research only trusted sources such as breastcancer.org, cancer.org, mayoclinic.org. or you may not make it through treatment since you will either be confined to a loony bin or be dead because you just couldn't take it anymore.
The first full week begins and I settle into the routine. Wednesdays they xray me to be sure the positions are OK, then do the treatment. So the first week passes and I see the substitute doc. First thing I ask him is about the cough. He tells me it must be not smoking because rads can't do that to anyone unless it is 4-6 weeks after. Then I ask him how much lung is getting hit. He says 1%. I ask how many Grays that is. He says 6 Gy. I leave, head home and go straight to Google.
I know, I know. Never go to Google but the good sites don't have what I need to know. I want to know how much my risk for lung cancer in that lung increases my getting 6 Gys of rads. Well, I find out: 25-35% greater chance of lung cancer.
REMIND ME AGAIN: WHY did I quit smoking?
So Marty's band is playing that night and I am tired so I figure I'll take a little nap and lie down at 5:30. I wake up needing to pee and it it 6:45...in the MORNING!!! Man, the radiation fatigue just whammed me. And did the same thing Sat. Lie down for a nap and next thing I know it's morning. So Sunday around 2, I get the overwhelming fatigue washing over me so I lie down and just veg but don't fall asleep. After 15-20 minutes, I get up and am OK. So I add this to my coping arsenal.
The fatigue set in right at the halfway point, just like my support websites said it would. So since day 1 I have been using emu oil. I reasearched it and not only is it a moisterizer, it is an anti inflammatory as well. Rads swells the breast as well as burns it so this is working for me so far.
Monday is the 4th of July holiday so I got a three day weekend. Only 9 more to go.
Wed is xray day and Friday I see the rad onc, back from vacation. Meanwhile the boob looks fine. I am emuing 3-4 times a day. The nipple is tan with red dots (?). The rad onc says I need to put cortisone on the boob now and writes the Rx. I try it over the weekend 2/day and emu 2/day and it gets redder so on Sunday I switch back to all emu. Noticible difference. No more cortisone.
5 more to go. Still have the dry cough. Boob still tan with red dots and chest above boob itches. Emu gives great relief. Final xray Wed then final treatment Friday followed by the 'See ya don't wanna be ya' with the rad onc. Spoke too soon. He wants me back for one final visit in 3 weeks. Can't wait to kiss him goodbye (figuratively with a raised middle finger).
For a the techs' 'see ya don't wanna be ya' I sent an edible arrangement of fruit dipped in chocolate with a card that said:
'It's been real and I hope I never see any of you ever again.'
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The ABC's of Zappage
The radiation planning session consisted of a CT scan that the rad onc reviews with a physicist who assists in determining the angle of the death beams.
So here I go again into an 18" diameter tube and immediately I start hyper-ventilating. Have to go to my happy place and CLOSE THE EYES QUICK! I tell myself at least there are no needles. After that is done, they tell me to come back the next day for my first treatment. Oh I forgot to tell you that I basically made the rad onc treat me with the Canadian protocol. He agreed (one battle I did win). A normal course of rads treatment is around 32 zaps. These are administered Monday-Friday for about 6-1/2 weeks. The Canadian protocol is 16 treatments. So I am starting on 6/17 and will be done on 7/9. YAY!!!!
So first zap: I have to take off top and bra and put on the backless gown, tech comes, I give my name and date of birth then they take me in the room. The room has a 2 foot thick door with a sign that says 'DEADLY RADIATION!'. Nice. The machine is rather unprepossessing. It is about 2 feet square and is on an arm that allows it to rotate. So they make me lie down and raise my arms over my head and grab on to these hand grips. They draw dots and x's on me with magic markers then zap me. It is about two minutes per side. It starts out from my left side zapping across my left boob then it rotates down below the left boob and zaps up through the boob. First you can hear clicking sounds as the machine takes aim then sound changes while the zap happens. I pray during the aiming for God to protect my good cells then during the zap I chant "Die cancer die!". Worked for me.
They tell me they will tatoo the markings on me next week. I object but they assure me they are dots like a freckle. I guess that would be OK if I had black hair but I now have 5 black freckles to go along with my brown ones and blond hair.
I leave and head over to the Breast Center for the biopsy.
WARNING - NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH
I arrive and all my friends come to say hi. They take me into the ultra sound room and the doctor explains that she has to get three different samples to be sure the pathologist has enough tissue to test. So first she injects me with xylocaine. In my neck below my jawbone joint and up through the jawbone flesh into the cheek itself (that's where the gland is). You know how when a dentists give you novocaine and it takes forever to get it all in? That is exactly what this was like. And we all know how much I LOVE needles. So after that is done, she takes the US machine in one hand and the biopsy needle in the other and starts digging. Yes, I kid you not...digging. I can hear it but not feel it except for the pressure of her digging. She puts tissue on three slides then tells me I have to wait there until the pathologist gives her the OK that he has enough to test so I can't leave because she might have to take more.
I'm laying there sort of zoning then she comes back in and say "BENIGN!" YAY!. All my friends are high-fiving me. All I want to do is sleep. The stress has been killing me.
So here I go again into an 18" diameter tube and immediately I start hyper-ventilating. Have to go to my happy place and CLOSE THE EYES QUICK! I tell myself at least there are no needles. After that is done, they tell me to come back the next day for my first treatment. Oh I forgot to tell you that I basically made the rad onc treat me with the Canadian protocol. He agreed (one battle I did win). A normal course of rads treatment is around 32 zaps. These are administered Monday-Friday for about 6-1/2 weeks. The Canadian protocol is 16 treatments. So I am starting on 6/17 and will be done on 7/9. YAY!!!!
So first zap: I have to take off top and bra and put on the backless gown, tech comes, I give my name and date of birth then they take me in the room. The room has a 2 foot thick door with a sign that says 'DEADLY RADIATION!'. Nice. The machine is rather unprepossessing. It is about 2 feet square and is on an arm that allows it to rotate. So they make me lie down and raise my arms over my head and grab on to these hand grips. They draw dots and x's on me with magic markers then zap me. It is about two minutes per side. It starts out from my left side zapping across my left boob then it rotates down below the left boob and zaps up through the boob. First you can hear clicking sounds as the machine takes aim then sound changes while the zap happens. I pray during the aiming for God to protect my good cells then during the zap I chant "Die cancer die!". Worked for me.
They tell me they will tatoo the markings on me next week. I object but they assure me they are dots like a freckle. I guess that would be OK if I had black hair but I now have 5 black freckles to go along with my brown ones and blond hair.
I leave and head over to the Breast Center for the biopsy.
WARNING - NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH
I arrive and all my friends come to say hi. They take me into the ultra sound room and the doctor explains that she has to get three different samples to be sure the pathologist has enough tissue to test. So first she injects me with xylocaine. In my neck below my jawbone joint and up through the jawbone flesh into the cheek itself (that's where the gland is). You know how when a dentists give you novocaine and it takes forever to get it all in? That is exactly what this was like. And we all know how much I LOVE needles. So after that is done, she takes the US machine in one hand and the biopsy needle in the other and starts digging. Yes, I kid you not...digging. I can hear it but not feel it except for the pressure of her digging. She puts tissue on three slides then tells me I have to wait there until the pathologist gives her the OK that he has enough to test so I can't leave because she might have to take more.
I'm laying there sort of zoning then she comes back in and say "BENIGN!" YAY!. All my friends are high-fiving me. All I want to do is sleep. The stress has been killing me.
Now What????
So on June 2, 2010 I go to the Gilmore Clinic to do auricular stimulation for quitting smoking. Amazingly, it worked. I walked out of there with no nicotine addiction. Still have the situational cravings but no "I'm going to kill someone if I don't have a cigarette." cravings.
I get to the easy-on-the-eyes radio onc on the 7th and tell him my concerns about radiating my armpit. I truly believe (from the path report) that the slide of the supposedly cancerous node was contaminated. That is a whole 'nother story I won't bore everyone with. He laughs at me. (Arrogant, patronizing little sh*t). He said I could not find any radio onc in the entire area who would treat me without zapping the armpit. I didn't bother to tell him I already had because I was too busy trying not to punch his lights out. So I make an appointment for the following week for my planning session. (I really was tempted to change docs but the guy really is good so I just bit my tongue).
Off I go to the ENT so he can read the PET. He looks at it and says there are two growths on my parotid gland. These are salivary glands located where the jawbone meets the cheek. He wants me to get a biopsy. YIKES! More NEEDLES!
I call my nurse navigator and she says to come to the Breast Center and they'll do it there. So that's scheduled for the 17th.
I get to the easy-on-the-eyes radio onc on the 7th and tell him my concerns about radiating my armpit. I truly believe (from the path report) that the slide of the supposedly cancerous node was contaminated. That is a whole 'nother story I won't bore everyone with. He laughs at me. (Arrogant, patronizing little sh*t). He said I could not find any radio onc in the entire area who would treat me without zapping the armpit. I didn't bother to tell him I already had because I was too busy trying not to punch his lights out. So I make an appointment for the following week for my planning session. (I really was tempted to change docs but the guy really is good so I just bit my tongue).
Off I go to the ENT so he can read the PET. He looks at it and says there are two growths on my parotid gland. These are salivary glands located where the jawbone meets the cheek. He wants me to get a biopsy. YIKES! More NEEDLES!
I call my nurse navigator and she says to come to the Breast Center and they'll do it there. So that's scheduled for the 17th.
Surgery #2 - or Watch Barbara Pitch a Fit
Show up at the place at 6 and the first thing I do is ask what time my surgery is scheduled for. They say 1:30. I start yelling and threw my pen down on the floor, along with my newspaper, and yelled that I had to lay around and wait 10 days ago for 6-1/2 hours and by God I wasn't going to do it again. I told them I would come back at 10. They got the head nurse to get me out of there because I was scaring everyone and she assured me that she would speak to the doctor to see if they could get me in earlier. I am still IRATE.
I show the nurse my 5 inch long bruise from the last time and ask her if they can do better than that this time. She has this excellent nurse do it and I didn't feel anything except a little sting when she gave me a little local before she put the big needle in (they use a HUGE one in the OR that's about as big around as pencil lead).
At 8 they come to take me to the Breast Center for the needle loc (see previous post). They crunch me in the mammo and the radiologist said there are no micro calcifications so no needle loc. YAY!!!!! And a big double YAY because no needle in the nipple!! So I'm back in my gurney at 9 waiting. I told them NO ATAVAN so I am aware as I wait. Since my last surgery, however, they installed TV's in the pre op rooms so Marty and I watched Supernatural. Then the doc came in and told me he would get me in earlier. He said after he finished this one I was next. Well, that one took him about 1-1/2 hours but at least I didn't have to wait 6-1/2 hours. So they get me on the table and it is FREEZING in there. They give me a blanket and that's all she wrote until I woke up in the recovery room shivering so hard it woke me up. Perfect timing as the nurse was just covering me with two warm blankets.
They brought Marty in and we hung around for another 30-45 minutes so they were sure I was OK. I felt fine except the booby was a lot sorer that last time. I asked for some ice and that helped. We took off and got home around 3. I felt fine, other than the sore boob. I continued to put ice on it and finally, around 6 I was forced to concede that 2 surgeries in 10 days was more than I had bargained for and took and extra strength Tylenol.
I took 2 of those each day for two days then I was back to normal.
After surgery, the oncologist had ordered a PET scan for me on the following Monday AM. If you have never had one, listen up, and you will try to do whatever you can to get out of doing one. This is another test with a NEEDLE. First thing they do is email me instructions on what I can't eat or drink for the 24 hours preceding the test.
No carbohydrates
No sugar
No caffeine
No Nicotine
So what the hell am I supposed to eat or drink? But dig this: Marty's band is at Jimmy B's Sunday from 2-7:30. Can anyone even remotely conceive of being at Jimmy B's all afternoon and NOT having a beer? It's un-American!! Well, I did it, grudgingly. Had my last cigarette around 3. That was the best I could do.
Get to the place. They put me in this recliner and I am pretty much prone. They start the IV of glucose (she was not too bad) then they stick this radioactive stuff in you. Then they tell you to lay there for 50 (FIFTY) minutes and don't move, read, think. Oh man, this is pure torture for me.
They had one sign on the wall that said something about how the tech could not stay close to you after you get injected so don't take it personally. I read and re-read it then I started doing anagrams with the letters. I was basically going beserk. Finally she came and got me and took me into the bathroom, telling me to pee it out of me. Signs in the john said to stay away from pregnant women and little kids for 12 hours. Nice, huh?
So now I'm on my back and the tube is a LOT smaller than the MRI tube. Having panic attacks so I try to go to my happy place. This test is blessedly quiet but it, too, is an all-or-nothing test. Meaning, if I move we start over. It consisted of tests lasting 3,4,6,8,7,11,9,etc, minutes between which I could move. She would tell me how long then I would try to count backwards to give myself something to do and so I would know how much longer. Oh this was pure, unadulterated torture. This test lasted about 45 minutes. After they give you OJ or apple juice and a graham cracker, I grabbed the juice and got the hell out of Dodge. Thank God that was over with.
So I stop in at the Breast Center to see if my path is back and it is: not one cancer cell anywhere. So he got it all the first time. YAY!! Now we wait to see if I have to do chemo.
Have an appointment with the onc in three days, on Thursday and the test should be in by then. I go in and he tells me the score is 17. Low is 0-19, intermediate is 20-33 and above that means chemo for sure. So he tells me that my risk of recurrance rate is 14%. If I do chemo, it goes down 3%, if I do a hormone drug it goes down 4%. So hating drugs as much as I do, I figure I can do this with diet and supplements. He rolls his eyes at me. I tell him I will consider the hormone drug but chemo is out. So he tells me that a couple of spots on my jaw lit up on the PET scan and he wants me to see an ENT. Just what I need, another lousy body part failing me. Make that appointment for 6/7.
Next up - radiation. That appointment is on the 7th as well.
I show the nurse my 5 inch long bruise from the last time and ask her if they can do better than that this time. She has this excellent nurse do it and I didn't feel anything except a little sting when she gave me a little local before she put the big needle in (they use a HUGE one in the OR that's about as big around as pencil lead).
At 8 they come to take me to the Breast Center for the needle loc (see previous post). They crunch me in the mammo and the radiologist said there are no micro calcifications so no needle loc. YAY!!!!! And a big double YAY because no needle in the nipple!! So I'm back in my gurney at 9 waiting. I told them NO ATAVAN so I am aware as I wait. Since my last surgery, however, they installed TV's in the pre op rooms so Marty and I watched Supernatural. Then the doc came in and told me he would get me in earlier. He said after he finished this one I was next. Well, that one took him about 1-1/2 hours but at least I didn't have to wait 6-1/2 hours. So they get me on the table and it is FREEZING in there. They give me a blanket and that's all she wrote until I woke up in the recovery room shivering so hard it woke me up. Perfect timing as the nurse was just covering me with two warm blankets.
They brought Marty in and we hung around for another 30-45 minutes so they were sure I was OK. I felt fine except the booby was a lot sorer that last time. I asked for some ice and that helped. We took off and got home around 3. I felt fine, other than the sore boob. I continued to put ice on it and finally, around 6 I was forced to concede that 2 surgeries in 10 days was more than I had bargained for and took and extra strength Tylenol.
I took 2 of those each day for two days then I was back to normal.
After surgery, the oncologist had ordered a PET scan for me on the following Monday AM. If you have never had one, listen up, and you will try to do whatever you can to get out of doing one. This is another test with a NEEDLE. First thing they do is email me instructions on what I can't eat or drink for the 24 hours preceding the test.
No carbohydrates
No sugar
No caffeine
No Nicotine
So what the hell am I supposed to eat or drink? But dig this: Marty's band is at Jimmy B's Sunday from 2-7:30. Can anyone even remotely conceive of being at Jimmy B's all afternoon and NOT having a beer? It's un-American!! Well, I did it, grudgingly. Had my last cigarette around 3. That was the best I could do.
Get to the place. They put me in this recliner and I am pretty much prone. They start the IV of glucose (she was not too bad) then they stick this radioactive stuff in you. Then they tell you to lay there for 50 (FIFTY) minutes and don't move, read, think. Oh man, this is pure torture for me.
They had one sign on the wall that said something about how the tech could not stay close to you after you get injected so don't take it personally. I read and re-read it then I started doing anagrams with the letters. I was basically going beserk. Finally she came and got me and took me into the bathroom, telling me to pee it out of me. Signs in the john said to stay away from pregnant women and little kids for 12 hours. Nice, huh?
So now I'm on my back and the tube is a LOT smaller than the MRI tube. Having panic attacks so I try to go to my happy place. This test is blessedly quiet but it, too, is an all-or-nothing test. Meaning, if I move we start over. It consisted of tests lasting 3,4,6,8,7,11,9,etc, minutes between which I could move. She would tell me how long then I would try to count backwards to give myself something to do and so I would know how much longer. Oh this was pure, unadulterated torture. This test lasted about 45 minutes. After they give you OJ or apple juice and a graham cracker, I grabbed the juice and got the hell out of Dodge. Thank God that was over with.
So I stop in at the Breast Center to see if my path is back and it is: not one cancer cell anywhere. So he got it all the first time. YAY!! Now we wait to see if I have to do chemo.
Have an appointment with the onc in three days, on Thursday and the test should be in by then. I go in and he tells me the score is 17. Low is 0-19, intermediate is 20-33 and above that means chemo for sure. So he tells me that my risk of recurrance rate is 14%. If I do chemo, it goes down 3%, if I do a hormone drug it goes down 4%. So hating drugs as much as I do, I figure I can do this with diet and supplements. He rolls his eyes at me. I tell him I will consider the hormone drug but chemo is out. So he tells me that a couple of spots on my jaw lit up on the PET scan and he wants me to see an ENT. Just what I need, another lousy body part failing me. Make that appointment for 6/7.
Next up - radiation. That appointment is on the 7th as well.
Post Surgery Blues
So, they said the pathology would take about a week and after that, they said I would most likely not need chemo and could start the radiation shortly thereafter. Path came in on Friday (5/14) and one node of the 4 (that tested negative in the OR) came in with what they call micrometastases. Plus, they did not have what they call clean margins around the tumor. So now everything is looking REAL different. Saw the radio onc on Monday. He said because of the node, I couldn't do Mammosite. For those who don't know what this is, it is a 5 day twice a day radiation treatment where they insert a balloon-type thing into the excision area then drop a seed of radioactive stuff in twice a day, taking it out after each 10 minute treatment.
He also said I would most likely need chemo. Bummer. So home I went, awaiting the appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday.
The surgeon said I could 1. Do a mastectomy 2. do a double mastectomy 3. Do another excision (called a re-excision).
I picked re-excision for the same reasons as before. The boob felt fine. I didn't even need any pain pills or even a Tylenol after the surgery. He felt comfortable that we could get clean margins and I felt comfrortable that another surgery was no big deal. He said he would put the chemo port in during the surgery saving me an out-patient surgery for that. He also said that the pathology was not real clear and that they were having a tumor board meeting the next day to discuss my case. The tumor board consists of my three doctors plus the head pathologist. He said he would call me if there was any change from the plan. Anyway, we went to schedule it. His first opening was Thursday, 2 days from then, so I went for it. Just wanted to get it over with.
The next morning the surgeon called. He had GREAT news!! They were pretty sure I wouldn't need chemo so no port on Thursday. The onc ordered a genomic test called the OncoType Dx test which looks at cancer at the genetic level and comes up with a recurrance score. The test takes two weeks so I won't know anything for sure for two weeks.
So surgery the next morning.
He also said I would most likely need chemo. Bummer. So home I went, awaiting the appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday.
The surgeon said I could 1. Do a mastectomy 2. do a double mastectomy 3. Do another excision (called a re-excision).
I picked re-excision for the same reasons as before. The boob felt fine. I didn't even need any pain pills or even a Tylenol after the surgery. He felt comfortable that we could get clean margins and I felt comfrortable that another surgery was no big deal. He said he would put the chemo port in during the surgery saving me an out-patient surgery for that. He also said that the pathology was not real clear and that they were having a tumor board meeting the next day to discuss my case. The tumor board consists of my three doctors plus the head pathologist. He said he would call me if there was any change from the plan. Anyway, we went to schedule it. His first opening was Thursday, 2 days from then, so I went for it. Just wanted to get it over with.
The next morning the surgeon called. He had GREAT news!! They were pretty sure I wouldn't need chemo so no port on Thursday. The onc ordered a genomic test called the OncoType Dx test which looks at cancer at the genetic level and comes up with a recurrance score. The test takes two weeks so I won't know anything for sure for two weeks.
So surgery the next morning.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Surgery - DISCLAIMER - not for the squeamish
Oh boy here we go! Told to be there at 6AM. Yuck. Marty and I go to bed at 8 PM. Right. Anyway, up we get. No coffee for me. Off we go. Check in. They take me back to pre op and make me put the gown on. Nurse comes in to do the intake. Then puts the IV in my arm. OMFG! It hurt like a MF (and I do not mean mondo fajita). In the FYI category, the bruise on the arm lasted for THREE weeks.
Next, they tell me I am off to Radiology for the needle locator (commonly referred to in hospital slang as the needle loc). Back down to the Breast Center. At least they are all my friends by now. They mammo me and with boob clamped, the doc (after xylocaine) inserts a wire into the tumor. Unclamp the boob then I have this wire sticking out my left boob at about 2 o'clock. They place a styrofoam cup over it so now my arm is sticking out kind of like a weight lifter with lots of muscles who can't get his arms to lie straight down. Nice.
Then I sit in the hall way for a while and they take me to nuclear medicine.
NOTE: This is where the squeamish need to stop reading.
I get there and the tech says the radio-isotopes have not arrived yet. So I sit in the waiting room for 15 minutes. They arrive and the tech puts me on a table that is part of a gamma camera. I'm laying there and he gives me ice and tells me to ice my nipple down. I am like, "Are you nuts? I need xylocaine!" He said that they can't give anesthetic because it impairs the movement of the isotope. Then he gets this spray can of numbing stuff and sprays me several times. The the doc comes and does the first of four injections into my nipple. I shriek "F#%$ Me! F*&^ Me! F%*& Me" about 10 times because not only does the needle hurt like a B*&$ch but after it starts going in, my breast felt like it was entirely on fire. I mean it felt like someone had poured boiling oil on my boob.
Then the doc says "All Done." I didn't even feel numbers 2-4 as my poor boob just shut down and gave up the ghost. Have to admit it was kinda cool watching the isotope moving around with the gamma camera. They had a little monitor so I could see it. Back to Pre Op.
Arrive back at 10:00AM. Hanging around waiting. And waiting. And waiting. I overheard that my surgery wasn't scheduled until 1:30. I WENT BALLISTIC!!!! I paced up and down the hallway saying "3-1/2 hours of sitting here waiting with a freakin needle sticking out of me? Are they crazy or just sadists?" This was followed by (a lot of) muttered obscenities.
The nurse came back and told me to get on the gurney. She shot me up with Atavan and it was lights out until the next moring when I woke up in my bed.
Surgery went well. Doc told Marty no node involvement (he took 4).
I was a real PITA for Marty to deal with what with the Atavan in me and that stuff makes me nuts anyway. After we got home I was sitting in one chair and would pass out then I would move to another and pass out and I must have this for over an hour until he dragged me upstairs. That was when I decided I had to have a bath. I have a saint for a husband who allowed me to get in the bathtub around 8 that night and made sure I didn't knock myself out or drown (I remember nothing).When I woke up the next morning and kissed him and said good morning he said, "Thank God you're back."
I love my husband sooooo much!
Next, they tell me I am off to Radiology for the needle locator (commonly referred to in hospital slang as the needle loc). Back down to the Breast Center. At least they are all my friends by now. They mammo me and with boob clamped, the doc (after xylocaine) inserts a wire into the tumor. Unclamp the boob then I have this wire sticking out my left boob at about 2 o'clock. They place a styrofoam cup over it so now my arm is sticking out kind of like a weight lifter with lots of muscles who can't get his arms to lie straight down. Nice.
Then I sit in the hall way for a while and they take me to nuclear medicine.
NOTE: This is where the squeamish need to stop reading.
I get there and the tech says the radio-isotopes have not arrived yet. So I sit in the waiting room for 15 minutes. They arrive and the tech puts me on a table that is part of a gamma camera. I'm laying there and he gives me ice and tells me to ice my nipple down. I am like, "Are you nuts? I need xylocaine!" He said that they can't give anesthetic because it impairs the movement of the isotope. Then he gets this spray can of numbing stuff and sprays me several times. The the doc comes and does the first of four injections into my nipple. I shriek "F#%$ Me! F*&^ Me! F%*& Me" about 10 times because not only does the needle hurt like a B*&$ch but after it starts going in, my breast felt like it was entirely on fire. I mean it felt like someone had poured boiling oil on my boob.
Then the doc says "All Done." I didn't even feel numbers 2-4 as my poor boob just shut down and gave up the ghost. Have to admit it was kinda cool watching the isotope moving around with the gamma camera. They had a little monitor so I could see it. Back to Pre Op.
Arrive back at 10:00AM. Hanging around waiting. And waiting. And waiting. I overheard that my surgery wasn't scheduled until 1:30. I WENT BALLISTIC!!!! I paced up and down the hallway saying "3-1/2 hours of sitting here waiting with a freakin needle sticking out of me? Are they crazy or just sadists?" This was followed by (a lot of) muttered obscenities.
The nurse came back and told me to get on the gurney. She shot me up with Atavan and it was lights out until the next moring when I woke up in my bed.
Surgery went well. Doc told Marty no node involvement (he took 4).
I was a real PITA for Marty to deal with what with the Atavan in me and that stuff makes me nuts anyway. After we got home I was sitting in one chair and would pass out then I would move to another and pass out and I must have this for over an hour until he dragged me upstairs. That was when I decided I had to have a bath. I have a saint for a husband who allowed me to get in the bathtub around 8 that night and made sure I didn't knock myself out or drown (I remember nothing).When I woke up the next morning and kissed him and said good morning he said, "Thank God you're back."
I love my husband sooooo much!
Now What Do I Do?
By the time Monday rolled around, I had a BS in Breast Cancer Etiology and Treatment. Had a terrible time sleeping. I would wake up at 2AM then roll around for 1-2 hours until I would finally get up. Back on the internet. So I surfed Monday AM until the Breast Center opened. I did have to go into my office that day so I started driving to the Breast Center, called and went in to see my nurse navigator. Tricia is a Princess. She is the reason I am not on death row for murdering my doctor.
She explained what the diagnosis meant, she explained what the next steps should be and when I left 45 minutes later I had the following:
1. a 2:00 appointment that day for a bi-lateral breast MRI
2. an appointment with a breast surgeon Wed. at 2 PM.
3. an appointment with the radiological oncologist Tue. at 11
4. already had the onc appointment (made it Friday)
5. Control of my life again
I already had the onc appointment on Thursday so I went to the office and did my thing. Back to St Anthonys for the MRI. One thing for those of you who don't know me real well: I hate needles and have been known to pass out cold, hyperventilate, jerk, cry, scream, etc. I had no clue this test would involve a needle.
I arrive. It is about 56 degrees in the room and I do have my socks and shoes on but I am FREEZING! They do give me a blanket, thank God, then they have me lie face down with my face in a holder and each breast in its own little compartment. Kind of cool, actually. Well, an additional complication is I am semi-claustrophobic. Add a needle to that and it's only a matter of time until I am hyperventilating and/or screaming. The very nice lady manages to get a small (thank God) needle into my wrist semi-painlessly. She then explains that the test is about 5 minutes of me holding my breath while they take various pictures. Then the rest of the test is 30 min of me holding very still for 3 min, 5 min, 8 min, etc. Right. Those who know me well are laughing hysterically at this. The Arch staying still for 45 minutes? Right.
In they slide me. I am REALLY not liking being in a tube but the face-down head-holder has a little mirror in the bottom so I can see what's at the end of the tube. Guess what's there? The gunk they are going to inject me with. HooRah. Now I am freaking about that. Anyway they do a few pix then she comes back in and shoots the stuff in. She did tell me that the stuff would feel cool hitting my arm but what she didn't tell me was that after 5 minutes or so, my face would get really flushed. When the flush hit, it was very disorienting and it made me very nauseous. (while injecting she did tell me not to move or they would have to do the whole test from the beginning..this is an all or nothing test). Remembering her warning, I told myself 'You are not sick, you are not sick, you are not sick'. It passed.
So she had put these headphones on me PLUS earplugs and asked what kind of music I liked. Said I didn't care. When the machine started up, it sounded like a very bad techno club and the music in the headphones was inaudible. I mean the noise level was like a hundred times louder than the loudest lowrider you ever heard and I am not kidding!
Man was I glad when that was over.
On to the Rad Onc the next day. Went to him on the recommendation of my buds at the Breast Center. They like him. Come to find out later they like him because women who have radiation from him have great cosmetic results on their breasts. But what they really like him for is he is easy on the eyes. He really is.
He explained what the treatment consisted of and how long, etc. and that was that.
Next day was the surgeon. My husband, Marty, came with me. He had reviewed the biopsy pathology and the mammos and ultra-sound and ran through the treatment options. 1. Mastectomy 2. Double Mastectomy 3. Lumpectomy
We discussed and as I have large breasts, a mast would require at least a reduction on the other boob (to prevent back problems), I wanted a lump. He agreed and we walked down to be scheduled for surgery. This is May 5. She said 'How about May 10?' I was like 'YIKES!" but he had nothing until May 18 so I took it.
On to the oncologist the next day. He just explained to me what he does starts after surgery and the path report comes back. He feeds the data into Adjuvant Online and the program determines what percentage of recurrance risk reduction each type of chemo/hormone therapy would provide. BTW this one is easy on the eyes as well. In fact, so was the surgeon. He was the hottest though (surgeon). I digress.
The consensus of the docs, based on the pathology of the biopsy and the location of the tumor, is that I will not need chemo and that I am a candidate for Mammosite radiation.
Home to freak out and start working on my Masters in Breast Cancer studies.
She explained what the diagnosis meant, she explained what the next steps should be and when I left 45 minutes later I had the following:
1. a 2:00 appointment that day for a bi-lateral breast MRI
2. an appointment with a breast surgeon Wed. at 2 PM.
3. an appointment with the radiological oncologist Tue. at 11
4. already had the onc appointment (made it Friday)
5. Control of my life again
I already had the onc appointment on Thursday so I went to the office and did my thing. Back to St Anthonys for the MRI. One thing for those of you who don't know me real well: I hate needles and have been known to pass out cold, hyperventilate, jerk, cry, scream, etc. I had no clue this test would involve a needle.
I arrive. It is about 56 degrees in the room and I do have my socks and shoes on but I am FREEZING! They do give me a blanket, thank God, then they have me lie face down with my face in a holder and each breast in its own little compartment. Kind of cool, actually. Well, an additional complication is I am semi-claustrophobic. Add a needle to that and it's only a matter of time until I am hyperventilating and/or screaming. The very nice lady manages to get a small (thank God) needle into my wrist semi-painlessly. She then explains that the test is about 5 minutes of me holding my breath while they take various pictures. Then the rest of the test is 30 min of me holding very still for 3 min, 5 min, 8 min, etc. Right. Those who know me well are laughing hysterically at this. The Arch staying still for 45 minutes? Right.
In they slide me. I am REALLY not liking being in a tube but the face-down head-holder has a little mirror in the bottom so I can see what's at the end of the tube. Guess what's there? The gunk they are going to inject me with. HooRah. Now I am freaking about that. Anyway they do a few pix then she comes back in and shoots the stuff in. She did tell me that the stuff would feel cool hitting my arm but what she didn't tell me was that after 5 minutes or so, my face would get really flushed. When the flush hit, it was very disorienting and it made me very nauseous. (while injecting she did tell me not to move or they would have to do the whole test from the beginning..this is an all or nothing test). Remembering her warning, I told myself 'You are not sick, you are not sick, you are not sick'. It passed.
So she had put these headphones on me PLUS earplugs and asked what kind of music I liked. Said I didn't care. When the machine started up, it sounded like a very bad techno club and the music in the headphones was inaudible. I mean the noise level was like a hundred times louder than the loudest lowrider you ever heard and I am not kidding!
Man was I glad when that was over.
On to the Rad Onc the next day. Went to him on the recommendation of my buds at the Breast Center. They like him. Come to find out later they like him because women who have radiation from him have great cosmetic results on their breasts. But what they really like him for is he is easy on the eyes. He really is.
He explained what the treatment consisted of and how long, etc. and that was that.
Next day was the surgeon. My husband, Marty, came with me. He had reviewed the biopsy pathology and the mammos and ultra-sound and ran through the treatment options. 1. Mastectomy 2. Double Mastectomy 3. Lumpectomy
We discussed and as I have large breasts, a mast would require at least a reduction on the other boob (to prevent back problems), I wanted a lump. He agreed and we walked down to be scheduled for surgery. This is May 5. She said 'How about May 10?' I was like 'YIKES!" but he had nothing until May 18 so I took it.
On to the oncologist the next day. He just explained to me what he does starts after surgery and the path report comes back. He feeds the data into Adjuvant Online and the program determines what percentage of recurrance risk reduction each type of chemo/hormone therapy would provide. BTW this one is easy on the eyes as well. In fact, so was the surgeon. He was the hottest though (surgeon). I digress.
The consensus of the docs, based on the pathology of the biopsy and the location of the tumor, is that I will not need chemo and that I am a candidate for Mammosite radiation.
Home to freak out and start working on my Masters in Breast Cancer studies.
The Beginning - April 2010
It started as a routine mammogram. Being too busy, I had let some time pass between mammograms. In fact, when I stopped to really think about it, it had to be at least 5 years, maybe 7. YIKES. So my new primary care doctor (who is now my ex-primary care doctor) wrote the scrip and off I went to the breast center on April 1.
It had been quite a while since I had had one and now they are all pretty much digital. Gone are the days of waiting 1-2 weeks for the radiologist to read it. But in my case, I got the call about 4-5 days later to come back for another one.
Back I went, still not too concerned as I have always had cysts and figured that was the deal. After the mammo, the tech took it to the radiologist. She came back and said they wanted to do an ultra-sound. I'm starting to get a little anxious about here. So we went and did an ultra sound. As she was rubbing around, one area was tender. Turns out THAT was the area. US was not clear enough so next up was a biopsy. This was on 4/8 and my work schedule was brutal for the next two weeks so I had the biopsy done on 4/28 (after I returned from several out of town appts. and the Microsoft Convergence Conference).
I had told myself that there was no use getting my bowels in an uproar since there was nothing I could do about it so just meet the work committments and deal with it after I got back.
So Friday 4/30 came (they said most likely they would have the pathology back then). Called the Breast Center where my nurse navigator told me my doctor wanted to tell me the results. So I told her my doctor is closed on Friday so what am I supposed to do? I asked her if it was bad. She said she was not allowed to say. At that I am like 'Uh oh.' She gives me the doctor's cell number. I call leaving her a freaked out message.
It is now 3:00. She finally calls me at 3:45. Here's how it went:
her - 'Ms. Archer I am sorry to have to tell you you have breast cancer.'
me - 'How bad is it? What kind is it?'
her - 'I'm not an oncologist. You need to consult an oncologist.'
me - 'What was the pathology diagnosis?'
her - 'You really need to consult and oncologist. Here is a referral: Dr XYZ phone 555-1212.'
me - 'Why can't you tell me the diagnosis?'
her - 'I'm sorry.'
OK, picture this: it is 4PM on Friday afternoon and this bimbo tells me I have cancer and I have to get the diagnosis from an oncologist? Where the hell am I going to find an oncologist at 4 on a Friday afternoon and how am I going to get the diagnosis to him from the hospital? I am flipping out. I call the Breast Center and of course, they are closed. So I call the oncologist she recommended. Can't get an appointment until THURSDAY!! I take it then freak out.
After my 1/2 hour of freaking, I began my PhD in Breast Cancer studies at 5PM on Friday April 30, 2010.
It had been quite a while since I had had one and now they are all pretty much digital. Gone are the days of waiting 1-2 weeks for the radiologist to read it. But in my case, I got the call about 4-5 days later to come back for another one.
Back I went, still not too concerned as I have always had cysts and figured that was the deal. After the mammo, the tech took it to the radiologist. She came back and said they wanted to do an ultra-sound. I'm starting to get a little anxious about here. So we went and did an ultra sound. As she was rubbing around, one area was tender. Turns out THAT was the area. US was not clear enough so next up was a biopsy. This was on 4/8 and my work schedule was brutal for the next two weeks so I had the biopsy done on 4/28 (after I returned from several out of town appts. and the Microsoft Convergence Conference).
I had told myself that there was no use getting my bowels in an uproar since there was nothing I could do about it so just meet the work committments and deal with it after I got back.
So Friday 4/30 came (they said most likely they would have the pathology back then). Called the Breast Center where my nurse navigator told me my doctor wanted to tell me the results. So I told her my doctor is closed on Friday so what am I supposed to do? I asked her if it was bad. She said she was not allowed to say. At that I am like 'Uh oh.' She gives me the doctor's cell number. I call leaving her a freaked out message.
It is now 3:00. She finally calls me at 3:45. Here's how it went:
her - 'Ms. Archer I am sorry to have to tell you you have breast cancer.'
me - 'How bad is it? What kind is it?'
her - 'I'm not an oncologist. You need to consult an oncologist.'
me - 'What was the pathology diagnosis?'
her - 'You really need to consult and oncologist. Here is a referral: Dr XYZ phone 555-1212.'
me - 'Why can't you tell me the diagnosis?'
her - 'I'm sorry.'
OK, picture this: it is 4PM on Friday afternoon and this bimbo tells me I have cancer and I have to get the diagnosis from an oncologist? Where the hell am I going to find an oncologist at 4 on a Friday afternoon and how am I going to get the diagnosis to him from the hospital? I am flipping out. I call the Breast Center and of course, they are closed. So I call the oncologist she recommended. Can't get an appointment until THURSDAY!! I take it then freak out.
After my 1/2 hour of freaking, I began my PhD in Breast Cancer studies at 5PM on Friday April 30, 2010.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)