mid-week answers + new questions.
well, fortunately we haven’t had to wait until friday for MRI results, however the findings have only posed more questions. on monday my doctor informed me the left breast & lymph nodes are in the clear!! on tuesday when speaking with Jean, i asked when i would know about the PET scan decision. this was something she had told me even if the doctors didn’t see a need for it, because of my age, we would have plenty of reason to request it to be on the safe side and inform surgical decisions. she spoke with oncology, who looked at the MRI results and they decided to schedule one.
today i got to meet Jean and she proved a worthy Cancer Tour Guide. she gave me a bunch of resources for support networks and groups of survivors, grants available, and different services for people in cancer treatment. she also provided more information about the pathology and MRI findings. the lump i found is estrogen-positive, progesterone-positive, HER2-negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and as big as i suspected it to be (which is bigger than they thought it was from the mammogram and ultrasound). additionally, there are other masses in my right breast that i was unaware of. there is also positive confirmation that several lymph nodes are enlarged. both the additional masses and the lymph nodes could be benign or malignant, which is what the PET scan will determine. it’s not likely the results of that will be fully available before the surgical consult on friday morning, but the oncologist will call with more info when they have it, either on friday or monday.
genetics is a fascinating field and the counseling was super interesting and in depth. both my mom and i found Joy, the woman who met with us, very educated and informative. we did do the blood testing which will be sent to a lab in california tomorrow and we will have results hopefully by the end of next week or early the following. they are testing for over 30 of the high and medium risk breast and ovarian cancer markers and many others.
Audrey’s concert on tuesday afternoon was a joy! she came bopping into the auditorium with her class, looking around trying to find us and as soon as she did, avoided eye contact or gave glaring “stooopp” eyes each time i waved, gave a thumbs up, or held up my phone for a video or photo. they sang 6 or 7 songs, all of which were animal themed. what they inject for the PET scan to light up the cancerous cells is a radioactive, so i’m not supposed to hold or hug her tomorrow for 6 hours after the appointment. this is inconvenient but perhaps a good segue into the “cancer” part of “mom’s sick”.
all in all, i’m doing well. i am taking all the information in stride and googling out of curiosity rather than fear. my energy is relatively low but spikes up every now and then and i’m writing everything down because my memory isn’t its finest. i’m really grateful:
my mom is here
for weighted blankets (sleeping is almost back to normal)
that we know SO MUCH about the body and science
to have a new level of empathy for other people’s struggles with physical ailment, disease or disorder
for you & your support!!!
