Yesterday (while on the playground supervising recess!) I got a call from my oncologist. I was surprised because it was supposed to be my surgeons office. Dr. J said he saw that my MRI results were in and he couldn't help but look! He is an awesome doc. He said they didn't find anymore cancer, and nothing at all in my right breast. I wasn't even sure they MRIed (?) that side. So, that's good news! I asked him if it still looked like a lumpectomy would be ok, and he said he thinks so. I still haven't heard from the surgeons office--maybe they know Dr. J already talked to me?
Today I met with the genetic counselor. She said she was sorry to see me again! I am going to be tested for the 2 breast cancer genes. Its not 100% accurate, but close. I had to have a tube of blood drawn and it will be sent to a lab in Salt Lake City. Apparently, its the only lab in the US that does this test because they patented the gene. I didn't realize it was a blood test, I thought they'd test the tissue from the biopsy. The test results won't be back before I have the lumpectomy, but I don't think I would change anything anyway. I think I'd still want to have a lumpectomy, and have more frequent mammograms and MRIs. Then if the cancer comes back, I can decide if I want to do something more drastic then. I'm really not ready to give up "the girls" yet! But I definitely will if I need to.
I think because of what I've already been through, cancer doesn't scare me so much anymore. If this was my first cancer, I'd probably be freaking out. But because this was caught early it's not really life threatening, like the colon cancer. Some people would just want the cancer out as quickly as possible and would do whatever it takes to make sure they don't ever get it back. I totally understand that viewpoint, but that's not where I'm at right now. As long as I'm getting all my tests done when I'm supposed to, I'm ok with waiting to see if it comes back. I do have to say that this is where I'm at at this moment--that could always change! I haven't talked all this over with my onc. or surgeon yet either.
Now, the colon cancer is a different story! It was stage 3, and I'll probably always worry about it coming back. I have my CT scan scheduled for Friday, May 7th, and my onc. appt. the following Wed. I'm already nervous! It seems like I've been off chemo for too long, and if there were any cancer cells left, they've had too much time to grow!
ok...I think that's all I needed to say for now. Rachel, Brennan, Alyssa, Jaren, Shonna, and Rich are all here in the living room, so its been hard to keep my focus on the blog!
Take care everyone!
Love,
Tina
Showing posts with label genetics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genetics. Show all posts
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Met With the Surgeon
Ok, before I get started with details, I want to mention that I started getting sick this morning. My neck started to ache, which worked its way down my back and up into my head, then I discovered I had a fever too. Took Tylenol and ibuprofen, and felt ok most of the day. I mention this because I'm really tired and a little achy right now, so I'm not too concerned with grammar and making sense! :)
I met with my surgeon, Dr. Todd Morris, about 2 today. I really liked him. He's kind, and has a good sense of humor. He took his time explaining everything, and answering all my questions. He said I could have a lumpectomy with radiation, or a mastectomy. I probably won't need chemo, but might need hormone therapy. We went ahead and scheduled the lumpectomy for April 26th, and in the meantime, I'll have an MRI (next Tuesday) and meet with the genetic counselor (next Thursday). If more calcifications (or worse) show up on the MRI, I would probably have to have a mastectomy. If the geneticist finds out I have the "breast cancer gene" I could possibly end up having a bilateral (double) mastectomy. But for now, we are going with the lumpectomy. I could have chosen to have the surgery sooner, and do a mastectomy in the future, if needed, but I would rather have all the facts and then have just one surgery.
When I have surgery, the surgeon will also take the sentinel lymph nodes. He finds them by injecting dye into my breast, then watching which nodes it goes to, then those are the ones he removes. Its just a precaution; he doesn't expect to find anything in the nodes.
Dr. Morris said I am lucky to have caught the cancer at an early stage, and my prognosis is very good. We will find out after surgery if I need hormone therapy. The biopsy I already had was too small to tell whether there was estrogen or progesterone receptors. That basically means one of those hormones might cause the cancer to grow, and I would take drugs to block that hormone.
This morning I started to get very nervous about all of this. I REALLY don't want to have another surgery, and go through all this again. I mentioned on facebook that I was more nervous than I expected, and several people gave me encouragement and prayed for me. I spent some time with God, and felt more at peace (although I started feeling sick!). I don't know why I have to go through this, and I don't like it, but I pray that God's will, not mine, be done in my life. Then sometimes I wonder if I'm really that thick-headed, that I have to go through all this to learn the lesson God wants to teach me! :P
I want to thank one of my wonderful aunts for sending me money to buy treats for the cancer center. We stopped at Target on the way and bought a bunch of snacks. As usual, they were VERY grateful. My mom had crocheted some hats, and I brought them too. The nurses set them out, then anyone who wants one can take one.
Speaking of the nurses, I had a different one today (I had my port flushed before my appt. with the surgeon), and I told her about my new diagnoses. She didn't say much about it, just kept being all chipper and nice. When I was in the waiting room at the breast health center (across the hall), she popped in and told me how sorry she was that she misunderstood me. She was entering my info into the computer and somehow saw something about the breast cancer, and the other nurses looked at it too (the others knew me better and new that I had colon cancer before, not breast cancer). She had thought I was saying that I had started chemo for breast cancer a year ago. Anyways, she was very apologetic and said they all were sorry to hear about this, and would be thinking about me and praying for me. Those nurses are THE BEST!
So, that's my story. Oh--when I got home this afternoon, Brennan was here and I got to take care of him for a little while. He has a cold, but was still pretty smiley. He was more snuggly too!
I'll keep you updated!
Take care,
Tina
I met with my surgeon, Dr. Todd Morris, about 2 today. I really liked him. He's kind, and has a good sense of humor. He took his time explaining everything, and answering all my questions. He said I could have a lumpectomy with radiation, or a mastectomy. I probably won't need chemo, but might need hormone therapy. We went ahead and scheduled the lumpectomy for April 26th, and in the meantime, I'll have an MRI (next Tuesday) and meet with the genetic counselor (next Thursday). If more calcifications (or worse) show up on the MRI, I would probably have to have a mastectomy. If the geneticist finds out I have the "breast cancer gene" I could possibly end up having a bilateral (double) mastectomy. But for now, we are going with the lumpectomy. I could have chosen to have the surgery sooner, and do a mastectomy in the future, if needed, but I would rather have all the facts and then have just one surgery.
When I have surgery, the surgeon will also take the sentinel lymph nodes. He finds them by injecting dye into my breast, then watching which nodes it goes to, then those are the ones he removes. Its just a precaution; he doesn't expect to find anything in the nodes.
Dr. Morris said I am lucky to have caught the cancer at an early stage, and my prognosis is very good. We will find out after surgery if I need hormone therapy. The biopsy I already had was too small to tell whether there was estrogen or progesterone receptors. That basically means one of those hormones might cause the cancer to grow, and I would take drugs to block that hormone.
This morning I started to get very nervous about all of this. I REALLY don't want to have another surgery, and go through all this again. I mentioned on facebook that I was more nervous than I expected, and several people gave me encouragement and prayed for me. I spent some time with God, and felt more at peace (although I started feeling sick!). I don't know why I have to go through this, and I don't like it, but I pray that God's will, not mine, be done in my life. Then sometimes I wonder if I'm really that thick-headed, that I have to go through all this to learn the lesson God wants to teach me! :P
I want to thank one of my wonderful aunts for sending me money to buy treats for the cancer center. We stopped at Target on the way and bought a bunch of snacks. As usual, they were VERY grateful. My mom had crocheted some hats, and I brought them too. The nurses set them out, then anyone who wants one can take one.
Speaking of the nurses, I had a different one today (I had my port flushed before my appt. with the surgeon), and I told her about my new diagnoses. She didn't say much about it, just kept being all chipper and nice. When I was in the waiting room at the breast health center (across the hall), she popped in and told me how sorry she was that she misunderstood me. She was entering my info into the computer and somehow saw something about the breast cancer, and the other nurses looked at it too (the others knew me better and new that I had colon cancer before, not breast cancer). She had thought I was saying that I had started chemo for breast cancer a year ago. Anyways, she was very apologetic and said they all were sorry to hear about this, and would be thinking about me and praying for me. Those nurses are THE BEST!
So, that's my story. Oh--when I got home this afternoon, Brennan was here and I got to take care of him for a little while. He has a cold, but was still pretty smiley. He was more snuggly too!
I'll keep you updated!
Take care,
Tina
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Genetics
Ok, today's appointment with the genetic counselor is not something that's easy to explain! So, I'll do my best, and give you the basics.
Tissue from my tumor will be tested (provided insurance agrees to pay for it!) to find out if there are certain markers that will tell us if it is something I inherited. If nothing shows up in the tumor, then there is a different test I can have done that will tell me whether I have this other inherited condition where I get 1 bad gene from each parent. People can be carriers of this gene and not get cancer themselves, but if a child gets 1 from each parent, then that child is likely to get colon cancer. With one of these issues there is a greater chance that I could get other kinds of cancers also, specifically uterine. I guess some women even have their uterus removed to prevent this. So, it would be good to know for myself, and my daughters.
If there is no genetic reason for me to have colon cancer, then I'm just an oddball! (no comments from my family!) And I would only be at risk of getting colon cancer again, not other cancers.
There are other genetic "conditions" also that a person can be tested for, but I didn't fit the profile for any of those. The only reason I'm being tested at all is because of my "young" age. There is alot of breast cancer in my family, but that isn't related to my colon cancer.
So, other than all that, things are going great. I hardly noticed my port at all today. I notice it a little at night when I try to sleep, but that's about all. Sat., after we got groceries, I was putting a container of ice cream away and I was holding it in one hand by my chest and the edge of the container hit my port really hard. Man did that hurt! It hurt the rest of the day. I was afraid I might have damaged it. But all seems fine now, and I just have to learn to be more careful!!
I only have 1 more day off before I have to go back to work. I do enjoy my time off, but I'm really looking forward to going back!
Chemo starts next Wed., the 8th, and when I stop to think about it I get a little nervous, but overall I'm ok with it. I have no idea how it will affect me, so why worry? On the one hand, its hard to go to chemo when I feel so good (cuz it might make me feel really lousy), but on the other hand, I'm worried that there are cancer cells running around in my body having a party--and I want to put a stop to that! Nobody parties in me unless I say so!! Ok, that's probably the oddest thing I've ever said, but I'm really tired!!
So, off to bed I go!!
Goodnight all!
Tina
Tissue from my tumor will be tested (provided insurance agrees to pay for it!) to find out if there are certain markers that will tell us if it is something I inherited. If nothing shows up in the tumor, then there is a different test I can have done that will tell me whether I have this other inherited condition where I get 1 bad gene from each parent. People can be carriers of this gene and not get cancer themselves, but if a child gets 1 from each parent, then that child is likely to get colon cancer. With one of these issues there is a greater chance that I could get other kinds of cancers also, specifically uterine. I guess some women even have their uterus removed to prevent this. So, it would be good to know for myself, and my daughters.
If there is no genetic reason for me to have colon cancer, then I'm just an oddball! (no comments from my family!) And I would only be at risk of getting colon cancer again, not other cancers.
There are other genetic "conditions" also that a person can be tested for, but I didn't fit the profile for any of those. The only reason I'm being tested at all is because of my "young" age. There is alot of breast cancer in my family, but that isn't related to my colon cancer.
So, other than all that, things are going great. I hardly noticed my port at all today. I notice it a little at night when I try to sleep, but that's about all. Sat., after we got groceries, I was putting a container of ice cream away and I was holding it in one hand by my chest and the edge of the container hit my port really hard. Man did that hurt! It hurt the rest of the day. I was afraid I might have damaged it. But all seems fine now, and I just have to learn to be more careful!!
I only have 1 more day off before I have to go back to work. I do enjoy my time off, but I'm really looking forward to going back!
Chemo starts next Wed., the 8th, and when I stop to think about it I get a little nervous, but overall I'm ok with it. I have no idea how it will affect me, so why worry? On the one hand, its hard to go to chemo when I feel so good (cuz it might make me feel really lousy), but on the other hand, I'm worried that there are cancer cells running around in my body having a party--and I want to put a stop to that! Nobody parties in me unless I say so!! Ok, that's probably the oddest thing I've ever said, but I'm really tired!!
So, off to bed I go!!
Goodnight all!
Tina
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