And away we go!

Had my surgeon appt yesterday..3rd surgeon I've seen. This time I chose to see a breast specialist in hopes that she would see my side of things. And she's young, another plus. The last surgeon I seen was older and I thought that was a good thing because I thought he would have a lot of experience. Lots of experience is a good thing, but as far as seeing things my way, not so much. He was more old school.


This dr, who I will call Dr G. was really nice. I liked her right from the start. She came in and talked for an hour and a half. Took my whole history and then some. Asked millions of questions and asked what I knew about my cancer. She was impressed how educated I've made myself. :)


Then she went into how it works, etc. I learned a few new things, which combined with something I read in a blog yesterday, just confirmed my wanting the bilateral mastectomy. After telling us how this cancer works...single file line instead of a lump...she said most dr's recommend a lumpectomy. She started explaining how that would work. Believe me, at this point I could probably DO a lumpectomy, I've read so much and been explained to by several dr's! At one point she was telling me how when she takes the piece out, pathology would examine it and there's a chance that during the biopsy they could've missed the area or just knicked the side of it, not getting a good sample, therefor it could have a more invasive cancer right next to it. We won't know that until afterwards. She said biopsies and lumpectomies are not 100% reliable. She said at that point more surgeries could be needed. I said, you mean a mastectomy? She said yes. I have been told that by the first surgeon but she refused to do anything but the lumpectomy and then go from there. I told Dr G that the mastectomy is what I want to do for many reasons. I don't want to take the chance of missing the cancer and leaving it in me, only to find years later when then it could be an aggressive, invasive cancer and then I'm in trouble. And she said the same thing as the first surgeon and oncologist, that since I have a big cluster of calcifications that they would want to watch them forever now with MRI's every 6 months forever, biopsies if there are any changes, testing, etc. I don't want to spend life waiting by the phone. I am NOT cut out for that.


I explained all this to her and more and she said that most women want to preserve their breasts, that they do everything they can to keep them, but she has cared for women who just can't live with all the testing and worries and they choose to do the bilateral mastectomies. And some have reconstruction, some don't. She explained that it's an aggressive angle to take and wanted me to realize that I won't look the same when it's over and that I don't HAVE to do a mastectomy. But I have to be willing to do radiation and possibly the Tamoxofen or something similar. She said the hormone treatment is my choice, but it is what helps to ward off a recurrence. She said the side effects can be scary and some women suffer them and recover, some have to deal with them long term or for the rest of their lives. She asked if I'd seen an oncologist and how did he feel about the surgery? I explained that he suggested a lumpectomy too but when I explained my reasoning for the mastectomy he said he would support me and that I could use him as a reference if I needed to. And that he was helping me find a surgeon. 


The next sentence out of her mouth floored me. She said, do you want reconstruction? I said yes and she said she would set me up with a plastic surgeon she works with and get me on her schedule. I sat there kind of stunned, didn't know what to say because I thought I was going to get turned down again. I was analyzing everything she said and would say in my head, she's not going to do it. Then she would say something else and I would think, maybe she will! lol. 


So, they are setting me up with the plastic surgeon, Dr A, next week and scheduling the surgery!! She said as soon as her and Dr A's schedules worked out, I'd be in. GULP. God am I scared!!!!!!! But, I'm more scared NOT to do it, so here we go!