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!

The Results

After a quick trip to TX and a few lovely days off I headed back to LA for my appointment. I wont bore you with all the details BUT 3 ultrasounds, 2 mammograms, and 1 biopsy later I was off to Chicago to work for a few days. I was told it would take about three days to get the results back...so I waited.

As my schedule is pretty hectic I informed my Dr. she would have to tell me the results over the phone. She was not happy about this but understood. Soo…Friday came along. We were flying from Chicago to LA and we were in the air for about 4 hours. When we landed and I turned on my phone I had the usual barrage of emails, a few texts and three missed phone calls from my Dr. I immediately knew it was not going to be good news.  I mean who am I kidding I pretty much had a feeling all along. BUT now was the time to actually hear it. I leaned on the table in the jet and placed the call.  As my tour family surrounded me I listen as my Dr. explained the results.  Invasive Ductal Carcinoma…that’s a lot of words with a lot of meanings! In laymen's terms…Breast Cancer. BUT pretty common breast cancer if that makes it any better. - oh on a side note...we could probably turn this blog into a drinking game! Every time I say "breast" drink ! ;) OK...back to the important stuff...

So the basics - the main reason for this blog is so I do not have to repeat myself 100 times every time I go to the Dr. Lol,I love to talk but man it is exhausting trying to keep everyone in the loop and it's only been a few days! I am so fortunate to have the love and support around me. Because of my amazing man and all of my amazing friends i feel confident i can stay in LA and fight this. I know I know...some of you would rather me come home to TX but Los Angeles is home and my life is here. One of the best things I can do for myself is to try and maintain my life as best as possible. I will promise you that i will do my best to update this after every appointment. Who knows...this may become a bit of a journal!

oh right...the basics: