Episode 3: Diagnosis

My next week (or more) is going to be filled with doctors' appointments so I'm going to get Episode 3 going today in case I don't have time later.

After the biopsies, I was scheduled to see the surgeon who would go through the diagnosis with me and give me a very quick whiteboard lesson on cancer. Because my imagination was running wild with all kinds of horrible scenarios my very first question to him was, "Is this a death sentence?" He assured me that it most definitely is not. I am very relieved and grateful for the assurance because I needed something to tell my children (who by the way are 15 & 17 years old and are the best teenagers a mother could ask for). And, because I am so relieved, I am currently facing this process with a much cheerier disposition then I might otherwise have had.

I have a Stage 2 Grade 3 cancer. The stage refers to the spread on a rating scale of 1-4. Stage 1 is a lump going nowhere. Stages 2 & 3 are the spreading stages (i.e. under the arm) and Stage 4 is the spread throughout the body. The grades are on a scale of 1-3 referring to the aggressiveness of the cancer. I have a grade 3 which is the most aggressive grade. I am going to have a Modified Radical Mastectomy. The radical means that the whole breast will be removed. The modified means that they can remove it without touching muscle. We are not expecting that I will need radiation because it appears that the lumps are not touching muscle and therefore can be safely removed through surgery. We are expecting chemotherapy because of the lump under the arm. The only way to remove it and to prevent further spreading is through medication. I will also be booked for a CAT scan and a Bone scan.

The question before me now is whether or not I want re-constructive surgery to install a synthetic breast. I have an appointment tomorrow with a second surgeon in London for more feedback. I also have an appointment on Tuesday with a plastic surgeon. My feeling at this point is that I do want to have the re-constructive surgery simply because I want to get myself back to looking normal as quickly as possible and, in so far as possible, put this adventure behind me.