News Flash

Dr. H. just called me and asked if I wanted good news.
Feeling crummy, I said, "sure."
She laughed, and said "I just got the pathology report 30 seconds ago and the margins are widely clean!"
"Yes!" I yelled.
She laughed again, "That was worth being late to my meeting for!"

I see her Thursday and will get the details.  It doesn't change the treatment options, but for now, there is a huge smile on my face.

Thank you Lord!

The Lord Goes Before

And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.  Exodus 13:21-22


It's 11pm,  the house is quiet, as all members enjoy sweet dreams....except me.  I just woke up really well for the first time since 10am this morning.  Since it is another hour before I can do something for the pain, thought I'd use this time to update my blog.

4-5 am
It began early with DH juicing my post surgery needs.  I've learned to eat lightly the day before, follow anesethia guidelines the morning of and just juice the rest of the day post surgery.

7am
Off we go, DH, Inventor, Cat Lover, Rocket and I.  Quiet time as we drive the 2 hours to town.  Psalm 40 is my comfort today.

Inventor leaves us at the hospital and heads out on important errands.  The front desk quickly swallows me up and my prep nurse helps me don the latest in hospital fashion.  My veins run and hide and it takes hydrotherapy and 3 attempts before they get a good vein.  Now we wait, Dr. G is finishing up an early case and she is scheduled to go first.  Drs. H & B are ready to go.  Dr. H has marked me up and initialed her work on my skin. Dr B tells me when I get done, I'll be able to write a novel.  I tell Dr. H she has a lot of prayer support this morning.

OR nurse stops by, she was a highshool classmate of DH.  She wants to make sure I'm ok with her in the room. We visit..it's comforting to know some one on the OR team.  My preop nurse from 5 weeks ago stops by to say hi.  She is a sweet lady.  Off we go to surgery.

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with me."  With a pray of thanks I slip off to sleep.

Ouch Ouch, OUCH.  Not a nice way to wake up 3 hours later.  My nurse starts in on pain management, X-rays and trying to get me to stop trembling from cold as that makes my pain worse.  I drift in and out.  It's rough this time and  I don't want DH to see me like this. As pain management kicks in, a new problem,  I'm apparently allergic to one of the meds given.  Itching and scratching like a cat with fleas is no fun.  More adjustments...I drift in and out.  DH comes in and works with me.  I am blessed by his presence.

He tells me all three docs sat down with him together.  Only at My Town!  Dr.  H explains that because of the previous margins, she was following the trail of the cancer which was away from chest wall.  Think of a pie.  She took a football shaped piece from the crust all the way to the middle. That is certainly good mental news for us.  We totally understand that there are free cells wandering around trying to find a new home.  But we will focus on hope!  Dr. B explains about my expander, all the docs like the idea of having extra skin to work with and having it off the chest wall.  The expander which can be inflated or deflated will assist the radiation oncologist as well.  Dr. G goes over the port placement.  The guys can carry my backpack this year.  And I'll also be able to use the port for some natural therapies later this year.

Pastor stops by, come to find out he arrived just as DH came out the doors from sending me off to
surgery.  His being there with DH was such a blessing. My nurse recognizes the pastor, come to find out, he is a believer too.  What comfort as they both pray with me.

Then another cancer partner stops by.  We have been trying to connect for a month. When my nurse found out I knew her he went and called her.  What a blessing to visit with her, she offers wise
council on charting an independent course through the maze of options, based on what God calls us to do.

By the time, DH arrives back to take me home, my heart is filled to overflowing with the goodness of God.

Sleep calls,

Happy Sabbath

A long over due update...

After reviewing my last post in May of 2012, an update on the last 18 months is due. In one word.

FABULOUS.  When you walk this road, every day watching your children grow up is very special.  Many of you get our Christmas letter and know a lot of the details. These past months have been very special.  

Now to catch you up on what has happened….this blog is active again. That's not a good thing.

Timeline:

Late Oct / Early Nov 2013 

I find a small lump out on my implant near the original site of my largest DCIS tumor.  Knowing the chances of it being cancer are very small, I wait and go in 30 days later for my 2 year check up with Dr. H.  who is my breast surgeon.

Dec 5 in fast forward:

8:30 Dr. H exams me. She thinks its a suture granuloma as its on the suture line. BUT she doesn't like it. Schedules an appointment for that very day in ultrasound.

1:30 Ultrasound. The radiologist comes in to talk with me about the scans. He can't confirm or deny what Dr. H thinks. BUT He doesn't like it either. He's surprised I found it as it only shows 5mm on the scan.

4:00 Back in Dr. H's office. She removes offending lump in a 30 minute procedure and sends it to pathology. We know the odds.  

The next week.

Dr. H calls me, she's very direct! It's cancer, Invasive Ductal Carcinoma this time. More info to come later when the pathology report is complete. She needs to go back in for clean margins.

December 16

Here we go again! 45 minutes in OR. I get the high level summary of the pathology. ER, PR, HER2 positive. I can handle the first 2. The third one is a problem and I know it, but it's better than a triple negative and I know that too.  Dr. H also orders a pet scan to determine if it has metastasized.  A sentinel node biopsy was done 2 years ago and was clean.  Because of the surgery I've had, another node biopsy isn't going to provide the info needed.

December 24

Yep, Christmas Eve and I get to spend about 2 hours in Nuclear Medicine and then an 11:30 appointment with Dr. H.  Everyone has been so kind.  They went over the top to have preliminary PET Scan results at 11:30.  For those of you who know the medical profession, that is tops.  I appreciate the level of compassion.

Good News:  Pet Scan does not show distant metastasis at this time.  There are a couple of issues to clear up, but those I can deal with.

Bad News:  Two of the six surgical margins are not clear.  Dr. H. needs to go back in and take a significant section of skin, muscle and tissue.  She will also need to remove the implant and replace it with an expander which is smaller.  We schedule everything for January 22.

Merry Christmas 

We go to Grandparents and try to celebrate the Good News and leave the rest until later.  Much time is spent reconnecting with knowledgeable individuals from natural medicine and medical perspectives.  We so appreciate everyone's input.  We are praying for the Lord to go before us and show us what we should do and what we should avoid.  Every cancer has some unique features.  Breast cancer takes several different forms and with each type there are many tumor markers that can affect treatment.  Getting up to speed on this cancer, what feeds it, what creates a welcoming environment for it and what will kill it, is time consuming.

January 9 

DH and I meet my "Oncology Dream Team".  We were really trying to avoid this.  :)

It's a tough day and we are mentally and physically exhausted by what we've heard and we have more questions than answers.  It seems I'm an unusual case (IDC after mastectomy for DCIS) and many docs have only seen 1 or 2 cases or none at all.  

January 15, 16  

Second opinions in a bigger city.  Good news, they have seen more cases.  We are so grateful to all the docs and to their nurse navigator.  Their perspective was helpful and enlightening.  We have been praying…Lord, go before us, show us the way to take.  We still have more questions than answers on the medical oncology and radiation oncology pieces.  The surgical oncology piece is clear.  Surgery is definitely on and I will go to Dr. H for that.

January 22  

1 hour before I am to arrive, surgery is cancelled as the tissue expander needed didn't arrive on the plane due to bad weather.  It's a rough day for me emotionally, thank you for all your prayers.  We finally decided to come home and regroup as a family.  We haven't been together for a week as I have been in Bigger City.

Surgery is rescheduled for January 24.  I am to arrive at 9am.  

Thanks for your prayers.