First Fork on the Path

Yesterday, I got the answer to which fork I’ll be taking on my cancer treatment path, and it’s good news. I don’t have the BRCA gene mutation, so I’ll be having the easier surgery.

The next data point will come after the surgery when we’ll find out if the cancer made it to my lymph nodes.

While We Wait

I find myself not really waiting for anything. Nothing requires my attention or any action right now. Nothing I do will change whether I have a gene or where the cancer cells are today.

We Have a Plan - One Step at a Time

I got to spend some quality time with both my oncologist and especially my surgeon today.

I learned a lot about breast cancer surgery options. The treatment plan all winds down to a couple of key decision points.

1. The first decision point is which type of surgery I’ll have. That depends on whether I have the BRCA gene mutation. If I don’t, then it’s a lumpectomy and radiation. Otherwise, I’ll have to have a double mastectomy, and there’s no need for radiation treatments in that case.

I’ve Been Assigned a New Teacher

And look… she comes with a workbook

I’m Sorry to Drop That On You

What do you say when you are told you have cancer? Well, my sister and I laughed about it after the inital downer that the sentence, “I have cancer” brings to a conversation. We both said that we’ve been expecting this our whole lives. Both parents, both grandmothers, all that time swimming in a river full of agriculture chemicals, not to mention my time around radioactive sources. I’m a very lucky person, but that’s a lot of risk factors.