Thursday, March 15, 2012

Patience is a virtue!  After a very long week of waiting for test results and hours spent in physician offices finally the plan has come together!  Surgery on April 3rd and both breasts are going!

I was a bit apprehensive prior to this final appointment with the surgeon. It is obvious Brad is struggling with my decision to have both breasts removed. Two physicians have suggested it, now it was time to see what the surgeon himself was thinking. He asked about my BRCA testing and I explained it was negative. He immediately stated that although that is the case it would be reasonable to consider taking both breasts. The cure rate would be 98% and my mind could be free of the worry of recurrence. As he stated in our first meeting he doesn't just treat the patient and their cancer he treats their head too. If the patient has feelings regarding their treatment he likes to take that into consideration. I told him I am on board with that idea and would really like to move forward with bilateral, also that the oncologist and the plastic surgeon both stated it's a very good idea.  He explained that I could just have the left one removed now and go back later for the right or do both now. The only benefit to that would be that should there be any healing issues on the right side they might hold up any chemo or rads that may be needed. If I wait to have it off we only need to worry about the cancerous side. However it's another surgery, expense, recovery time etc and there really is no reason not to take both now. I was appreciative of him giving me a choice but doing it all at once is just best for me. He said that his entire focus is on getting rid of the cancer so by taking both we can feel more confident that it's gone. He also made me feel at ease when he stated that he favors waiting to reconstruct and not doing it immediately. First because it allows the patient the time to deal with any further treatments that may be needed and secondly if reconstruction is being considered it is much easier to do that and obtain comparable results. I was all over that idea as I'm still not completely sure about reconstruction.

He plans to do a modified radical mastectomy on the left-take the whole breast and check the sentinal node. If it is malignant then he will take more nodes.  On the right the plan is a simple mastectomy-meaning he won't check lymph nodes. Both will be done with a skin sparing technique so I can more easily reconstruct later. Should I decide against reconstruction then that extra skin can be removed later. Game on!  We did the paperwork, I got my pre-op labs drawn and was quite at peace when we left the office. Brad left a bit before me to get back to work and the Dr. caught him in the hall and told him I was doing the right thing! Brad and I later talked about how happy we are with this doctor and that it's a big relief to be so close to home.

My prayers were answered in that all my doctors and I agree on the plan and it's all figured out before our vacation. We are heading out in the middle of the night tonight for Spring Break. Hopefully this next week will bring Brad , the kids and I the relaxation we need to come back refreshed and ready to battle the beast!  For now our Journey is taking us to Fort Myers, Florida!!!