December 17, 2015

Hello all,

After 4 hours of more effing doctors appointments, today ended with good news (for someone with cancer).

My pet scan is clear so it is fairly certain that the cancer is isolated to my breast. I am still waiting for the genetic test results and have an MRI next week but if all things proceed as they are and the genetic result is negative, I will have a lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node (just in case it has spread but smaller than a pet scan would pick up) surgery on Jan 11.

Has anyone you know had the local radiation where they don't wait for you to heal after surgery and it is for 1 week rather than 4-6 weeks? If so, tell me more. I am fairly certain I am not a candidate for that, since I am too young and the lump is too big, but I would prefer that so I will continue to inquire.

I will have surgery at OHSU but will not be using their oncologists. I didn't like them. I like the Providence oncologists mostly but might seek a third opinion. Really I want a hippy oncologist to tell me that I don't need radiation or to take tamoxifen. We'll see how that goes.

Why don't more doctor's offices have windows? And shouldn't they have some sort of hand warmers for doctors so when they are poking and prodding and feeling me up it doesn't feel like ice cubes?

Also, they won't know for sure until they've removed it, but they are fairly certain it is stage 2.

I might be leaving some things out. If there are big shifts in this news I will tell you. If not, get your soup pots ready for the week of January 11. I really like soup.

Love love love love,

Andrea