We were back in Kansas City for my first visits with the breast surgeon and breast oncologist the week after Thanksgiving.
I started out with another mammogram (that’s three in two months if you’re counting) and an ultrasound. I was able to have lunch between the tests and seeing the surgeon, hospital cafeteria food, yummy.
The University of Kansas Medical Center skywalk.
It started with a visit from the blood and tissue bank. Would I like to help them with research? I can decline anytime I wanted. Of course, I would let them, it can only help others. In her list of questions, she asked if I identified as Caucasian which I thought was an interesting to ask that question.
I was to put on a robe, not a flimsy gown. The PA came in and examined me and then the surgeon. She said based on my mammogram and ultrasound results I had a small tumor in my right breast. But it had measured a little bigger than I had been told at home. When I asked about it she said the size of the tumor wouldn’t be exact until it was removed.
I had a choice, she could do a mastectomy or lumpectomy and radiation. Results should be the same either way, so it was my choice. They would remove 3-4 sentinel lymph nodes to see if the cancer had metastasized. And I would have 3-6 weeks of radiation depending on where I chose to have it, at KU or Hays.
A November western Kansas sunset.
I’m leaning toward the lumpectomy, let’s proceed. We talked about scheduling. Our son had three winter concerts in the next few weeks it would be great if we can schedule around them. Of course, she said and asked the dates. She could have fit me in the next Tuesday but we would have had to come in late the night before, so we decided on Thursday, December 14. I would be able to attend the first two concerts that were the next week and the one that was the week after surgery, no problems.
The appointment with the oncologist wasn’t until the next day. Again I was put in a room and asked to put on a gown this time. She came in and examined me and asked me to get dressed and we would go to a consultation room to talk.
She explained that my tumor was 97% estrogen and 98% progesterone receptive and was HER2 negative. These were all good signs. She felt that Tamoxifen would be needed and possibly mild chemo. This curable I was told again. In a year you’ll look back and think how easy this was.
We talked about radiation. Since she had worked in Hays for five years she knew the technology that they had there was comparable to KU and didn’t see any reason why I couldn’t do it at Hays.
We left those appointments with surgery set and feeling Happy that this was going to be a small bump in the road.
Onward! On to Surgery.
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