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

The Beginning

I've thought for a long time about starting a blog.  Never, in a million years, did I think it would be for this purpose.  In an effort to keep all of Mom's family & friends updated with her progress in this new fight against breast cancer, we felt this would be an appropriate and effective means of communication.  So, here you will find updates about procedures and treatments and all the nitty gritty of her care.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as we begin this process to get her healed and back to 100%.  I will post more today about what has been going on in the last week to get everyone up to date with what has transpired thus far.  I thought that one of Mom's favorite poems would be appropriate to post here.

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most,

have you not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints

is when I carried you."

-Mary Stevenson

My hope is that at this time, let's not let Mom look back and see only one set of footprints but many sets that have walked along side Him as He carries her through this difficult time.

Keep Calm & Fight On

-Meg