My surgeon called me last night and verified what her secretary had told me – there is no evidence the cancer had spread, based on my imaging tests.
I breathed the rest of that big old sigh of relief.
She also told me that they’re now booking surgeries into July, but she is going to try to get me in sooner. Essentially, she said, they’ll reserve a time for me in July, but she’ll probably call me some evening in June and say “Are you available for surgery tomorrow?”
I went for my follow-up ultrasound this morning. The purpose of this ultrasound was to either verify or disprove the results of the MRI. (The MRI had seen an area of ‘non-mass-like enhancement of suspicious disease.’) If the MRI was correct, my upcoming surgery will be a mastectomy; otherwise it will be a lumpectomy.
So this morning the friendly and reassuring ultrasound technician did her thing, and then called in the radiologist to take a look.
The good news is that the ultrasound did not see any “area(s) of non-mass-like enhancement of suspicious disease.”
The not-so-good news is that they found a lump in my LEFT breast, and I will have to undergo another biopsy in about two weeks to see if it’s cancerous.
But the good news with respect to the not-so-good news is that the radiologist doesn’t think this second lump is cancer.
“It could just be a cyst,” said Dr. Lee encouragingly, “with debris in it.”
(Debris? Really? My body has debris? When I think of debris, I think of the garbage that collects in ditches along the side of the road. Sun-bleached coke cans. Beer bottles. Empty cigarette packs. Big Mac packaging. Used condoms.)
I know at first glance today’s news doesn’t sound like cause for celebration, but it is.
I had been pretty alarmed about that ‘area of enhancement’ and its ominous implications. It’s a huge relief to find out it doesn’t exist. As for the new lump, I’m optimistic that it’s nothing serious. All in all, it looks like we’re moving back to where things were a few weeks ago: a small tumour, a lumpectomy and radiation, followed by 30 or 40 years of living happily ever after.
Groundhog accepting our offerings
GC and I chatted with the groundhog, and then spent some time gathering up handfuls of dandelions (the favourite food of groundhogs everywhere) and laying them at the entrance of his burrow. He stuck his quivery little nose out and pulled the dandelions into his burrow. He was very sweet. I love groundhogs.
Good news indeed! And, oddly enough, I saw some ground hogs last night, in a grassy lot in the middle of town.
See, I told you that MRI thing was all a bunch of hooey. I guess they figured you didn’t have enough to freak you out with just the tiny cancerous lump, so they sent you for a completely unreliable test just to get the adrenaline going a bit, eh? A happy day all around.
I hope you are celebrating. I am.
Oh, hey! I love groundhogs, too…!
Congratulations on the good test results. I’m very, very happy for you!
Phew…exhaling… and celebrating with you!
Debris…I liked your definition… I immediately thought of the junk in space…but still, something put there by mankind… Good luck with the second “puncture”…
I saw a groundhog too today! I was cycling back from the General, along the river after crossing Bank and he was running along the grass. I worried that he might run into traffic so I stopped and asked him to stay by the river and he did.
If you don’t get a call in the next week, setting up the pre-op appointment at the Queensway Carleton, call them (Dr. A.’s office) and ask for it. You have to have the pre-op before the op so the sooner you get that out of the way, the easier it will be to have the op on a day’s notice. If you’ve been saving what I wrote, mine was on Sept. 15 – not difficult, just a long day.
Fantastic news! And a great birthday present for your mom.
I am celebrating with a drink for dinner and this is something I never do as a practise! Frankly I have earned this and my only toast will be to you zoom!
Yes.
And I love groundhogs too.
Phew! We are all riding the roller coaster with you with every bit of news. You must feel wrung out emotionally! Sending love………..
WHEEEEEE!!!! You know we hardly ever see groundhogs here. They’re here, but I think there are too many birds of prey. They certainly aren’t the jolly little guys I remember from Ontario/Quebec.
What XUP said about the MRI that was what I told mom. Hypochondriacs LOVE themselves an MRI they get so many false positive readings of suspicious doom.
Oh and “debris” could be old calcium deposits from nursing. I’m getting my first mammogram in oh….12 hours exactly.
love you!
It’s a pain they make you wait at all for treatment, but it’s like that everywhere it seems.
Yay!
Whew!
Sending you the biggest hug.
Damned MRIs…
Thank God. What a relief, I am so glad to hear this.
good to hear! step by step, keep walking.
Excellent news!
And groundhogs are great little creatures. I love living near the Farm – there’s so many of them!
Foo la la! Happy dance! I was in Bermuda and had no internet to check on you. We just got home and read the good news. I am very happy to hear this. Like Pearl said, step by step, keep walking”
m
xox
[…] of my breast than the cancer and surgery was. It’s where the MRI last Spring found an “area of suspicious enhancement.” I never did find out exactly what an area of suspicious enhancement was, exactly, but after […]
[…] continued to wait to find out if I was going to die. There was good news and bad news. GC and I went to the Naked Bike Ride. I did my last volunteer shift at the Shepherds of Good Hope. […]