A Good Day

Yesterday was a good day. Hard to believe I'm saying that after the news I received the day before. Nevertheless, it was a good day. We ended the day feeling much better than when we started.

It began with our appointment with the surgeon. Turns out she's only 10 days older than I am and has young children. Instant bond. I couldn't help thinking that under different circumstances had we met we would have hit it off greatly. I think we'll be friends when this is all done. Her news was good. The cancers are small. A physical exam does not indicate they've gone beyond the breast. That said, because of my history I'm not a candidate for radiation, and one of the cancer types, she believes, is a marker for much increased risk of a future cancer in the other breast. For these reasons, she is recommending a double mastectomy with reconstruction. At this point they're calling it a Stage 1 cancer, that's a good thing. They believe worst case would be if the lymph nodes were positive and then it would be Stage 2. Either way I'm looking at pretty good odds ... 95% and 90%. I'll take em.

Yesterday afternoon we met with the oncologist. A very different personality than the surgeon. 50-ish Iraqi graduate of the University of Baghdad with a wall full of American credentials. Very black and white ... "just the facts" kind of guy. Very optimistic. Two things he said that I remember: "What are we going to do with such a healthy girl?" and "Your prognosis is very good." He will not make a decision on chemotherapy until a few more tests are done and we know if the lymph nodes have joined the party or not. He is not a proponent of the double mastectomy but concurs that the cancerous breast needs to come off. His rationale is that, because I now have this diagnosis I will be closely followed for the rest of my life. Even if another cancer did arise on the other side, it would be caught early. So my decision is do I want to just deal with it now and have the peace of mind that I won't be putting myself or my family through this again ... I'm leaning in that direction but again weighing all options.

Today we meet with the plastic surgeon to understand all of my options regarding reconstruction. There are many and they all have different pros and cons in terms of all kinds of things ... most importantly recovery time and likelihood of success. Then there's the whole size issue :-) Tomorrow I have an MRI. By Friday they'll have all the info they need to finalize my treatment plan and schedule surgery.

So, I now take off my patient hat, put on my mom hat, get the kids to school, then head to work to get caught up on all kinds of things. It's a very busy time with much to do. I told my close peers at work yesterday and they were all really great. Will tell the team that reports to me today. Word definitely got out yesterday as the emails, text messages and phone calls started coming. Please keep em coming but be patient with a response. Tonight and tomorrow night are Back to School night. This weekend will hopefully be restful.