A New Team, A New Perspective Flashback to March 17th, 2010

We took the doctor’s opinion and got a second opinion and went to Dana Farber. Dana Farber is overwhelming in itself. Unlike the first hospital, this place was crowded with cancer patients, all ages, colors, and stages. Each floor had it’s own cancer specialty, but everywhere you looked you knew you were looking at a cancer patient or supporter. This waiting room had a much younger crowd mixed in with the “older” women. Many in wigs and scarves, even some men too.

So we waited our turn and met the surgeon, Dr. Gadd, who explained how her surgery would be very safe of the baby, and the scaring would be minimal since she liked to make the incision around the areola. The surgery will be to remove the small lump and a margin of tissue around the lump. They will check the margins and hope for “clear margins” meaning cancer wasn’t spreading out more in one or two directions and they “got it all”. They would also remove a couple of lymph nodes from my arm pit to test if the cancer cells have traveled into the lymphatic system. Both these will help with the “staging” of my breast cancer. Again, this surgery, even though I will be under anesthesia and receive radioisotopes, will be safe for the baby.

After a quick walk during lunch we met with Dr. Partridge, the medical oncologist who specializes in patients under 42 years old. Even though she was relatively young for a doctor, in her 11 years experience she had seen more the 400 women who were pregnant while battling breast cancer. 400 women in 11years, pregnant with breast cancer in the New England area alone, I guess I am not that unique! She knows what she is doing and that is reassuring. And all I needed to know to make my decision to go with her and the rest of the Dana Farber team.

Fasten your seatbelt; you’re going on another ride! March 9th, 2010

Did I mention I HATE roller coasters and amusement parks?

I went in to the Breast Clinic, one of the youngest women in the room. I tried to remain strong, but I was scared. Because I was pregnant, I couldn’t have a mammogram so I was given a breast ultrasound. And there is was, my lump on the screen. Not nearly as exciting as looking at my baby. The doctor measured and took pictures and determined it was not a cyst. My heart and hope dropped a little. But still it could be just a fibroid. The only way to know was to do a needle biopsy, and within a half hour, 6 pieces of my tumor had been removed for diagnostic testing. I left scared, frightened, but again was told the chances are so small that it was cancer. Up and down. That happiness I just had last week was put on hold for a night as I waited for the results. And then March 10th came. (Read first post for details of that day)