First...
I got another call from the surgeon's office today. Surgery is still on for May 20th, but the time has changed a little...we have to arrive at 8:30, and surgery will start around 11:00 or so, and it will last for FOUR HOURS! So my first question is, will my doc and the nurses have already eaten lunch? What if they get hungry? I don't want them to lose their focus if their stomach is growling!! Is this an appropriate question to ask the doc when they wheel me into the O.R.?
Second...
I know that this is a stupid thing to be bummed about, but when I was looking at my calendar today, it hit me that I am going to miss all the fun of the last week of school! I will miss the Powder Puff football game (always fun!), the field trip to Kate's Skate (great photo ops there!!), and the end of the year party! Actually, I think if I'm feeling good enough, I may come by for an hour or two for the party (if Dane will let me...and drive me...)
Third...
--and that's another thing...Dane will have to drive me everywhere. See, that's just not how we do it in my family... I drive. I like driving. I hate Dane's driving. Don't get me wrong, Dane is an amazing husband and father, but his driving makes me a little nervous (and a little ill.)
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Let the Countdown Begin!
I got the call today... My surgery date has been set! May 20th is the lucky day. I have to be there at 10 am, which probably means that the actual surgery won't start until 12 or 1 pm... I need to make sure the docs and nurses have had a good lunch before they begin!
Tonight I went to the Huntersville Relay For Life survivor's dinner. I took my mom, because Dane had senior night with his soccer girls. It was a nice dinner--good lasagna, great salad, super yummy red velvet squares!
I saw a few old friends that I knew from my days at LNCS! One of the ladies was part of the Relay for Life planning committee. The other one is now a part of my club. It's always nice to see old friends, I just wish the circumstances could be better! One of my friends introduced me to another gal who's been through a mastectomy and reconstruction. Her reconstruction was a different procedure than mine will be, but it's always good to talk to people who've been through it to find ways to cope with the roller coaster of emotions.
So let the countdown begin... 23 days. I think I can, I think I can...
Tonight I went to the Huntersville Relay For Life survivor's dinner. I took my mom, because Dane had senior night with his soccer girls. It was a nice dinner--good lasagna, great salad, super yummy red velvet squares!
I saw a few old friends that I knew from my days at LNCS! One of the ladies was part of the Relay for Life planning committee. The other one is now a part of my club. It's always nice to see old friends, I just wish the circumstances could be better! One of my friends introduced me to another gal who's been through a mastectomy and reconstruction. Her reconstruction was a different procedure than mine will be, but it's always good to talk to people who've been through it to find ways to cope with the roller coaster of emotions.
So let the countdown begin... 23 days. I think I can, I think I can...
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Here We Go Again...
On April 19th, 2015, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Again.
I went for my yearly mammogram on Tuesday, April 14th (370 days from my last mammogram). Honestly, it was the first year that Dane and I weren't nervous.
Amy, my mammogram tech, was awesome. When we were done with all the images, she left the room. I sent Dane a text saying that the pics were all done. Then Amy came back in. She needed more pictures. Panic slowly sets in. We took the next set of images. She leaves the room again. I text Dane... Amy comes back in again and says that she needs another set of images on the right side. I ask her if she found something... She said that it's a small spot, but that she wanted one more image. We might need an ultrasound. The tears start falling. I know what this means...I've done all this before.
We move to the ultrasound room. She finds the spot right away, and I see it on the screen. One large black hole in a sea of gray and white. More tears. I ask if she can bring Dane back. Amy leaves to ask one of the doctors. She comes back to tell me that it's really not allowed--too many half-dressed women in the various waiting rooms... When the doctor (a different one than the one she asked) came in, I was a hot mess. He asked if there was anything he could do, and I told him that I really needed my husband to be there. I think he realized the state I was in, and he asked Amy to go get Dane. When Dane got there, the doc used the ultrasound to find the black hole. He said it was almost a centimeter in diameter. He wanted me to come back the next morning for a biopsy. Rats.
The next few days are pretty bad. I found my brain going to some pretty dark places. I'm pretty sure my face was fairly swollen and red most of the week...
We got the results on Friday... Kay, our "Breast Health Navigator," gave us the results. Dane and I knew what the results were going to be before we got them. At that point, I had almost no tears left. I only needed 1 tissue. We talked for about an hour, and talked about all of our options. We have made the decision to do a double mastectomy and reconstruction. Although I really like my own boobs, I just can't handle the idea of them growing more cancer...
We met our surgeon, Dr. Peter Turk, on Monday. Loved him. Very friendly and personable. Met our plastic surgeon, Dr. Peter Capizzi. I liked him too, but honestly, the office experience was a little odd. Don't get me wrong, all of the people in the office were great. The office environment was more like a spa, with the low lights, lavender scent, and everyone talking in a low, quiet voice... Oh yeah, and the fact that I had to take 4 or 5 "before" pictures of my boobs... Very awkward, indeed! Dane was quite disappointed that there were no "samples" to check out...
So, now we wait for the two surgeons to talk to the insurance company, and then to coordinate with each other. We are hoping to hear something by the end of the week. The best guess for the surgery is sometime in the middle of May.
Ok, so now you're all up to date!
I went for my yearly mammogram on Tuesday, April 14th (370 days from my last mammogram). Honestly, it was the first year that Dane and I weren't nervous.
Amy, my mammogram tech, was awesome. When we were done with all the images, she left the room. I sent Dane a text saying that the pics were all done. Then Amy came back in. She needed more pictures. Panic slowly sets in. We took the next set of images. She leaves the room again. I text Dane... Amy comes back in again and says that she needs another set of images on the right side. I ask her if she found something... She said that it's a small spot, but that she wanted one more image. We might need an ultrasound. The tears start falling. I know what this means...I've done all this before.
We move to the ultrasound room. She finds the spot right away, and I see it on the screen. One large black hole in a sea of gray and white. More tears. I ask if she can bring Dane back. Amy leaves to ask one of the doctors. She comes back to tell me that it's really not allowed--too many half-dressed women in the various waiting rooms... When the doctor (a different one than the one she asked) came in, I was a hot mess. He asked if there was anything he could do, and I told him that I really needed my husband to be there. I think he realized the state I was in, and he asked Amy to go get Dane. When Dane got there, the doc used the ultrasound to find the black hole. He said it was almost a centimeter in diameter. He wanted me to come back the next morning for a biopsy. Rats.
The next few days are pretty bad. I found my brain going to some pretty dark places. I'm pretty sure my face was fairly swollen and red most of the week...
We got the results on Friday... Kay, our "Breast Health Navigator," gave us the results. Dane and I knew what the results were going to be before we got them. At that point, I had almost no tears left. I only needed 1 tissue. We talked for about an hour, and talked about all of our options. We have made the decision to do a double mastectomy and reconstruction. Although I really like my own boobs, I just can't handle the idea of them growing more cancer...
We met our surgeon, Dr. Peter Turk, on Monday. Loved him. Very friendly and personable. Met our plastic surgeon, Dr. Peter Capizzi. I liked him too, but honestly, the office experience was a little odd. Don't get me wrong, all of the people in the office were great. The office environment was more like a spa, with the low lights, lavender scent, and everyone talking in a low, quiet voice... Oh yeah, and the fact that I had to take 4 or 5 "before" pictures of my boobs... Very awkward, indeed! Dane was quite disappointed that there were no "samples" to check out...
So, now we wait for the two surgeons to talk to the insurance company, and then to coordinate with each other. We are hoping to hear something by the end of the week. The best guess for the surgery is sometime in the middle of May.
Ok, so now you're all up to date!
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