MRI

I need to update yesterday and today.  Yesterday I met with a Radiology Therapist, although I'm not sure why.  Because they are doing a mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy, I don't need radiation.  We did ask some questions though, so I was glad we saw him.  Noone has very many answers yet, because everything depends on what the pathology reports say after surgery.  I asked him if this kind of cancer went into remission or if it was curable, CURABLE!  Totally kickin' it in the butt!!!

I also had a consultation with the plastic surgeon.  I was given the option to do reconstruction later, or the day of the surgery.  Of course, I picked the day of surgery!  I just laughed when she asked me what size I want to be.  Really?  I get to choose?!?  Yes, I do.   : )   Because reconstruction is the same day, the surgery has been postponed until the 14th.  I thought it was strange that surgery was scheduled before talking to the plastic surgeon.  She sees patients on Friday, so it'll have to wait until she can be there too.  I got quite a response from friends on facebook about the tummy tuck!  I guess I should have explained a little better that I'm not getting it because I think it would be fun or trendy.  I'm getting it because they will use my belly fat to rebuild my breast and use belly skin to patch up the holes.  So, of course, they need to put it all back together, which means a tummy tuck!  See?  It all makes sense now.  The plastic surgeon is also a vascular surgeon, so she's not doing the traditional "flam" reconstruction, but something else (DIEP) where she'll reroute the veins to keep the tissue alive in my breast.  That way, the muscles in my abdomen will remain intact.  It's all very complicated and I don't need all the details. I just want it behind me!  She said that I'll be in the hospital for three days.  For two weeks after surgery, I can't stand upright, I have to be bent at the waist when I'm up walking around.  And I have to sleep with my head and knees propped up too.  That sounds like a blast . . . 

I went in this morning for the MRI.  I thought I was comfortable enough before they started, but after 40 minutes of not moving a muscle, everything ached!  My surgeon told me that unless the MRI showed a problem on the right side, he would just do the left.  Here's to hoping there's a problem on the right side!!  I DON'T want to do this again in a few years.  I guess I'll hear at the end of the week what they learned.  I'm going in tomorrow for a blood draw so the genetics people see if I'm BRCA (?) positive.  That's complicated too, but they'll basically see what my chances are for recurrence on the right side and for getting ovarian cancer (which I've learned is genetically very similar to breast cancer).  That information will also help my daughters a great deal as they get older.

We had a GREAT time tonight going out to dinner with some of Mat's teacher friends and their spouses.  I was grateful, despite the fact that they all know about the cancer, that noone said anything about it.  It was really nice to get out, laugh, have fun and forget for a couple of hours about everything that's going on.  Thanks Melissa, Pat and Cindy!  Maybe after I've lost all my hair, we could do it again?  : )