Love and Support

My first phone call was of course to my husband at work. That was a very hard call to make but he is so supportive and strong. He did what he does best, assure me that everything will be ok and he is always right (but don’t tell him I said that :). Then the calls to my family and in case you don’t already know it I have the most wonderful family in the world. Within twenty minutes they began arriving at my house, to be by my side, to love me, to hug me, to cry with me, and we even laughed a little because that’s what we do best. They wouldn’t be anywhere else. Already planning how they would take care of me. Getting copies of my biopsy report, making phone calls to family and friends who know exactly what the report means and who can recommend great doctors and helping me plan what to do next. Yes they are the most wonderful family in the world.

Here are the details:

Diagnosis from core biopsy:
1. Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, Intermediate Nuclear Grade
2. Lobular Carcinoma In Situ, Intermediate Nuclear Grade

Strongly positive for estrogen, strongly positive for progesterone
Negative HER-2/neu, score 1+

What to do next involved a lot of Doctors appointments and tests:
MRI Findings:
No chest wall involvement
The mass is about 2.2 cm

CT Scan:
Lungs clear. No nodules. No enlarged lymph nodes

Whole Body Bone Scan:
No evidence of bone metastases

My surgery is scheduled for October 22nd. My surgeon is wonderful and very good of course. He is very positive and so am I.

Because of my strong family history of breast cancer (mom, sister, first cousin) I am having a double mastectomy, reconstruction (Yay for perky boobs), followed by chemo, and 5 years of tamoxifen

I saw the plastic surgeon and he is wonderful as well. We went over all the options and decided on implants. Using my own tissue from my abdomen is out of the question because I have Crohns Disease and a large scar from surgery.

I was taking Cimzia for the Crohns but had to stop. I can’t be on any drugs that suppress the immune system. I am trying to stay relaxed and praying that the crohns beast will stay calm through all of this. I am usually what one might call a “worrier” and I have to admit that I cried almost nonstop through the testing and for about a week after the diagnosis but I am amazed (once I stopped crying) at how calm I’ve been. I do still have my moments but it is a calm that can only come from God. I am so blessed to have so many people praying for me.

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

“My faith is strong because I know my God is faithful, and His faithfulness is my shield”