The Day I Met My Cancer Team

WOW.  Knowledge is certainly power.  I can't tell you how much better I feel!!  These last two weeks have been incredibly difficult for me because I've had to wait and sit in the shadows of ignorance.  Today I walk in the light of knowledge and look before the different paths that have been presented to me.  I don't even care that I don't know which path I'm taking yet.  It's just nice to know that I can see what's in front of me now.  

My mom, dad, husband, and I met with my breast surgeon, Dr. G, and I immediately liked her.  She came in and apologized that I was there in the first place, but congratulated me for being an advocate for myself because most young, working mothers may have just ignored it, but now that we caught it early I'm in a place of power and have options.

She spent two hours (wow!) explaining the process and options, the science, and the pictures of my mammogram and ultrasounds.  She said that breast cancer is a lazy cancer and that it's important for us to not rush into anything so that we can get a fuller picture and really explore my options and verify things so that 10, 20, or 30 years from now I'm not regretting the decisions I made. 

In the short term there are two tests that need to be done.  Basically at this point they believe the cancer is non-invasive.  However, I am getting an MRI done on Friday morning because that will be more detailed and accurate, and either show something new or verify what they already know.  Of women who get the MRI, 20% (or 1 in 5) get bumped up to a higher stage based on what they find.  I will get the results of that on Monday.  That will help determine whether or not I will need a lumpectomy or mastectomy.  

The second piece of the puzzle was for me to meet with a genetic counselor.  Because I'm under 35 they always wonder why someone so young could get breast cancer, so they need to test my blood for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation.  I had blood drawn in the lab and it gets sent out to a lab in Utah, but I should get the results in the next 1-2 weeks.  

In the meantime, she said it may be good for me to meet with the plastic surgeon just so that we have a game plan in case I need reconstructive surgery.  

I was also very happy to hear that all of the doctors work as a team and meet once a week to talk about their patients and come up with the best plan for them.  I met Jill, who is the nurse navigator and she is essentially the quarterback of the team and coordinates everything.  She was so great and already came in with the MRI scheduled and gave me her card.  She also gave her card to my parents and Eric and told them they could call at any time as well.  So I felt incredibly relieved to know that everything behind the scenes is being taken care of, and that the right hand is talking to the left.  

They also gave me a massive book on breast cancer as a resource along with a folder of information and all of my chart info up until now.  I kind of had fun reading it because I felt like a kid sneaking in to the classroom at lunch and peeking on the teachers desk.  haha.

So all in all, today was a good day!  I gained relief that I love my doctors and clarity in my knowledge and future path.  

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