A couple of months ago, I felt this pea size lump in my right breast. Many you that know me it had to be pretty prominent for this large breasted girl to feel. I decided to wait a couple of weeks and if it was still there meet with a doctor.
To my disbelief when I called my UCLA Gynocologist and told them I wanted an appointment because I found a lump. They said he couldn't see me for a month. That just wasn't the answer I wanted. So I started thinking, who else can I see. What breast doctor do I know? My cousin had inflammatory breast cancer 6 years before and she loved her doc, so I called her doc and made an appointment. This was at the end of August. When I saw the doc, she said that she definitely wanted to remove the lump, but first wanted to take an MRI. Meanwhile, I was finishing my first quarter of my Master's in Clinical Psychology, in the middle of facilitating a big five day corporate training, working, teaching one of my UCLA Extension classes, just adopted a new rescue puppy and was turning 57. I was my usual busy gal. I had to push surgery for a couple of weeks, so I could do my finals and do the first part of my corporate gig.
Finally, September 18th came around and the day for my double lumpectomy. My team consisted of my fabulous, adorable, genius husband and my crazy, passionate, loving, hilarious older sister. (sorry I said you were older) Chris took me in and I sent him home before the surgery because I was more concerned that the new puppy would crap in the house! Benita drove in from San Diego and was there when I awoke to tell me that yes in fact it was cancer. I was too out of it to remember that Dr. Memsic had already told me the outcome. Bottom line from that surgery was left breast had cancer, lymph node removed ultimately all good and gone. The right breast was benign. Dr. M said it was Stage 0. I liked that. But wait..when the complete path report came back a few days later and the right breast lump came back as fibrous breast tissue. Dr. M didn't like that, because the MRI had said it was something a bit more dramatic. She told me, she wanted to go in again to make sure. Ok..so here we go again.. I needed a couple of weeks so I could finish my corporate gig and have the surgery during my 3 week school break. After all that was said and done, surgery was scheduled for October 19 one month from the first lumpectomy.
Outcome of my October 19th surgery was that the left breast was now completely free of cancer with radiation pending. My right breast was a bit more finicky...the down and dirty frozen biopsy during surgery did not indicate cancer, so the lymph node was not removed. The kicker was/is that the ultimate path report came back Stage 2 cancer. Details too boring to write. Bottom line next surgery will remove that lymph node, and hopefully there will be no indication of anything but radiation and a possible little reconstruction. Ok that's the back story...the journal entries to come.
Well, now I’m at UCLA and have had more tests. Looks like this is helping with my getting me a liver. Also having kidney issues. They can’t quite figure out what’s wrong, so we are on the hunt.
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