October 13, 2023
I learned a bunch this week. On Monday I had an ultrasound and there was no cancer masses they could see! Great news! A little lymphedema but that was no surprise. Now I did learn from the Radiologist this morning while it is good news, all that’s telling us is there is no one spot with more than a million cancer cells. That makes it slightly less exciting but still a win.
My Radiologist, that I met for the first time today, was trained at Mayo Clinic before coming to the cities. A super smart dude and he gave lots of detail for each recommendation he made. He explained that while chemo, additional lymph removal, and radiation is not common I really need to do it all. Based on the size of the primary tumor and the fact that all lymph nodes tested were positive, I have 70-80% chance that there is cancer in those other lymph nodes. Now hopefully most of all are dead now, we’ll find out.
Nick asked a good question, he was curious if chemo tries to kill everything and you do surgery to take a lot more lymph nodes, why radiation too? He explained that since I’m high risk, there is a good chance you have chance in the lymph nodes under the rib cage so that area needs to get treated. Also my neck on the left side above my collar bone is a high risk area. Those areas are never treated with surgery because they’d need to break your rib cage and damage the muscle in your neck. No thank you. There is also some area in the arm pit area that I’ll need radiation. All fine, just get rid of the cancer and I’ll deal with an odd tan.
He said if you were my wife I’d tell you to do the surgery. So I said sign me up. I finish chemo Nov 9 and they need to give my body 4 weeks before they’ll do surgery, I’m such a type A, I asked if I can do it a week after. Hmmm no.
So looks like the first or second week in December for lymph node surgery. Then I need to heal from that before I start radiation so somewhere early or mid January I start radiation. In terms of how long radiation will be he is suggesting a newer program for me that instead of 4 weeks on lower dose radiation, they will do 3 weeks of higher dose. I’m following his recommendation. Then I start a bunch of new pills that my body will need to adjust too. I’ll be on those for 5-10 years. But my doctor shared that with my scenario if it’s going to spread if generally will within the first year. Goodness how will I not be nervous for like a year. 🙈 I’ll try not to be but I’m not sure it’s totally possible.
Then last and probably the only part I’m looking forward to- reconstruction. 6 months after radiation so it’s totally healed I’ll what’s called DIEP Flap surgery. They take my skin, blood vessels, and fat from my low tummy and reattach all the vessels in my chest and make a new boob. No implant, it’s my own body materials and I basically get a free tummy tuck. Yes please. Healing is a bugger like 6 solid weeks but once it’s done I don’t need to go into and have an implant replaced every 8-10 years and no chance of my body fighting a foreign object. Plus they do a reduction and lift on the other side so they match. It’s like a mommy make over, like a Frankenstein version with plenty of scars. But it’s still like a present for having a real crappy year. 😉 I’ll take it.
Im not thrilled to hear a third doctor tell me I’m high risk but I feel really good about the firm game plan. I understand the rationale. I love my medical team. I love my work team. I love my support network- you. My hubby continues to be amazing. I have to imagine this is getting just as old for him as it is me. I’m one lucky lady to have him be my rock.
Here’s to just 4 more chemo treatments left! Hugs!
My Journey 