After meeting the surgeon

I had an appointment with my surgeon yesterday. Her name is Dr. Vanessa Roeder. I liked her right away. She instilled confidence, had a sense of humor, and her hands weren't too cold. She did an ultrasound and it showed that, fortunately, the lump wasn't so close to the sternum that any bone would have to be removed. When bone removal is involved, it is more painful and involves more recovery time. I am really relieved that I won't have to deal with that.

The bad news is that it appears Dr. Roeder may have to perform a lumpectomy to remove the cancer and schedule the mastectomy for later. She needs to discuss my case with Dr. Croghan, my radiation oncologist, before she can determine what the actual treatment plan will be. If Dr. Croghan is in agreement with Dr. Roeder, it is possible that I will have the lumpectomy on Tuesday June 23rd and then have a series of radiation. After the radiation treatments, I would then have the bi-lateral mastectomy. The question as to whether reconstruction would be possible depends on how the radiation affects the skin and whether there is enough good skin to do reconstruction.

So at this point, it looks like I might have anywhere from 2 to 4 surgeries. They would include the lumpectomy, the mastectomy, the reconstruction and then the hysterectomy.

I suppose it's fortunate that I am not employed at this time. This is going to be a long, drawn out process. Of course, after the lumpectomy and the radiation, I can begin to work again. At this time, I am really tired and find that I am napping every day. Thank you everyone for all your good wishes. I truly appreciate them. I will try to write back but if you don't hear from me for a while, know that I am thinking of all of you and soaking up all your positive thoughts. It all really helps.

And those of you who are far away but want to do something, if you could just write me a note, that is the best help and support you can give. I get such a lift from all your notes and cards.

Check back soon for updates. Dr. Roeder said that she should know more about the surgery dates and follow-up by tomorrow. I hope that it's good news.