Oncologist Appointment

OK...I know you all have been waiting to hear how my appointment went and I am trying to wrap my mind around all the information.  My appointment ended up being three hours long.


But first I want to give you an update on my coworker.  She is having surgery on Thursday, so please keep her in your thoughts as she tries to prepare herself for what is happening to her.


I will try to make this as brief but explicit as possible..


I still do not have a definite plan of attack but getting closer.  I have other tests that need to happen to determine the strategy.  I don't know if what I am explaining is exactly what I heard, but I will share this info and then get clarification on a few things and followup with a post later if necessary.


First, I will have a PET Scan on Thursday, August 2 to rule out whether cancer cells have escaped and traveled elsewhere.  Then, Friday, August 3 will consist of implanting the porta-cath for chemo treatments and a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).  The SLNB is about a three hour procedure in which blue dye is injected into the tumor site and the first node that picks up the dye is removed and biopsied.  What happens if the PET Scan and/or the SLNB show that it has spread?  I'm not sure...that is a question I have written down to call my oncologist's nurse first thing in the morning.


Chemotherapy will happen regardless of the results found.  I don't want to go too in depth about this treatment until I am more clear on the above issues.  I will say, however, that the doctor wants to treat this aggressively which means 8 total chemo treatments at two week intervals.  So, basically, chemotherapy will be a minimum of 16 weeks.  During this process, I will have genetic counseling and testing to see if I carry the BRCA1 cancer gene.  If positive, then the doctors highly recommend that my ovaries be removed.  I will leave it at that, because I will cross that bridge when I have to.


After chemo, the next step is surgery which will be a mastectomy or double mastectomy.  I have thoughts on this but will talk about later.  My doctor is also considering radiation after the surgery but that will be determined after everything else happens.  Then after all of this, I will be on a hormone-blocker for 5 years.  Cancer feeds on hormones and I guess by doing this, it will hopefully prevent reoccurrence or growth elsewhere.  The ugly thing about this is that it will make me premenopausal.  FUN!!


OK...this is what I know as of now and what I know may not be accurate, so don't be surprised if I recant what I say because each test/procedure/treatment is a process each their own, so we will just have to wait and see.


How am I feeling?  Not much...this is still surreal and I am just doing what needs to be done.  Don't get me wrong, it has become more real to both John and I since this appointment, but still has not hit us with the full impact.


Again, I have to say how appreciative, thankful and loved I feel for all the well wishes, concerns and offers of help.  It all has kept my spirits high!!


'til my next post...