April 3rd - that's the day I sat in the doctor's office and listened to her tell me that I had 'Invasive Ductal Carcinoma'. Jimmy and I were just shocked. There's nothing you can ask or say in a moment like that. She explained that this is not an area of specialty for her so she read the report and then recommended a surgeon that she wanted us to meet with - who would be able to explain more. I drove home - we were in separate cars - and cried and prayed and called my parents who were waiting to hear. I stayed home the rest of the day just trying to figure myself out. The peace of God was definitely there, but there were so many unknowns that we had to work through. I called and scheduled an appointment with the surgeon for the following Monday.
We celebrated Kid#1's 13th birthday that weekend and it's always good to have a busy family weekend to keep your mind off of things. So thankful for my family through all of this!
Monday meeting with the surgeon was a 4:30 appointment. I stopped to pick up my slides from the biopsy, mammogram and ultrasound so that the surgeon could review. He also wanted to do an exam. I have always seen female doctors, so this particular exam was very awkward for us, but he came highly recommended. After the exam, he took us into a conference room and spent the next hour and a half explaining options to us. We learned that the tumor was about 2.5 cm in size and not aggressive. He felt like he would be able to operate and get a clear margin around it - a lumpectomy - but that he wanted me to see an oncologist to review everything in case they recommended other treatments. I have learned so much about cancer now - I'm disappointed in myself for not asking more questions when my mom and mother-in-law dealt with similar situations. They are both doing well after removal of lumps - by the way. I do not have a family history of breast cancer in my family, especially at so young, so we know this is unusual. I have lived an exceedingly blessed life but I know that I am not immune to sickness or rain. God's word never promised that we wouldn't go through things, it promises that He will be with us as we go through things. And He has been with us through this whole journey.
The surgeon refereed us to an oncologist and so we left planning to schedule an appointment. As we talked about what we had learned from the surgeon it became very clear that the Hubs was not comfortable with this surgeon. His mother recommended that we go see the oncologist she had used at MD Anderson so I called and scheduled an appointment with their oncologist and surgeon. It was a completely different experience. Every doctor, nurse and radiologist has been a young woman. They are informative and understanding. My oncologist has recommended things that she saw her own mother use. Because of my age and the size of the tumor, it was recommended that I use chemotherapy treatment to treat my system. The surgeon did not feel like a lumpectomy was the best course of action but she understands that this would be my preference. We decided to use chemo first to try and shrink the tumor and then see if a lumpectomy would be possible - before we consider a full mastectomy. None of these things were in my plans. We have prayed for God's healing and believe that He is already at work. Do I understand why there hasn't been immediate healing? No. Do I believe that God could do the miraculous? Yes! I want to be the one that crazy miraculous things happen to! More to come. . . the story continues.
We celebrated Kid#1's 13th birthday that weekend and it's always good to have a busy family weekend to keep your mind off of things. So thankful for my family through all of this!
Monday meeting with the surgeon was a 4:30 appointment. I stopped to pick up my slides from the biopsy, mammogram and ultrasound so that the surgeon could review. He also wanted to do an exam. I have always seen female doctors, so this particular exam was very awkward for us, but he came highly recommended. After the exam, he took us into a conference room and spent the next hour and a half explaining options to us. We learned that the tumor was about 2.5 cm in size and not aggressive. He felt like he would be able to operate and get a clear margin around it - a lumpectomy - but that he wanted me to see an oncologist to review everything in case they recommended other treatments. I have learned so much about cancer now - I'm disappointed in myself for not asking more questions when my mom and mother-in-law dealt with similar situations. They are both doing well after removal of lumps - by the way. I do not have a family history of breast cancer in my family, especially at so young, so we know this is unusual. I have lived an exceedingly blessed life but I know that I am not immune to sickness or rain. God's word never promised that we wouldn't go through things, it promises that He will be with us as we go through things. And He has been with us through this whole journey.
The surgeon refereed us to an oncologist and so we left planning to schedule an appointment. As we talked about what we had learned from the surgeon it became very clear that the Hubs was not comfortable with this surgeon. His mother recommended that we go see the oncologist she had used at MD Anderson so I called and scheduled an appointment with their oncologist and surgeon. It was a completely different experience. Every doctor, nurse and radiologist has been a young woman. They are informative and understanding. My oncologist has recommended things that she saw her own mother use. Because of my age and the size of the tumor, it was recommended that I use chemotherapy treatment to treat my system. The surgeon did not feel like a lumpectomy was the best course of action but she understands that this would be my preference. We decided to use chemo first to try and shrink the tumor and then see if a lumpectomy would be possible - before we consider a full mastectomy. None of these things were in my plans. We have prayed for God's healing and believe that He is already at work. Do I understand why there hasn't been immediate healing? No. Do I believe that God could do the miraculous? Yes! I want to be the one that crazy miraculous things happen to! More to come. . . the story continues.
Comments
Post a Comment