DIAGNOSIS!!

November 15th Simon and I went back and forth about this meeting - he wanted to be there with me but wouldn't be in town on a Tuesday or Thursday (only days Dr. B is available) until Thanksgiving week - November 22nd. I called Dr. B to see if this was too late and his nurse (wife?) said no, they had the results and that would be okay. I thought, wow, no urgency, maybe it isn't anything big. Maybe just a fat lobule or something. As I waited, that single stitch kept bugging me and itching and I started to worry (remember my waiting problem?). I finally had to tell Simon that I couldn't wait and needed to go in sooner than Thanksgiving week. Besides I had told my Mom and Dad and they were calling me wondering why I wasn't DOING something. All in a loving caring way, but stressful none the less. I made an appointment for the 15th. Simon was out of town but I was supposed to call him on his cell phone and speakerphone him in. No change in weight and BP - I thought I should have dropped something being on this no wheat/dairy/coffee thing, but oh well!! I went into Dr. B's office and we got Simon on my cell phone with the speaker on. Dr. B told me I have Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. He explained that that means there does need to be surgery and a chemo regimen followed by radiation. He was very adamant that alternative therapies have no place in cancer treatment and that an oncologist would put me on a chemo regimen. He also stated that this was the primary opinion and that I should go to other surgeons and get other opinions before making a decision, that I had time, the mass was relatively small. He said in his preliminary opinion that I am a prime candidate for a lumpectomy but it would be up to me. Some people feel very strongly about mastectomy's and lumpectomy's so I should get on the internet, do some research, get another opinion, or two or three, whatever I needed to do to be comfortable with my choices (I really thank him for this advice - don't feel overly rushed if you aren't comfortable with what is happening.) My Estrogen and Progesterone Receptors were negative but my Her2 was 2+ - which is a borderline reading - the pathologist was conducting another test called FISH and would send that report later. Dr B. seemed surprised that I had not asked a single question about hair loss - I have a lot of very thick and long hair. I told him I had greater concerns over other issues and that my hair would grow back. I had to ask Dr. B for copies of the reports - he readily made them available, but it seemed that had I not asked, he would not have given them to me.