One to Go

So many appointments down, one to go.  At least we hope just one to go.  Mom had an appointment with her oncologist, Dr. Bolla, last week.  He was pleased with her progress and gave her some great news.  Her ONCO testing revealed that she only has a 3% chance of recurrence.  That, along with a few other factors, means she does NOT have to undergo chemotherapy treatments!  What a relief for her and for all of us.  

Of course this is exciting news but, Dr. Bolla did not rule out radiation therapy treatment.  Mom will meet with Dr. Givens, HRH's Radiation Therapist, on Friday and he will make the final determination as to whether or not radiation will be of benefit to her at this time.  I'm not sure there are any doctors left for her to see, so hopefully this is the last stop on this crazy train.  :)

She will be taking the Aromatase Inhibitor (AI) hormone therapy.  From the wikipedia page on AI drugs:

Aromatase is the enzyme that synthesizes estrogen. As breast and ovarian cancers require estrogen to grow, AIs are taken to either block the production of estrogen or block the action of estrogen on receptors.

There  is so much information out there on these type of drugs, this was the simplest way I could find that explains what it does.

We are hoping for good news on Friday and I will certainly post an update with the word from Dr. Givens.  Hopefully I will be signing off this blog soon.  Not that I don't love you all, but that means, indeed, that this crazy train will have made it's last stop!  Keep your fingers, toes and whatever else you can think of crossed for a good outcome on Friday.

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.  Some come from ahead and some come from behind.  But I've brought a big bat.  I'm ready you see.  Now my troubles are going to have trouble with me!"
-Dr. Seuss

Keep Calm & Fight On
-Meg

The Other Side of Healthcare

So, it's now been 2 weeks since Mom's mastectomy.  As many of you know from personal experience, she wouldn't let a little cancer keep her down!  As I shared in my last post, Mom was able to make it to TJ's High School Graduation the day after her surgery.  Doesn't she look great?!

Over the last 2 weeks Mom has been resting up and seeing her doctors for follow-ups.  Both her breast surgeon and her plastic surgeon have been very pleased with her recovery.  As I mentioned in my last post, both of the nodes that they took during surgery came back negative for cancer cells from the frozen section.  Further testing on the nodes was completed and 1 lab stain did not show any tumor cells in either node.  A second stain showed an isolated tumor cell in each node.  Dr. Goulet still considers the nodes negative and her cancer a Stage I.  Isn't that great news?!

Dr. Goulet did also recommended doing further ONCO testing that will determine the likelihood for recurrence and it is this test that will, in fact, guide her ongoing treatment. We are hoping the results of this test will be back by July 1st.  Mom has an appointment with her oncologist, Dr. Bolla, on July 3rd.  Obviously it would be ideal for the results of the ONCO test to be in to his office before then, but I don't think anyone is asking our opinions.  ;)  As Mom has mentioned, she's not a big fan of being on the other side of healthcare.  I'm sure most of you that are clinicians can relate.

All-in-all, the last 2 weeks have gone pretty smoothly as far as her physical recovery. Emotionally she is still on a roller coaster.  I can say that all of the love and support she has received from her family, HRH family and friends has been amazing.  I know that she appreciates it all beyond words.  Thank you doesn't seem enough for all of the thoughts, prayers, food, flowers, cards, etc. that have been coming her way.  I'm not sure she knew just how much everyone loves her.  I hope that it's abundantly clear now.

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you."
-Walt Whitman

Keep Calm & Fight On
-Meg

Post-Op

This will be a short post just so everyone can get word. Mom's surgery went great on Thursday. They made it home about noon today and she was able to go to TJ's High School Graduation. Her pain is being pretty well controlled with the block they put in and the pain pills she was given. The preliminary results (95% accuracy) show that her lymph nodes were negative for cancer. This is such a huge relief for all of us, especially Mom. The final pathology will come back in a few days and then we will know for sure what the nodes are or aren't doing.

I know this is not a normal post from me...sorry. For many reasons this has been a LONG week. I will get back to my regular posting form next time. Thank you for all of your support, well wishes and prayers. They mean more than you know. 

Keep calm and fight on

-Meg

Surgery Scheduled

Mom did have her appointment with her Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Hsoai (pronounced shout without the t).  After several days, we finally got word on a surgery date.  She will be having a Mastectomy of her right breast on Thursday, May 30.  This will be Mom's first major surgery in quite a long time.  As such, she is a little nervous, but everyone has been reassuring her that everything will be fine.  As a health care professional she knows that chances are slim that things would go wrong, but I think your perception changes when it is you they are working on.  So, please keep Mom in your prayers, especially on Thursday.

Here is a run-down of what will be happening on Thursday and post surgery.  Her surgery is scheduled at 1:00 and we have been told it will last approximately 3 hours.  Dr. Goulet (her surgeon) will spend about 2 hours removing the breast tissue and Dr. Hsoai will spend about an hour working to prep her for reconstruction (this part is done in 2 surgeries).  She will spend the night in the hospital and will hopefully be released Friday by late morning.  They won't be able to keep her much longer than that because her oldest grandson, TJ, is graduating from Greencastle High School on Friday night.  She has said several times that she will be there, no matter what.  Dad, Monica, Maria and I will be with her on Thursday.  Michelle will be there in spirit and will be home shortly after her surgery.  I have also had word that 2 of Mom's sisters, Sharon & Mary, are planning to coming over for the surgery on Thursday.  Though Mom may not think she needs it, all of the support will be good for her.

During surgery they will take some of her lymph nodes and do what is called a sentinel node biopsy.  We won't know the results of the biopsy for several days after surgery.  These results are what will determine her course of treatment beyond the mastectomy.  We are obviously hoping for the nodes to come back negative.  If they come back positive, treatment options could include radiation and/or chemotherapy. 

The doctors think that her recovery should go well.  She will be off work for at least a month, if not a little longer depending on how her recovery does go.  Michelle and the kids will be coming home on June 6 and staying through June 15.  I'm sure this will help keep Mom's spirits up.  For those of you who may not know, Michelle is moving with her family to Madrid, Spain in August for Tony's work.  They will hopefully only be there for 3 years and then back home (to Wisconsin).  Any extra time Mom gets to spend with between now and August is a bonus.

The second phase of her reconstruction will take place 4-6 months after her initial surgery.  Dr. Hsoai will do a second surgery to complete the reconstruction and symmetry.  We don't have a lot of detail about this yet.  I'm sure more information will be coming dependent on the success of the mastectomy.

A friend of ours recently traveled to Rome and picked up a rosary for Mom from the Vatican.  It was an amazing gift and very beautiful.  Those of you who know Mom well know that she is devout in her faith.  I know that she will be praying and saying a few rosaries.  Catholic or not, whatever you believe and whoever you pray to, please lift her up in your thoughts and prayers.  Our family appreciates all of the support you've given us in the last month and continue to give.  What an amazing group of people to have around her during this difficult time.

"God speaks in the silence of the heart.  Listening is the beginning of prayer."
-Mother Teresa

Keep Calm & Fight On
-Meg

Oncology Update

Mom had her appointment with her oncologist, Dr. Bolla, on Wednesday.  He supported everything we have heard so far.  Currently all of her doctors are very positive about her prognosis and feel like surgery may be the "cure" for her.  When she has her mastectomy (no date yet) they will take some of the nodes to test.  If the nodes come back positive she will most likely have to undergo some type of chemotherapy.  If the nodes come back negative (which it seems like the doctors feel likely) then she would not have to do any chemo or radiation.  The one thing she would have to do would be to take an oral pill referred to as an AI (http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/hormonal/aromatase_inhibitors).  So, all in all we feel we received good news from Dr. Bolla.

She will meet with her plastic surgeon on Tuesday morning to discuss her reconstruction (which will be done at the time of the mastectomy) so we will have more news to share and hopefully we will soon have a date for surgery.  Please continue to keep Mom in your prayers.  She is, understandably, having difficulty sleeping.  I think when we finally get a timeline to surgery and recovery that might help, but we'll see.

"If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone
Carry on
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground
Carry on"
-Lyrics from the song Carry On by Fun.

Keep Calm & Fight On
-Meg

Keep Calm & Fight On

We finally heard some news late Friday from Mom's surgeon.  The second site (initially thought of as just a cyst) did have the same cell structure as the first mass.  Thankfully, Dr. Goulet removed that tissue.  However, because this means there are 2 sites with cancer cells, Mom will have to have a mastectomy.  Her spirits remain high and the prognosis is still good.  We are waiting to hear from Dr. Goulet regarding when the surgery will be done.  He is going to put Mom in touch with a plastic surgeon this week as she wants to do reconstruction at the same time as the mastectomy.  So, one surgery for the removal and reconstruction.

Mom has her first appointment with her oncologist on Wednesday.  I'm not sure what we'll find out at this appointment.  From what we are all understanding, nothing more will be decided about her treatment until they test the nodes that they will take during her surgery.  The results of that pathology will determine her future course of treatment.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Keep Calm & Fight On
-Meg

(And, I believe I fixed the commenting section.  So, If you would like to leave a comment or a message for Mom, feel free!)

Playing Catch-Up

To catch everyone up, here is what has transpired so far.  Mom found the lump on Thursday, 4/11.  She spent Friday morning 4/12 trying to get in to get a mammogram.  She was able to get in to her OB/GYN that morning and she did an exam to see if there were any other lumps.  Her appointment for a mammogram was set up for Tuesday, 4/16.  On Tuesday morning she went in for her mammogram.  They found a second site that neither Mom nor her GYN doc felt.  Later that same morning she had a biopsy of one site done and fluid drianed from both sites.  So at this point, one site was considered a cyst while the other was actually described to us having 2 disctinve sides.  One side was a solid mass area and the other side was a cyst type of area.  Samples were taken of the fluid from both and the biopsy was taken from the mass.  On Wednesday, 4/17 we received the word that she did, in fact, have breast cancer.  Over the next couple of days there was some discussion between pathologists regarding what type of cancer it actually was.  She was finally diagnosed with Invasive Ductile Carcinoma.

Fast forward to this week.  Mom had an appointment with her surgeon, Dr. Robert Goulet who practices at Community East.  Both she and Dad really like him and everyone at work (Mom & I both work at Hendricks Regional Health) has had amazing things to say about him.  Dr. Goulet wanted to extract the tissue from the cyst site to determine if there were any cancer cells in that tissue.  There was no extraction of this tissue done last week, just the fluid.  So, yesterday afternoon she went in and he took the tissue out and sent it off for pathology.  What a trooper she was, she only had a local anesthetic and was busting the doors down to get out of there.  I think I've heard somewhere that nurses (I think this could be changed to all medical professionals) make the worst patients.  :)  We are awaiting word today to find out what the pathology says about the tissue sample.  Her course of treatment will be determined based on these findings.

"The strength of the heart comes from the soundness of the faith." -Saudi Arabian Proverb

Keep Calm & Fight On
-Meg