Never, never, never quit
Tuesday - April 13
Friday - April 9
Big doctor consult was today - my sister came and helped me remember the questions we had. She was the best person I could ever have by my side and I'm so thankful she was there. She confirmed my initial reaction that this particular doctor is amazing. She's extremely thorough and straightforward, yet balances it with a genuine kindness and caring demeanor. I immediately trust her with my life.
I have a decision to make in terms of treatment, but the good news is that it's Stage 1A. A best-case scenario if you are going to have cancer. I had been kicking myself for essentially skipping the first and maybe event first TWO mammogram screenings you're supposed to get after you turn 40 (a bit procrastination, a bit pandemic, then I moved, etc.), but the doctor said it's so early and so small right now that it wouldn't have shown up even a year ago. So I am releasing that guilt.
I have pretty much decided which treatment I'm going to go with, I just want to sleep on it one more night. It's the bigger surgery - a double mastectomy with reconstruction - but essentially eliminates the risk of it coming back. The recovery will be hard, 4 - 6 weeks needing a live-in helper (my mom probably), and then a hormone blocker medication for 5 - 10 years, but the peace of mind I'll have will be worth it in the long run. The lesser surgery (with accompanying 6 weeks of radiation) is a much faster recovery, but then I would live with an annually-increasing risk and high anxiety of it returning for the rest of my life. I want to eliminate as much risk as I can right now. I'm only 42, which is apparently "VERY YOUNG" for breast cancer. If I were 70+ it would probably be a different decision.
So, that's the update. I think I've processed it all. The surgery would likely be end of April, beginning of May - that's the loose timeline I put together in my head.
Had my genetic testing consult this morning - going to go ahead with the full panel of testing 80+ genes related to cancer mutations. Some people don't want to know and only order the tests for their confirmed type of cancer - my perspective is why not have all the information as it won't change for the rest of my life and could drive testing and prevention decisions. Insurance covers any level of testing if you meet initial criteria, which I do. The 'most popular' breast cancer genes (think BRCAs plus 5 others) will have a rush on results as that will determine my treatment decision. I'll get the test kit overnighted and should have it tomorrow, then I overnight it back and wait ~7 days for the results.