BREAST CANCER & ME *BIOPSY & DX* Part 2

[poohb3ar]

mary,
thanks so much for sharing.
your story is so touching and on Good Friday, wow.

God is good. we're here telling our stories.

i was there for my grandbaby's birth a little over a month after my surgery.

you've got a wonderful family and God for support. i am so happy for you.

i wish the best for all the other survivors out there who may be reading this.

i also ask for God's peace to fall on those who just got the 'news' or who may have lost someone they love to this horrendous disease.

may God bless you all!

[DonnaD]

Help! - Just started reading. I'm going for a biopsy tomorrow morning. I really knew nothing about what it entails (I have MS, not breast cancer, right?). I didn't know I would be sore for a few days after. Tomorrow morning is the biopsy and tomorrow night is my cousin's son's wedding. Will I be able to go? I don't mind so much if I miss it but I really don't want to let anyone in the family know about this. I'm the type who tries to always makes everyone think I'm OK. I know at some point I'll have to let them know what's doing, but not till I actually know what's doing. Is this a no way situation or can advil get me through the evening? (at least no one expects me to get up and dance )

[poohb3ar]

bless your heart!

hi donna, so sorry to hear that you're having a biopsy, but also glad that you're being proactive and getting it checked out.

hopefully you've read kelm's and mermaid's accounts. theirs were done in a chair.

your experience tomorrow depends on your dr. & where you're having it done at.

mine was quite a large area (half of my breast!) so that is probably why i was so sore. they actually took three biopsies of mine.

if it's smaller, you shouldn't be as sore. wish i could give you a concrete answer. depends too on your pain tolerance, etc.
i will be praying that all goes well.
please, keep us updated! feel free to contact me if you'd like.

God bless ya!
poohbear

[DonnaD]

I'm happy to say that you all scared me for nothing. I reclined on an examining table. The Dr gave me a shot to numb the area. He had a little tool that sounded like a staple gun (he and the nurse demonstrated the noise to me first - seemed silly). I think he did it 3 times. That was it. I went home and took Advil and went to the wedding at night. Today it hurts but Advil can handle it. Also, I'm used to that spot hurting this past month already. I'm taking the dressing off soon (24 hours) and then I can look at what he actually did. (before he did it the nurse told me that he'll make a small slit that will totally heal so I guess I'll see that)

Now I have to wait a week for the results. That's what I'm really worried about.

[poohb3ar]

thank God you had a good experience!
sorry that we scared you. didn't mean to scare, just prepare.

i'm so glad it went well and you were able to attend the wedding!

waiting for results is definitely the worst part!

please keep us updated.

God bless ya & may you get good news back!

poohb3ar

[DonnaD]

Last night I finally took off my bra and the dressing. Ugh!! Tremendous black and blue mark.

Now I'm all messed up with appointments. I won't call my neuro and say "I have breast cancer" until I get results (though I'm positive, just don't know how bad). Now do I order next month's tysabri (in2 weeks - I have to order each month)? Will I keep taking tysabri? Now my problem is that I really have to go for an MRI cause of the tysabri and I pushed it off and it's been 2 years instead of 1 already but I can only get an appointment in 2 months. I want to do it now before anything else. I was stupid pushing it off so long. One of these things keeping me awake.

[poohb3ar]

oh my!

donna, that is a lot to sort out all at once.
it seems like everything hits at the same time!

i encourage you to talk to your neuro. just fill him in on what is going on with your health.
i remember the feeling knowing it was cancer before ever getting the biopsy. sometimes it stinks to be right!

but your neuro should definitely help you sort out the problems with your meds, MRI and what you should do.
s/he might even see you sooner due to the unusual circumstances.

have you tried meditation or just mindful breathing?

just sitting comfortably or standing with correct posture, whichever is more comfortable for you, then slowly inhale feeling the air fill your lungs and whole body. then slowly exhale and feel it leaving your body. if you do that a couple of times when you're so stressed about all that is happening, it should help you clear your head of everything and hopefully calm down.

thank you for keeping us updated!
hang in there! it may not be as bad as you think.
but whatever happens you have people here who care & will try to help you anyway possible.
i care & will be glad to listen and give advice if wanted.

take care & God bless ya!

[DonnaD]

I'm back. Just got the biopsy results. I went the Dr. today. The surgeon again (don't know is this how they do it in America but it's the breast surgeon for now. So I wasn't surprised that it's cancer. I knew from the beginning. Anyway its level (sorry, I don't really know the lingo cause the Drs here (Israel) speak Hebrew and I just nod) 0-1 so I think that's good news (I do speak Hebrew but not medical Hebrew - They explain if I want but I'm just not one of these people who have to know everything. So they're going to do a lumpectomy but only in a month .

I really want it earlier cause 1- I just want to move and get past this. 2 -
My niece is getting married a week after the day of the lumpectomy which isn't a problem but my parents and other relatives are coming from NY right then and actually I prefer not tell my mother or anyone else until it's more over. 3 - I know that anytime I've been sick with fever or an infection (breast when nursing, UTI...) every MS thing I've had suddenly acts up then. I get super weak, seeing problems... so I'd really like to get this cancer out of me. So they put me first on the waiting list and I have to just hope someone else gets the flu and cancels .

So she said that I have a large breast (not really) and a small lump and the lumpectomy will leave my breast OK. Also, the cancer doesn't seem to be in the lymph nodes. Then they'll do radiation and the lumoactomy will tell them if I need chemo too.

I'm really calm about the whole thing. I guess I've been sick for years so why panic about one more thing. At this point I really don't want to tell anyone (except my husband obviously) that's why I'm rambling on here cause I have to tell someone. I really don't want to tell my mother. When she comes in February I will tell her but in person. I really don't want to start hear stories from my sisters and to have my mother in law call me every day, and to have my husband's uncle call constantly (he will) and I don't want to tell my kids. The word cancer really panics everyone. I just don't feel like I have a bad dangerous thing. I really don't need "support". I guess I'll have to tell at some point but not yet.

My husband, of course, is sending everything for a second opinion.

So that's it. Before the lumpectomy I have to do blood tests and a chest x-ray. Tomorrow I'm going to my primary Dr who will sort out everything that I got from the surgeon.

So here I am waiting again.Next Sunday I go to the hospital for tysabri so I'll make sure to see the neuro while I'm there ad see if he has anything to add.

[Justsayyes]

Thanks for the update Donna. Sorry that you have cancer, but hopeful for you as it is caught very early.

My lumpectomy was the easiest surgery to recover from compared to any other procedures I've had. The biopsy itself seemed worse. I attended a birthday party the next day at a disco in a casino, and even danced while holding my chest still. Nobody knew what I had been through, I wasn't ready to talk about it.

I understand wanting it to all be scheduled quickly and to be done with the surgery. Hope you get in earlier, but you will be OK waiting too. Do let us know how you are doing.

[poohb3ar]

donna, i'm so sorry it's breast cancer, but if you have to have it- you've got the least of it.
mine also was a 0-1. typically that means it is small and usually contained in the breast alone.
double checking the lymph nodes is a good idea because that is how breast cancer spreads to other places. but with 0-1 it's good chance that they're fine.

so glad that you can be calm about this.
everyone reacts different to cancer and it's understandable that you don't want everyone driving you crazy about it.
personally, i wanted to just hide until it was all over. didn't get to hide, but we can always wish!

praying that you do get to have the surgery sooner. i totally understand that.
i think the timeline from biopsy to double mastectomy was just about 1 mo. gave me enough time to heal up and be there for 1st grandbaby's birth! (10 hrs to spare!)

you may want to read up on the pros and cons of lumpectomy vs. mastectomy. just because the dr. says we're doing it this way, doesn't mean it's the right way for you. it's your body, your decision.

my dr. suggested a lumpectomy also, but the tumor was nearly half my breast! (was small breasted). told him that was ridiculous, might as well take all of it. but i'm 3rd generation in my family to have breast cancer, so my situation is different.

do what you feel is best for you. i didn't want radiation because of the MS making everything so much worse, so i opted for double mastectomy to make sure ALL was gone and nothing left to radiate. (they did take a lymph node also in the area.)

everyone is different and i remember how tough the decision was. even my DH respected that it was up to me.

it sounds like you have a supportive DH who wants to take care of you. i'm glad you do.
we're hear to listen. thank you so much for keeping us informed.
i'll continue to pray for a quick surgery & recovery for you.

take care & God bless ya!

[DonnaD]

Went to my primary Dr this morning with my husband. He'll try to get the lumpectomy pushed up. I've mentioned a few times that here in Israel we have socialized medicine which is great that we pay very little for health insurance and something like tysabri I get totally for free including the IV, but you also have to know how to "play the game". Luckily, my primary Dr is wonderful and will do anything for me (I think I'm his first MS patient and add cancer he can't do enough for me ). So he's affiliated with the hospital I'm going to and will go in on Tuesday and see if he can talk to the head of the department and find a way to get the lumpectomy earlier (even though the surgeon told me they're booked till then). He's also going to request that my whole case is in a different hospital if I want. The hospital where my MS neuro and treatments are. It's a better hospital but the one I'm at is so much more convenient (both closer and cause my primary Doctor has all sorts of ties there and that's the one my health fund uses - for my MS my primary doctor got me permission for the other one years ago).

So anyway, tonight between 9:45-11:45 PM we'll get a call back from this amazing man here in Israel who has connections with every kind of Dr and places and he'll have his Doctors review my whole case and give advice of what to do and where. I know it sounds odd but people swear by this man. He'll also provide the money if he tells you that you have to go to a different country for treatment (not the case here but people call him with all sorts of illnesses). So from 11-12 this morning (only) my husband and me both sat with our fingers on phone redial buttons to get through to get this appointment tonight. All my medical info I faxed to him already yesterday. Once we speak to him I'll decide if I should switch doctors and hospitals.

Next Sunday (the 18th), I go for tysabri and I'll talk with the neuro too.

[poohb3ar]

wow!

sounds like an amazing dr. and man! can you clone him and send him to the U.S.?

praying that he can do a lot for you to make this better quickly.

thanks for keeping us updated! hang in there!

take care & God bless ya!

[DonnaD]

The advice man called back (at 6:45 - he was supposed to call at 9:45) - So he said everything they're planning on doing is right and the surgeon is excellent. So I'll stay where I am. But it's still a little of a mess. The excellent surgeon (a man who did my biopsy) is actually on vacation now. The surgeon who gave me the results (a lady) works with the man but I'm not positive that she's as wonderful. Also my primary Dr first told us how wonderful the man is. So if the man is back from vacation I'll insist that he does the surgery but here's the problem... They only do this surgery on Thursday (remember, we don't have private doctors here), so they first gave me Feb 5th but I asked for earlier, so Thursday the lady surgeon called me and told me she got me the 29th. I was so happy, I thanked her a million times. After I hung up I went to look at my calendar. That day is awful for me. My daughter's best friend since they're 3 is getting married that night. We're good friends with the parents too and our whole neighborhood will then know what's doing if I'm not at that wedding. I want the week before . I'm going to try to get her tomorrow (Sunday's a regular day here) and tell her I'm switching hospitals if she can't get me in (how's that? threaten someone who's going to hold a knife over you ?).

So when does an oncologist get involved?

[DonnaD]

I pushed and I did it. Go the Lumpectomy moved from Feb 4 to Jan 14. Just 2 days from now!! (I wanted it next week but I'm taking what I can get). My husband found a fried a friend of a the wife of a friend who actually went to the same hospital I'm going to. I called her and she said she was very happy there. She said she went on to the better hospital (the one I'm treated for MS in) for the oncologist and treatments. I think that's what I'll do. So I'm having the lumpectomy this week and then I have to wait to 2 1/2 weeks for the pathology report (I think they send it to America for it) and during that time I'll consider moving for the oncologist. So things are moving.

[Justsayyes]

That's great news to get your surgery moved up. We can be surgery buddies, I'm having surgery that day too, total hip replacement.

My medical oncologist is the one who prescribed my Evista, which is similar to Tamoxifen. Your pathology report will identify factors that will determine what other course of treatments you may want. My cancer was very hormone driven, and so the Evista is an estrogen blocker.

Best of luck to you this Wednesday!