I called my OB/GYN, but was unable to see him for over a month. At first, I thought that was fine because it was nothing. It was just something that should be checked out for peace of mind, but then I freaked out a little bit. I called back and asked to see anyone not just my doctor as soon as possible. They were able to get me in to see one of the nurse practioners in just a week. That seemed much better and manageable at that time.
Once at the appointment, the lump was easily palpable, and in fact, she found another small lump in the same breast. It was recommended that due to the size of the larger lump I should have both an ultrasound and a mammogram done as soon as possible. I was to wait for someone to call me and schedule it. If they did not call within a week, I was to call the office again and then they would call and speed the process up if needed.
Happily I got the phone call just short of a week later, andt they were available to get me in almost immediately. The ultrasound came first by request of the nurse practioner and then only proceed to the mammogram if the radiologist thought it necessary. Being in the medical field and more specifically in radiology, the ultrasound was more than a little nerve racking. I knew they would find and measure the two lumps found at the doctor's office, but when they found and measured something in my armpit, I knew it was most likely a lymph node, and that couldn't be good.
Of course the radiologist wanted the mammogram. They would do both breasts to be sure. It was pretty quick, and then I was put in the waiting room to await the radiologist. It only took a few minutes. I was then called into his office, and we looked at the pictures together. He pointed out both masses, and then he showed me the lymph node as well. He then told me he wanted to biopsy all three sites. I was to come back two days later for the procedure.
Up to this point I had not really told anyone. I had to tell them now. It was too scary alone. I told my husband, my mom, and my older sister. Of course they were all very reassuring and we all decided that it was just a couple of cysts. My mom had had cysts in her breasts multiple times.
On the Friday morning of the biopsy, my husband and mother were both there with me. Nick was able to be there during the entire procedure, but only as long as he didn't faint, etc. Mom stayed in the waiting room.
For each site that was biopsied, they would mark the site, clean the site, biopsy the site, and then hold pressure for at least 10 minutes. Because of this, it took more than an hour to get it all done. The radiologist was happy with the samples, and told me that it usually took 4-5 days to get the results.
That weekend seemed like one of the longest weekends ever. It soon ended, and I had to go to work again like normal on Monday. Work was good as it kept my mind on other things. My friends were also good at distracting me.
Then Tuesday, March 19th came around, and I got the phone call from the radiologist a little after noon. He said he had the results, and they weren't good. He then told me that all three sites were positive for cancer. He didn't go into large detail about what kind, etc., but he did say to expect a call from my doctor's office and from a Nurse Navigator from breast care services. They would help me through the process of my care and treatment.
I immediately called Nick. He came home right away. I then contacted my mom and sister since I knew they were also waiting for the results. I told them via text. My state of mind required this as it was too painful to tell people over the phone. In this text I told them that I did not want to undergo chemotherapy or radiation. I wanted to look into alternative medicine first.
Shortly after, my doctor's office called and touched base with me. They had gotten the results, and they were referring me onto a surgeon. They asked if I had any thoughts on which surgeon, and I said no. Their recommendation would be good. They had set the appointment up for the very next day. During the appointment the surgeon would go over in detail the pathology report.
It's the hardest thing in the world to tell the people you love that you have been diagnosed with cancer at the mere age of 32. I couldn't tell all of my siblings (there are nine of us) about it, so I resorted to texting the news to all of them. The thought of being on the phone and telling each one of them over and over again was more than I could handle. Thankfully they all seemed to understand.
The rest of that day was spent with my husband and two little boys. I tried to do whatever the little ones wanted which included jumping on the trampoline and just playing with them in whatever way they chose. It was good and sad at the same time. Our lives were forever changed.
Mom came over that evening and gave me lots of books and even a movie that was titled, "Cancer is Curable Now". For whatever reason, she had been collecting information on alternative forms of cancer treatment and keeping it on hand. Nick and I watched the movie that evening, and it gave us a lot to think about.
After watching the movie, Nick wanted to pick up and move that night to be closer to my parents. From the documentary, he had concluded that food and diet was a very big part to consider in this fight. I was completely shocked he had come to that conclusion on his own. I had been thinking this all day when it came to alternative treatment, but I was afraid he would fight it. He is usually a very logical and conventional person. I felt like at this point he would support my decision to try alternative medicine. I was so thankful.
No comments:
Post a Comment