Journal entry by Christina Desaulniers —
After all the hoopla with the mamograms and ultrasounds. I was scheduled for a biopsy with a surgeon.
The very word " BIOPSY " shakes you to your core! Ok this is it...this will be the confirmation of all the testing...so they schedule it as soon as they can.
9/27/21...4 DAYS AWAY ... They just tell you you might have cancer and give you 4 days to ponder on that before you find out.
Oddly enough my mom had just gone through the same thing about 5 years ago. So I had her and a couple others that had been through this before to talk to about what it was like and what to expect.
I even had the same surgeon doing the biopsy. He was great. Dr. Suede here in Manchester.
He was great when mom went through this so I didn't think anything of having him do the same for me. She's doing great after 5+ years cancer free.😁
So even though Dr Suede was extremely calm, cool and caring , when he said "it's breast cancer" things went a little fuzzy.
The 4 days until the diagnosis gave me a chance to figure out how and who I would tell what to...It's an awkward position to be in. I didn't want to worry anyone if this was just going to be a quick one and done, And didn't want to take out a full page ad saying "Hey guess what?"
So It turned into a need to know basis. It wasn't a secret so if someone asked hey how is everything? I would tell them.
I really didn't want a lot of attention , need any cards ,flowers or anything.
I just want to get through this quickly and quietly if possible.
And for a lot of people, this would mean a conversation down the road about someone else we knew/know that had cancer and I would offer some encouraging words from when I went through the same thing.
It really hasn't been bad so far.
*******I have HR +, HER 2- breast cancer (If you know, you know)********
for those who don't this is good news!
I have the kind of cancer that is receptive to hormone therapy (HR positive)
And not the invasive type of genetically based cancer (HER2 negative)
But I will still have to have treatment
The very word " BIOPSY " shakes you to your core! Ok this is it...this will be the confirmation of all the testing...so they schedule it as soon as they can.
9/27/21...4 DAYS AWAY ... They just tell you you might have cancer and give you 4 days to ponder on that before you find out.
Oddly enough my mom had just gone through the same thing about 5 years ago. So I had her and a couple others that had been through this before to talk to about what it was like and what to expect.
I even had the same surgeon doing the biopsy. He was great. Dr. Suede here in Manchester.
He was great when mom went through this so I didn't think anything of having him do the same for me. She's doing great after 5+ years cancer free.😁
So even though Dr Suede was extremely calm, cool and caring , when he said "it's breast cancer" things went a little fuzzy.
The 4 days until the diagnosis gave me a chance to figure out how and who I would tell what to...It's an awkward position to be in. I didn't want to worry anyone if this was just going to be a quick one and done, And didn't want to take out a full page ad saying "Hey guess what?"
So It turned into a need to know basis. It wasn't a secret so if someone asked hey how is everything? I would tell them.
I really didn't want a lot of attention , need any cards ,flowers or anything.
I just want to get through this quickly and quietly if possible.
And for a lot of people, this would mean a conversation down the road about someone else we knew/know that had cancer and I would offer some encouraging words from when I went through the same thing.
It really hasn't been bad so far.
*******I have HR +, HER 2- breast cancer (If you know, you know)********
for those who don't this is good news!
I have the kind of cancer that is receptive to hormone therapy (HR positive)
And not the invasive type of genetically based cancer (HER2 negative)
But I will still have to have treatment
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