Rads aren't bad...so far!

Hello everyone! I know I know...I haven't been very good at updating everyone. BUT...that just means I'm feeling better and I'm out and about! Since it's been so long I'll back up a bit! Last update was the great news that I did not have to do chemo! My oncotype test results came back at 12! I was hoping for under 18 but would have been happy with anything under 25! So 12 is awesome!! With that news we moved forward with radiation. Of course you know me I had already met with the radiologist before we even had the results. Some people call that proactive but I call it telling the universe what is going to happen! Just to make sure everything else was good I also did a bone scan and a PET scan. All clear on all fronts! Hopefully I'm done with the scans and the nuclear medicine for awhile! It really is such a double edge sword. You read all of these things that X-Ray's and scans themselves cause cancer. When you have cancer it seems that you are doing some kinda of scan every other day! 

So...radiation! Or RADS as it's so lovingly called. Well its not exactly rad...BUT it isn't so bad. ;) So far! Today marks my 7th treatment. I will do a total of 33 sessions. I go every morning at 9:30am, five days a week. It looks like I will finish on November 7th. Honestly it's super easy. Door to door the whole things takes about 30 minutes. Radiation is cumulative so it takes a few weeks for any side effects to kick in. So far so good. I have a little bit of a blush as they call it but I'm hoping that is all it does. One of the side effects is that your skin burns, just like a sunburn. So when I say blush it just means my skin is a little pink.  Hey...I'm a white girl...its bound to happen! Another side effect is fatigue. Because I'm generally fit and active they are saying it may not hit me too hard until the end. Remember it' cumulative so sometimes you're hit the hardest at the very end and 10-14 days after your last treatment. 

Physically I'm doing great! Scars are healing well and I feel pretty good. I definitely tire out a lot quicker then usual and I can not be in the sun. I'm learning to listen to my body and rest when I need to. Emotionally I'm going a little stir crazy. If you know me you know I'm not one to sit still. Not being able to travel and work is killing me. Andre has been amazing at dealing with my "I'm bored: and "I'm out of the loop" temper tantrums. 

Well....that's it for now! I'm really looking forward to my birthday this weekend! Lot's to celebrate!!

No Chemo!

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while but on top of everything else my computer crashed! So I hijacked Andre's computer to update everyone. First and foremost we finally got my oncotype test back. I am so excited to let everyone know that I do not have to do Chemotherapy! Woo hoo!! To break it down they basically score your reoccurrence rate 1-  100% and if you fall below 31% they generally do not recommend chemotherapy. I am so happy that my surgeon recommend this test and that I waited for the results. Disclaimer - to anyone else with breast cancer reading this oncotype test ,from what I understand, is best only if you are ER+ and node negative. The lower your reoccurrence rate the less likely your tumor is to return and respond to chemotherapy. Hence no reason to put your body through it. You will do better with hormone therapy. It's so weird I was ok with the side effects part of chemo. (well in my head right now) I already had some fun haircuts and dye jobs planned before my hair fell out. Not to mention between Gaga and Andre I could have a different amazing lace front wig everyday! It really all came down to time! I just do not have time to deal with it! (yes yes in the scheme of things what is 3 months) It would have kept me off of the road until the end of the year and that is just not an option! Luckily it doesn't have to be! 

While we were waiting for the test results I went ahead and met with my radiologist and finished my fertility treatments. Everything  moved smoothly and quickly with the fertility treatments. Other then being time consuming and expensive it was pretty painless. If I ever need to give myself injections for anything again it will be a breeze! The aftermath of retrieval on the other hand has not been fun. My retrieval was schedule for Monday morning. I guess I need to start mentioning to any anesthesiologist that I have the tolerance of a horse! Meaning it takes A LOT to knock me out and take care of the pain. Most people are pretty much already asleep by the time they wheel them into the room. No...not me I was still talking when they were ready to start the procedure. I'm not sure if they wanted to knock me out or just shut me up! Regardless it took a lot more then anticipated. Which I've heard often! (yes that applies to shutting me up as well) I take after my father in this regard. All in all I was in and out in about three hours! My Dr was very happy they were able to retrieve 16 eggs. From what I understand that is excellent! Now the recovery on the other hand has not been excelent. I wont go into detail but imagine the worst gas pain you have ever had...like stop you in your track...double over in pain, pain! Yep...that's what I've experienced the last two days. I just wish it was just gas...I would know how to deal with that! Andre wouldn't be happy but I would! hee hee! I'm going back in for a check up tomorrow and hopefully it will start subsiding and is normal. 

Ok, so whats next! Radiation then if all goes well back to life with some hormone therapy thrown in! Friday I have a CT scan and meeting with my radiologist to "map" my chest. They are actually going to tattoo four dots on my chest. These dots will guide them where the "rays" need to go. All of this is the ensure they are hitting the breast and chest instead of other vital organs! ie heart and lungs! It's really all rather mathematical and exact to each person. Monday a bone scan, and Wednesday a PET scan. Once all of that is done I can start my radiation. I will go five days a week for 6-7 weeks. Each appointment will take about 30 minutes. Once I complete radiation I will then start hormone therapy for two years. Most people do five but I'll go into all of that fun stuff in another post!

Ok..back to bad TV! Thanks for reading! Love you all and thank you for all of your prayers and support! 

xoxo,
Sonja

Napkin on the window

To stop or not to stop…that is the question! Anyone that lives in an urban area is use to homeless people. You actually recognize them and even know some of them by name.  However, in general, you do nothing more then smile, give a nod and go on with your day. Quietly judging and occasional taking a second to be thankful for all that you have. Yesterday was a little different. My friend Chris and I were going to have lunch. As I’m exiting the car continuing to tell him the ups and downs and waiting to find out about chemo and radiation a homeless kid on the street chimes in.  We stopped for a moment and listened to him. He was telling us about a book and how it healed him of several things.  We had a little banter and then went into the restaurant. When we finished with lunch and went back to the car we found the note below on the window. By this time the kid had walked away. I folded up the note and we left. BUT what an impression he made on me. I want to know his story! Is he homeless? Is he on drugs? Is he crazy? Was he kicked out of his house for some reason out of is control? Or is he exactly where he wants to be? I want to go back and find him, but what would I say? What would I do? Or is it just a moment of pay it forward? Regardless I appreciate the time he took to offer up his advice. I hope in some way that maybe this blog might be “my napkin on the window” for someone else.

Ok…enough of my musing onto the update. Until today the last few days have been pretty uneventful. With everything I’ve been through in the last month that is a nice change. Monday the 27th was exactly a month since my diagnosis as well as Santé’s 16th birthday! I actually felt well enough have lunch with Cindy and Kim, go to Santé’s basketball game AND have dinner!!  I was pretty much down for the count on Tuesday but it was worth it! I’m still in pain but it is getting better everyday.

Amazing gift from Gaga! Tango wants one sooo bad! haha

Today was my last post op follow up with my PS. She removed the remaining sterile strips (tape) took my “after” photos and gave me the thumbs up! Once I see my oncologist and radiologist next week I’ll have a better idea of when I start radiation and I will see her again to confirm when I’m physically ready to start. From there we moved onto the fertility doctor.  Now some of you may be wondering why a fertility doctor. Well with chemo not off the table and radiation imminent, freezing eggs is my best “insurance” incase the cancer treatments kill a lot of good cells (and fertility) as well! Which they are known to do.  So a new car or a down payment on a house in TX later I actually started today. We were just expecting a consultation but with time being of the essence I did my first injection today and I will go back tomorrow after my blood work is back for the rest of the treatment. Basically they will teach me how to give myself the injections and I will give myself two injections a day for the next 12-15 days.  Then when I’m ready it will be a quick out patient procedure to “harvest” my eggs and freeze them.  Whoopie more anesthesia and surgery. Well….if it gives me piece of mind then I’m all for it. Fingers crossed that it’s an insurance policy we will not have to cash!

So…the other important stuff!

September 5^th – Appointment with an oncologist

September 7^th – Appointment with alternative Doctor – to discuss adjunctive therapy or alternatives to chemo and hormone therapy

September 10 – appointment with my radiologist
TBD - Chemo and Radiology

Still waiting on the BRAC1 and Onco test results. Well…until then! 

Cancer free...technically!

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been a bit MIA lately. The surgery took a lot of out me and I've pretty much been down for the count. I've had some good days and some bad days but over all I would say they have been pretty good. The last two days have been eventful! So....to catch everyone up!

Yesterday we went to see the Plastic Surgeon. Everything is right on track with healing and I was able to remove the drains. Man that sucked! Basically they send you home with tubes coming out of each side that collects fluid. Everyday you have to measure and dump out the contents. Once you are below 20cc's of fluid a day they can come out! My left side probably finished about two days ago but my right finished yesterday. Perfect timing for my post op appointment! Not to go into gory details but they basically just pull the tubing out and patch you up. Um...does it hurt! Oh hell yes! I definitely let out a few expletives. As my mother says if I didn't say it all the time they wouldn't come out at inopportune times. Well...sometimes regular words just do not suffice! So she felt me up, patched me up and sent me on my way. I'm scheduled to see her again next week to remove the surgical tape. Overall I'm extremely happy with the outcome. The girls are definitely smaller but still there! Just nice and perky! Just like I wanted. It really has been a huge mental help for me to feel more like a plastic surgery patient instead of cancer patient. 

So…today was my follow up with my breast surgeon. Everything looks good with my lymph node incision. It is definitely sore and sensitive but hopefully that will go away soon. I can almost fully extend my arm above my head, which I guess is above average this soon after surgery. I’ll settle for average at this point so above average is stellar!

Ok, the important stuff…I am technically cancer free!! :) Yippee!  Surgery was just the beginning but it was a great start! The entire margin came back clean. What that means is they are confident that they were able to remove all of the cancer and a good portion of healthy tissue around the cancer. The other good news is the lymph nodes came back negative. Well kind of! The cancer did spread to A lymph node (meaning one) but they removed it. There were also a few cancer cells in the other nodes but not enough for it to be considered positive. There were a few bad notes.  Turns out the cancer was a lot worse then anticipated. I had multiple tumors malignant and benign. The three largest malignant were 3.6cm, 2.4cm, and 1.4cm.  Sounds like there was a big ol cancer party in my boob! Sorry cancer this party is over! In the words of my surgeon we really did catch everything just in time. It was on the verge of turning into a body party instead of just a boob party! These are technical terms y'all ;)

Ok,  so what does all of this mean? Good question! Now is another game of hurry up and wait. Currently we are waiting on the chemosensativity testing. Since the tumors were larger and multiple chemo therapy is not off the table yet. However, I have chosen to do an “onc” test on the tumor. This will tell us if my cancer will even respond to chemotherapy. Why do chemo if it isn’t even going to be effective! I am also waiting on a BRAC1 test, which will tell us if I have the cancer gene. The out come of both of these test will help determine my next step. So here we are again…waiting. I will see my oncologist and radiologist in the next two weeks to figure everything out. So stay tuned!

Hello from the flip side!

Well...I finally have a little bit of strength and clarity to send my own update! I see that Andre has done an amazing job of keeping you all informed and with his own flare. As you can imagine he has been amazing and words cannot express my gratitude. BUT..I’ve got the rest of my life to say thank you and he's not quiet done taking care of me just yet! As much as I wish this part of the journey were over I've still got a lot of recovery ahead. 

Right now my main focus is staying ahead of the pain so to speak. Everyone that knows me knows I have a high threshold for pain but with that comes a high tolerance for pain medicine.  Not sure why they would think if I needed iv Diladid between my Percocet pills in the hospital that just Percocet alone would work when they sent me home. Well…it’s all they gave me so all I can do is suck it up and deal with it! We figured out it was best to wake me up every four hours to take my pain meds instead of letting me sleep through it. I am happy to say last night I was able to sleep through it! Woke up in a lot of pain but I did get about 6 hours of solid sleep! Hopefully I’m finally “ahead of the pain” now and it will just get better from here.

Once again cancer just seems to be one waiting game after another. First biopsy results, then schedule surgery, now waiting for the pathology from the tumor and lymph nodes. It turns out some of my lymph nodes were actually bigger then my tumor. Not sure if that’s bad or good yet! I’m hoping it just means they were doing their job and fighting the cancer from spreading.  My surgeon asked me to check in on Monday to see if my path results were back but he figured it would probably be Tuesday or so before they had everything. Once they are back I will schedule a meeting with him and we will finally really know what the next step will be. Regardless radiation will still be on the table.

So for now we wait…and I heal! The portable air conditioner arrived yesterday! It really is a godsend! No central air during this heat wave was no bueno! Plus Andre was able to get a little aggression out by breaking the window to put the hose through. We are not officially ghetto…cardboard and masking tape and all!  Hey.. it works!!

I am slowly getting back on line and will try and respond to everyone. The love and prayers have been overwhelming and we really appreciate it.  The flowers are all holding up nicely and have brightened up the apartment! I even had enough strength to play a little Cards Again Humanity with Stephanie and Andre last night. Gotta love a man with the same sick sense of humor as me…below is Andre’s answer to one

Well, I promise to try and keep everyone updated. I’m still really weak and making it from the couch to the bathroom is a choir but everyday does get better. All I really want now is a  blowout and a proper shower! Hopefully in the next few days! However, Andre doesn’t seem to be complaining about having to give me a sponge bath.  Ha, I can’t even brush my own hair so I’ll take it! So for now i will sit back and enjoy this beautiful salad Andre just prepared for me...chicken and all! 

war is declared and battle come down on cancer!

bonjour sonjas friends,

this is andre` sonjas best friend, lover and life partner, some of you know me and some of you dont but we all know and love sonja so at the end of the day we are all truly connected to one another through her love for us all. this will be my 1st post on her blog and ill try to be as funny as sonja but you know sonja shes got this wicked sense of humor, even with cancer in the shadows. 

well as im here at the hospital waiting  for updates i just want all of you to know shes in surgery now, the process is estimated to last 8 hours, "wow 8 fucking hours" now you all know sonja, shes looking at it as 8 hours of much needed sleep and the fact that she'll have a new set of tits by the time she wakes up, (im stoked) im quoting her here. before going into the o.r she was laughing and joking around with her team of doctors typical of sonja to poke fun at any situation no matter how serious. i mean really did you think she was just gonna sit back and let this shit get her down, hell no! sonja wins! again!

sonja has this thing about her that is so wonderful, magical at times really, her amazing outlook on everything whether positive or negative is above and beyond! im in awe of her in so many ways and for this i love her like no other! she has been my rock, she is the moon of my life! i am moved beyond words from the out pour of love, prayers, meditations and support not only from our families but from each and everyone of her friends, co-workers, past and present. your words to her have been the pilar of strength your energy has given her the courage and the attitude to kick the shit out of this, sonja can do that, kick the shit of things. 

so on that note ive now gotten my 1st update from dr karlan her surgeon, he is quite pleased with the removal of the cancer we are not sure what the final size was, tbd. so phase 1 went very well, phase 2 will be several hours before we have an update, i will do my best to blog again tonight when shes out and resting. 

i love and appreciate each and every one of you.

namaste,

dre`

Going once...going twice..Goodbye Cancer! Surgery Time

Well the day is almost here! Surgery is set for 10:30am tomorrow! I have to check in at 8:30am and they estimate it will take about 8 hours. Yes you read that correctly eight (8) hours! 

Details below:

8:30am - Check in

10:30am - Surgery begins - haha which I highly doubt it will start on time but hey...just going with what they are telling me

10:30am- 1:30pm - Tentative time it will take for the lumpectomy and removal of lymph nodes

1:30pm - 6:30pm - Tentative time it will take for reduction/reconstruction

6:30pm-7:30pm - Recovery

7:30pmish- Hopefully nice and cozy in my hospital room

Location 
Cedars-Sanai - Main Hospital
8700 Gracie Allen Drive - South Tower
For updates you can call the hospital directly at 310-423-5000
http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Patient-and-Visitor-Resources/Getting-Here/

Andre will have my cell phone and computer so feel free to text or call me and he will respond! Also, his # is 818-515-6705. 

SONJA WINS - Mortal Kombat style

I am officially radioactive! Today 
I had a lymphoscintigraphy performed. Basically radioactive dye that they inject me with to help determine which lymph nodes to remove. I asked the nuclear medicine doctor if it would give me special powers?! She smiled and said I could go home and pretend that it did but I would have to turn the lights off! It's nice when your doctors have a sense of humor as well!

I also had my final consultation with my plastic surgeon. I have lots of fun pictures of me covered in purple lines. Sorry I love you all but not posting those! At least now I have a total understanding of exactly what and where she is cutting and what she will be removing. It really is fascinating! TMI again but I had no idea that you can tattoo a nipple! Fingers crossed I wake up with mine but there is a possibility that I may not. That's a whole other conversation entirely that I’m sure I will get to at some point!

So I’m home chilling tonight! A couple of friends are coming over as I make soup and sauces with my awesome vitamix to freeze! I'll make sure Andre updates my Facebook and I will try and post something as soon as I’m up to it! You know me...it's always a party so if you are in the area come on by the hospital! Let's see if we can get kicked out! Otherwise I will be propped up on my couch for a few weeks!

Love you all and thank you so much for all of the prayers and words of encouragement! Now lets go kick cancers ass!!!

Just because! I can't be the only one that see's these and wants to pull it EVERY TIME!!!

Patients is a virtue I do not have..

Well...today I finally got pissed and cried for the first time. I, unlike a lot of people I know will cry when I'm angry before I will cry because I'm upset or sad. So today I was furious. After stalking my surgeons scheduler or whatever her title is for the past week and a half she finally called back today to tell me my surgery had been scheduled...wait for it....for September 12th!! I'm sorry, did I hear you wrong ,you meant August 12th right?!?!?!? Nope September 12th! Well...to say I lost it on her would be an understatement.  First off...how do people get anything done in the real world. Now when I say real world I guess I generally mean anything other then music or entertainment. I mean I know we are not saving lives but we sure act like we are!  It took this women almost 2 weeks to even SPEAK to my surgeon about his schedule. I get snapped at if I do not even acknowledge that I received an email within a few hours. True story...happened last night! So the fact that other people can go over a week and not even have a conversation...about cancer and when it can be removed from someone's body is beyond me!

So needless to say a few fiery phone calls to people above her head from me AND Gaga, miraculously August 15th was available again. Lesson learned today is when you haven't gotten an answer from someone within a reasonable time then go straight to the source. My surgeon may get annoyed but I'm calling him directly now.  I also have a complete lack of faith in his staff now. Ok, I'm exaggerating...just this one person but it's still a bitter taste. 

Well...lot's more to vent about but I'll catch you up another time. Just wanted to let everyone know my surgery has been schedule for Wednesday August 15th! Fingers crossed insurance approves everything and all my pre-op test come back good.

Bring on the scalpels! 

Oh and to all Born This Way Ball family travel safe and I miss you already! Be back soon!

xoxoxo

Test, test, and more test

Still waiting! Yep, I was joking the other day that getting this surgery scheduled reminds me of being back at WMA or The Firm. Everyone has conflicts and there are no conference rooms available. I could have booked a promo tour by the time they finally pick a date for this surgery! You would think they are Local 1! (only some of you will get how funny I just was)

So today was my "pre-op" day. Even though I have no "op" date yet! I have to say everyone at Cedars is so nice.  I mean almost like Stepford nice. Dont get me wrong I totally appreciate it and it really has been a pleasant experience so far. However, I do have to wonder what kind of training they go through or what rules they have to adhere to. I do believe that it is all genuine and I would like to think that I'm a breath of fresh air and positivity. Although today I have to admit I was a little less bubbly and positive. It definitely does hit you when you are sitting alone in a surgical room with an iv that something is going on. It also really hits you when it takes the poor guy 3 times to get a vein! I warned him my veins roll and he didn't believe me. Yep...they literally will pop over to the other side or roll right out from under the needle. So as per my first suggestion he went for the hand and we finally got a good line for the IV! 

Today consisted of four (4) waiting rooms, one (1) blood test, one (1) EKG, one (1) Chest X-Ray, one (1) MRI! All taking about six (6) hours! Man I'm getting good at angry birds! I have also decided that I'm going to take artsy pictures of waiting rooms. Now considering I'll pretty much be at the same hospital I might not have any more to take! I think i'm also already bored with the idea. But below is my work from today! yes...not my best work but a fun start non the less!

                     

So to recap - pre op is done! Now we just wait on results to confirm if there are any other little surprises for us. As well as still waiting for my surgery date! I'll keep you posted! 

Have a great week!

I got cancer and all I got was this pink notebook!

I got cancer and all I got was this pink notebook!


Ha, actually it's super cute and very handy! I only wish that it had a three ring binder in it! It's amazing the amount of paper work you accumulate! I've realized that this cancer thing is going to become a part time job. I'm determined that it will never be a full time job but I'm ok with part time. I'm hitting it head on like I do everything else in my life! The main thing now is just making sure I'm educated on all of the decisions I need to make. Man...what did people do before GOOGLE! Google is the sh*t! It really has been an amazing tool for the start of this journey.


Sooo I'm sure you are all wondering how the appointment with the plastic surgeon went yesterday?!? It was great! Andre had to work so my friend Kimberly went with me. Kim was actually with me at the korean day spa and has been one of my closest friend in LA for years. lol...you know you are close friends when you can share a hotel room on work trips (with your boyfriend in tow sometimes), spa together naked, and look at them with a straight face as a Dr has your breast in their hands and say - how much of this puppy should we take off!!


ok...back to basics


I would have been fine to go on my own but it really is comforting to have someone else there. Even if it is to look over and ask if there is anything else you forgot to ask! As you can imagine or if you know me at all..you know i'm a bit of a perfectionist and a devil about details. So the fact that the dr (we'll call her Dr. N) immediately showed me on me and drew a picture of what she was going to do was great. I'm a perfect candidate for this type of BCS - Breast Conserving Surgery. Is it weird that i'm totally excited about the surgery?!?!? It's two fold, ONE -I can't wait to know that that the cancer is out and TWO - I'm going to be a full C/small D cup!!!! I still have to laugh that I can loose half my breast and still possibly be a D. Do you even know what that means for shopping! I probably haven't been a C cup since 7th grade! I'm going to need an entire new wardrobe! Now don't get me wrong, I love the girls as much as everyone else. Trust me...i know they are as much a part of my personality and persona for lack of a better word as my hair and laugh! BUT...THEY GOTS TA GO!  hee hee...and since we're talking boobs... they are going to look fabulous and high and perky! I apologize now to all of my male readers but Im sure you can appreciate good looking breast as well!

I should know today or tomorrow when the surgery will be set. I will be in the hospital for about 2 days and then I have to wait a month to heal before starting radiation. Oh another fun fact....radiation generally shrinks the breast 15% and can cause discoloration. Guess what the solution for this is....fat from another part of you body! Dude I am all in! Really this cancer thing is just an excuse for me to be totally LA and have plastic surgery. hahaha Did I mention insurance pays for all of it!!


Ok! Of to work! I spent 6 hours at archives yesterday repacking the boss for tour and i'm going to finish today. Ha there is so much work at archives that i'll be surprised if I get everything done before radiation starts!


Have a great Friday! xoxo

One step at a time!

First I want to take a moment and say thank you for all of the text, emails, and phone calls today. I know I said it before but it really is something how many amazing people I have in my life! I literally had to buy a new car charger today because my phone battery kept running out! I promise I will do my best to respond to everyone!

Ok, so back to the info! I had my first appointment with my surgeon on Monday, July 30th. Now the fact that my primary made the appointment before I even had my biopsy kind of clued me in that there might be something else going on. My primary had also loaded me up with a ton of reading material so between that, Lizabeth and google I actually felt pretty prepared for my appointment. Oh and of course Andre was in tow with his note pad and pen as well! 

After a few formalities and mountain of paper work again I was back on  a table for another ultrasound.  Yep...tumor was still there! Guess we really are here and this is real! After the ultrasound we went to "the comfortable room" to talk about what was next. My surgeon and I joked that the room really wasn’t that comfortable but at least it didn’t feel like a hospital room! I really like my surgeon. I immediately felt comfortable and confident in him. He didn’t beat around the bush and was totally straightforward about everything. He commented and commended me on how calm I was. I mean I know at some point I will probably get anger and upset and scared and all of the above but all I can think right now is what would that do? Now is the time for action! Ok…so yes…my life is on a bit of a stand still but hey! I’m getting new perky boobs and some much needed time at home! Oh right cancer…back to what the Doc was saying. So far cancer treatment seems like a pick your own adventure book . Except you cannot go back and choose another answer if you do not like your outcome!

Im sorry I have a warped sense of humor but these titles are hilarious! 

First Chapter – Boobs! What to do with them?

A)  Lumpectomy – they will go in and remove the tumor as well as some healthy tissue around it.

a.    Radiation

                                              i.     Chemotherapy

                                            ii.     Hormone therapy

1.    Breast augmentation at some point

B)  Mastectomy – full removal of the breast

a.    Full reconstruction

                                              i.     Implants?

b.   Chemotherapy

Second Chapter - What harmful crap needs to go into my body now?
    A) Hormone Therapy - I am E3+ and HER2 - 


    B) Chemotherapy


Third Chapter - one step at a time! not there yet :)

Well of course me being me I made up my own! I asked what he thought about a lumpectomy with a reduction. I mean…I’d always wanted/ needed one. Why not use this cancer thing as an excuse to have insurance pay for it right? To my delight he thought it was a great idea. Not only would we be performing the lumpectomy but they would be removing a much larger portion that would give them a better margin of getting everything. 

Now, some of you are wondering why I’m not contemplation a full mastectomy. Honestly I have no family history of breast cancer, I’m young, we all know I have more then enough to loose half and still have more then most of you reading this! Haha…sorry…might be a few that doesn’t apply to! 

My surgeon said it was purely as personal choice at this stage and that many women choose it because they did not have the time or want to commit to radiation.  (we’ll get to that) Or mentally didn't or couldn't deal with the thought that there might still be cancer in the breast they still have. 

So….I choose to look into option C more! That takes us to my appointment today with a plastic surgeon.

Ok..so the short version is this! My next step is a lumpectomy and removal of lymph nodes. During the lumpectomy I am also contemplating a reduction.  It will take about a week to get the biopsy back and then we will be able to accurately stage my cancer and know if it has spread anywhere else. Regardless I will then have to do radiation. I will go five days a week for seven weeks.  Good times!

Well…time for me to get going. Lots to talk about today with the plastic surgeon! Depending on what we decide will dictate when my surgery is but below is what i know so far

Thursday August 2, 2012 – Consultation with plastic surgeon

Tuesday August 7, 2012 – MRI – one last test of both breast to make sure there isn’t anything we’ve missed before surgery (oh btw Happy Birthday Mom on this day)

August 15,16, or 17ish – Surgery

5 days after – receive biopsy results and figure out what the next step is!