After a full day of waiting, it was great to finally receive some good news.
The bone scan this morning started with a 6:30 AM dose of nuclear medicine and the scan at 8:30. It was easy peasey, and I nearly fell asleep from the warm blanket. I believe I may glow in the dark after that. The doctor had tried to schedule all of my other tests on the same day, but was unsuccessful. So, we ended up with a long wait to see the oncologist. The other tests will have to wait, but it wasn’t imperative to the diagnosis at this point. We sat in the Waterfall Cafe and pretended like this was an ordinary work day at our favorite cafe. This helped with the wait, and our spirits have remained high.
The doctor presented my case to a multi-disciplinary team including a radiology oncologist, breast surgeon, plastic surgeon, and a couple of others I can’t recall. The big question was whether this was inflammatory breast cancer, the worst kind, or cancer that has been growing for a while. Since I had symptoms that I recognized in May (even though they did not show up on the ultrasound at that time), and a few other reasons, the team concurred that I do not have inflammatory breast cancer, but rather symptoms that are secondary to an aggressive cancer. That was great news!
More good news…bone scan is clean! The CT found a small spot on my lung which they will look at again in three months, but it looks like a non-cancerous inflammation such as an infection. Thank God there are no signs of metastasis! That was a relief and a huge answer to prayer!
The doctor gave me a hug as we walked out the door.
I am one of the 20% of women who are triple positive (ER, PR, and HER). So I will start chemotherapy and Herceptin beginning next week. Chemotherapy for 6 months followed by a mastectomy, followed by radiation. In addition, I will have to stay on Herceptin for a year. Doctors and nurses will become a part of my new social network. We got a message from one of our friends whose doctor is Dr. Valero. He is a Christian and believes in the Healer. That was a blessing to hear! We have his encouragement as we go on a trip for the Christmas holidays. So, we are heading out as I type, to visit our family and friends in Florida. Perhaps we will see some of you there!
Until then…Keep praying – it works!