Pathology is in and finally some long awaited answers to some hard questions!

The doctor called tonight and started off by saying he had a lot of good news for me.  He also had some answers to some questions I had. 

For starters he explained the statement the radiologist said. The way he put it, generally when they remove the amount of tissue they had to remove from me, they would indeed have to do a mastectomy. He explained further that if he was removing that amount of tissue from someone who had an “a” or “b” cup, it would have been a mastectomy. Then he literally chuckled and said, “You have large breasts so it’s a lot easier to remove a large amount of tissue without having to take the entire breast.” Well now, that made sense.

He then told me that the tumor was 2 millimeters invasive, pretty small, but the  mass of cancerous calcifications was large and he was aggressive in removing it. He said the four inch incision worked better for his purposes and that he was confident the scarring would be minimal. 

He said the area he removed had been tested around the edges – no sign of cancer on the borders. He said one lymph node was completely clean. No cancer. The second lymph node was not completely clean but because it contained so few cancer cells, they still considered it negative. 

Though he could not be 100% positive, he believed the medical oncologist would not recommend chemo, though he did say it was still possible they may want to send the tissue itself for genetic testing. So that I will learn more about in a couple of weeks. 

I obviously will still have to have radiation, but will need to heal up first and find out what’s happening with chemo (which honestly even if they recommend it, there’s slim to no chance I would do it. So not a big time consumer on that one). 

He told me to make an appointment to come see him next week and then they will get me set up with the medical oncologist. 

He mentioned several times during the conversation that he was aggressive, that I would be sore and swollen for a while. When I first had met with him, he said it wouldn’t be that much of a recovery, so this also was something that had changed.

I finally got up the nerve and asked him just how much tissue did he remove?

I’m still extremely swollen so from what I can tell, that breast looks to still be larger than the right, and it always was anyway, so it didn’t appear that much had been removed but with the swelling it’s hard to judge.

His answer would have knocked me over if I had been standing.

“The size of an orange,” he said. “And not one of those little cuties. A full size orange.”

Damn.

He then said he did “A lot of work in there.” He rearranged the rest of my breast tissue to even everything out so that I wasn’t left with a crater.  I’m still pretty shocked.  I’m glad he did it the way he did, but I’m going to be surprised about that one for a while.

So next week I get to start in with more doctor appointments, but surgery is behind me.

Sunday Update...Warning: Semi Graphic Pictures

Warning: Semi graphic pictures in this posting

Let me start by saying, I debated for a while about whether or not to post this. They are obviously rather personal pictures, and a little blurry, and it’s kind of hard to see the bruising but I think they get the point across. I’m also posting them for more than one reason. 

The bruising is actually worse today (2nd picture) than it was yesterday when the first picture was taken, but the camera doesn’t pick up the “blackness” that well. Was going to try my actual camera instead of the camera on the phone, but not sure where it got put after New Orleans.

  

As of right now about 95% of my left breast is bruised in different shades. It is very painful and I’m thankful I now have pain meds that work. 

My throat feels better so that’s a plus. My head ache was gone this morning, until I had to pay the car bill which somehow my account has disappeared from the online world. (So I guess things are starting to get back to normal!)

However, back to the pictures.  I was told there would be extensive bruising, honestly I didn’t realize extensive would be almost my entire breast, part of my rib cage, and through my armpit even though they didn’t cut there as I was originally told they would. On the right side of my body I’m even bruised from the blood pressure cuff and of course the IV (IV’s I do generally bruise from, but the blood pressure cuff is a new bruise type for me – never had that one happen before!) I don’t think most people realize what the after effect is of this type of surgery, and part of my reason for doing this blog is to give others an idea of what it is like to go through this stuff. These pictures help to tell that story.

Finally, some of you may have seen what happened last night on my daughter’s Facebook page.  Many of you did not. Someone I have known, and considered a friend for about a decade flat out stated she thought I had actually made up having breast cancer. Honestly, I can’t imagine why anyone would make up having cancer. Nor can I imagine accusing anyone, much less someone you claim to have been friends with for 10 years, of making it up. So for those who were told that I made up having breast cancer, hopefully this is enough proof to ease your minds that no, there is no way in hell I would make something like that up. Cancer has been a major killer on both sides of my family, and it’s something I’ve always knows I would have to deal with someday. When we first learned about the results of my original mammogram, I announced it at a party at my house with my nearest and dearest. The person who accused me of making it up was there. When it was confirmed, I confirmed it with those same people in a Facebook group. I then announced it on my page and then at the request of some of friends, I started this blog as well. At no time during any of that, did that person come to me to ask me about it. At no time did that person express concern or anything else. Frankly she was still upset I didn’t offer to pay for her to go to New Orleans with us, and I was told more than once that I had hurt her feelings. Though it’s quite obvious mine were never a concern to her. Instead of asking me, rumors were spread that I made the whole thing up, which personally, I find sick and twisted. I know many of my friends are still friends with her, and I don’t have an issue with that, but I for one am done with the way she treats people. She actually stated that she found it amusing that I was trying to put this on her. Sorry, but out of everyone I told, only one person didn’t believe me. Only one person thought it appropriate to spread lies that I had lied about cancer. So no, that is not on me. At all. And that’s the last I’m going to say about that.

This picture then is what I looked like 48 hours after surgery.

And this is this morning. 

Post surgery Update

The best way to go about this is going to be chronologically.

 We got to the hospital at 6 and by 7:00 I was in getting the guide wires inserted into my breast to direct the surgeon what to remove. This was followed by an ultrasound to ensure they were in the proper location and to inject the radioactive dye to travel to the lymph nodes. At that time the radiologist said something that threw me off. She said they generally didn’t do lumpectomies for such a large area, it was usually a mastectomy. Before I had a chance to ask what she meant, she was gone. I had been told by the surgeon that a lumpectomy would be fine and that there wasn’t any benefit to a mastectomy, so I wondered if it was just one of those difference of opinions with doctors. But things were going pretty fast and as soon as I got back to my room, they were ready to put my IV in and away we went to the OR. 

My surgeon had told me there would be 2 one inch incisions. My family knew what was going on before I did since I was in recovery when they told them. 

I learned later the doctor only made one incision. A four inch long one. He told mike he was very aggressive with what he took. He also took two lymph nodes, which we will know more about on Monday or Tuesday. I have to wonder if the reason for the change in surgical approach and the radiologists comment was because the mass had grown in the past month. Won’t know until I talk to the doctor next week.

Thursday when I came home I was feeling ok. Tender but ok. By Friday, I wasn’t feeling great. I had a terrible headache, lot of pain, nausea and then a fever on top of it. The doctor prescribed a new pain med and something for nausea. 

Today I’ve been able to keep some food down but have no appetite. Still in a whole lot of pain and the headache is still there.  And now I’m going back to sleep.