Though the MR guided biopsy seemed a bit reminiscent of the middle ages, it did show that the second ‘mass’ was actually nothing much. Benign. Yay! Dr. Tokaz (the oncologist) seems as wonderful as everyone assured us. And we found out that the tumor to be removed is hormone receptor positive. This is a very good thing as it means it should be less aggressive and that taking anti-estrogen drugs will significantly reduce my risks of recurrence.
I went to the hospital to do all the intake paperwork, etc. There seemed to be some confusion however; the hospital was sure that I was checking in to the hospital, while the doctor was scheduling me for an outpatient procedure. I’ll actually be coming home the same day, which I find reassuring. Hospitals are a great place to catch something nasty. 🙂 So, tomorrow morning I go in really early and the radiologist there will inject me with a blue dye and a radioactive tracer to help determine which lymph nodes would be the most likely to pick up cancer cells that have strayed from the tumor site. (‘Voodoo’, you say. ‘Well, yes madam, but whatever works.’) I then hang out for a couple of hours and have a ‘sentinel node biopsy with partial mastectomy’. Partial Mastectomy and Lumpectomy are the same thing, but I think they say it just to scare you.
I come home and……we wait. I don’t know how long the pathology will take on the lump they remove or the lymph nodes, but I’m hoping they give me a day to de-stress. This has been quite a ride.
I probably won’t be typing for a bit, but I’ll have Sam post something as we know.
Bright Blessings to you all….:)k
GrnGrl 