Friday, August 29, 2008
Surgery Scheduled
Just a quick update before we head out for the weekend to let you know that surgery has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 2nd at 10:15 am at Frankford Torresdale. The second surgery will be scheduled in about a month. Keep you posted. More Monday.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The saga continues...
Post#2
Hello again. I am overwhelmed by all of your posts and e-mails and phone calls. I can't tell you how much they all mean. Here's what's been happening. I went to see Dr. Gottlieb (plastic surgeon) about recontruction options on Tuesday, August 26th. Ideally, I would have wanted to have all of the surgery at once so that I could just begin the business of healing, but it looks as if that is not going to happen. Drs. Gottlieb and Simmons got together and could have cleared their schedules for this Friday if I had wanted to do the reconstruction with implants. I am actually going to have reconstruction using my own tissue - muscle from my abdominal wall. This surgery takes 4-5 hours, requires a 5 day stay in the hospital, and has a recovery time of 6-8 weeks. Since this requires blocking off an OR for so many hours, Dr. Gottlieb said that he would not be able to do it on Friday and is not available next Tuesday or Wednesday. After that Dr. Simmons will be preoccupied having her baby. So I opted to have the mastectomy first, recover for 3 or 4 weeks, and then have the reconstruction. I was happy to think that I would have the surgery on Friday, because then I would definitely be able to go to Susan's graduation next Wednesday. I was a little sad however because we were supposed to spend the holiday weekend with Colleen's parents. In true "just when you thought it was safe ..." fashion, all plans changed again. Since I am going to have the reconstruction at a later date, Dr. Simmons didn't have to bump her Friday surgeries for me. So I am scheduled for surgery on Tuesday morning (Sept. 2nd) I have tentatively talked Dr. Simmons into letting me leave the hospital a day early (with the understanding that I would be surrounded by nurses) to go to Sue's graduation. Her office manager said that I would have to sit in the back seat "in case...you know..." I said, "What?" "Well, in case you had an accident you wouldn't want to be anywhere near the airbags." No, I wouldn't want anything between me and the windshield except a snug seatbelt...So now I'm looking for prayers for traveling mercies as well as for the surgery itself...
I was surprised and delighted when Col and I took a ride into Princeton to have lunch with Amy (one of my CPE colleagues) and were met by Amelia, Grier, and Eric as well. The only one of us that was missing was Laura, who is in South Carolina, and she was with us in spirit. As Colleen observed, "Nothing like cancer to bring a group together..." Eric, who has had to put up with countless conversations about "women's issues", was confronted yet again with a new challenge. He rose to the occasion beautifully. Group prayer at Panera's rounded off the lunch.
That's all for now...we'll be away for the weekend, back Monday. Monday evening we hope to have an intimate prayer circle...to say, "Bye bye boobie." (MaryLou, I can hear your groan from here) Thanks for all your support.
Hello again. I am overwhelmed by all of your posts and e-mails and phone calls. I can't tell you how much they all mean. Here's what's been happening. I went to see Dr. Gottlieb (plastic surgeon) about recontruction options on Tuesday, August 26th. Ideally, I would have wanted to have all of the surgery at once so that I could just begin the business of healing, but it looks as if that is not going to happen. Drs. Gottlieb and Simmons got together and could have cleared their schedules for this Friday if I had wanted to do the reconstruction with implants. I am actually going to have reconstruction using my own tissue - muscle from my abdominal wall. This surgery takes 4-5 hours, requires a 5 day stay in the hospital, and has a recovery time of 6-8 weeks. Since this requires blocking off an OR for so many hours, Dr. Gottlieb said that he would not be able to do it on Friday and is not available next Tuesday or Wednesday. After that Dr. Simmons will be preoccupied having her baby. So I opted to have the mastectomy first, recover for 3 or 4 weeks, and then have the reconstruction. I was happy to think that I would have the surgery on Friday, because then I would definitely be able to go to Susan's graduation next Wednesday. I was a little sad however because we were supposed to spend the holiday weekend with Colleen's parents. In true "just when you thought it was safe ..." fashion, all plans changed again. Since I am going to have the reconstruction at a later date, Dr. Simmons didn't have to bump her Friday surgeries for me. So I am scheduled for surgery on Tuesday morning (Sept. 2nd) I have tentatively talked Dr. Simmons into letting me leave the hospital a day early (with the understanding that I would be surrounded by nurses) to go to Sue's graduation. Her office manager said that I would have to sit in the back seat "in case...you know..." I said, "What?" "Well, in case you had an accident you wouldn't want to be anywhere near the airbags." No, I wouldn't want anything between me and the windshield except a snug seatbelt...So now I'm looking for prayers for traveling mercies as well as for the surgery itself...
I was surprised and delighted when Col and I took a ride into Princeton to have lunch with Amy (one of my CPE colleagues) and were met by Amelia, Grier, and Eric as well. The only one of us that was missing was Laura, who is in South Carolina, and she was with us in spirit. As Colleen observed, "Nothing like cancer to bring a group together..." Eric, who has had to put up with countless conversations about "women's issues", was confronted yet again with a new challenge. He rose to the occasion beautifully. Group prayer at Panera's rounded off the lunch.
That's all for now...we'll be away for the weekend, back Monday. Monday evening we hope to have an intimate prayer circle...to say, "Bye bye boobie." (MaryLou, I can hear your groan from here) Thanks for all your support.
Monday, August 25, 2008
P.S.
P.S. - Since I have no idea how to create blogs...Colleen helped me with this. Acre100 is her e-mail not mine...technology....
In the Beginning....
Post #1
Hello, welcome to my new blog. If you are here then you know by now that I have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Can you imagine? Well at least that cuts down on my anxiety about how I will ever find a job as a chaplain - at least for a little while. A few months ago in a routine breast self-exam I found a lump and a dimpling in my right breast. I went to see Dr. Canavan, the oncologist that I have been following up with for that "fake lymphoma" scare, and he sent me for a mammogram and an ultrasound. They were both negative but he told me that he was "unnerved" by what he had felt and wanted me to have an MRI and to see a breast surgeon. I went for the MRI (which was read as negative) and made an appointment with Dr. Jennifer Simmons (at Frankford Hospital - where Sue works - in Philadelphia). I am nothing if not a compliant patient. I saw Dr. Simmons on Tuesday August 19th and she did an exam and pulled out her ultasound machine. I felt her demeanor change and by the time she told me that she wanted to do a biopsy I pretty much knew what the results would show. On Friday, the 22nd, she called to tell me that I had breast cancer. It's interesting how time can actually stop for a few moments. Anyway, I had the weekend to sit with this information and today, Monday August 25th I had another appointment with Dr. Simmons. Susan and Colleen came with me. She could not have been nicer. She explained everything, all my options, and left whatever time we needed to ask questions. She showed us the MRI, which she did not read as negative and said that she would go over it with the radiologist...she has been working to have breast dedicated (specialists) radiologists reading these kinds of films for just this reason. I have what is called Invasive Lobular Carcinoma and we won't know the stage until after my surgery when we see if the lymph nodes are positive. Based on size alone it is between Stage I and Stage II. (I personally am thinking, "Exit, stage left...") One of the challenges to scheduling surgery is the fact that Dr. Simmons is pregnant and set to deliver her second child perhaps even as I am writing this. She is not comfortable planning any surgeries after next Wednesday so mine (mastectomy) will be scheduled sometime in that time frame. We have an appointment to see a plastic surgeon tomorrow to discuss reconstruction options (I didn't realize there were so many) and to set a date for the surgery. These two Drs. work together during surgery and when Dr. Simmons is done, Dr. Gottlieb will still have another 3-4 hours to go. So much for the facts up to this point. I got the idea for this blog from my friend Bev who said that it is an easier way to keep people up to date than having to field phone calls and repeat the same information. I agree. And it will also give me the opportunity to write about my experience. I would love to hear from people so please send your comments to this blog, e-mail, etc. I can use all the prayers and good energy I can get. The few people who do know this information already have asked me how I am feeling. I'm really feeling okay at this point. I think I will heal and do well. I have confidence in my doctor and wonderfully supportive friends/family. The only thing that I am a little anxious about is the staging. And I am sad that I might miss Sue's Graduation from nursing school. Oh, and I am scheduled to sit for my certification as a Clinical Chaplain on Sept 9th...so wish me luck...Thank you in advance for your support and for caring enough to read this. Just keeping you abreast (hee hee). More later......
Hello, welcome to my new blog. If you are here then you know by now that I have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Can you imagine? Well at least that cuts down on my anxiety about how I will ever find a job as a chaplain - at least for a little while. A few months ago in a routine breast self-exam I found a lump and a dimpling in my right breast. I went to see Dr. Canavan, the oncologist that I have been following up with for that "fake lymphoma" scare, and he sent me for a mammogram and an ultrasound. They were both negative but he told me that he was "unnerved" by what he had felt and wanted me to have an MRI and to see a breast surgeon. I went for the MRI (which was read as negative) and made an appointment with Dr. Jennifer Simmons (at Frankford Hospital - where Sue works - in Philadelphia). I am nothing if not a compliant patient. I saw Dr. Simmons on Tuesday August 19th and she did an exam and pulled out her ultasound machine. I felt her demeanor change and by the time she told me that she wanted to do a biopsy I pretty much knew what the results would show. On Friday, the 22nd, she called to tell me that I had breast cancer. It's interesting how time can actually stop for a few moments. Anyway, I had the weekend to sit with this information and today, Monday August 25th I had another appointment with Dr. Simmons. Susan and Colleen came with me. She could not have been nicer. She explained everything, all my options, and left whatever time we needed to ask questions. She showed us the MRI, which she did not read as negative and said that she would go over it with the radiologist...she has been working to have breast dedicated (specialists) radiologists reading these kinds of films for just this reason. I have what is called Invasive Lobular Carcinoma and we won't know the stage until after my surgery when we see if the lymph nodes are positive. Based on size alone it is between Stage I and Stage II. (I personally am thinking, "Exit, stage left...") One of the challenges to scheduling surgery is the fact that Dr. Simmons is pregnant and set to deliver her second child perhaps even as I am writing this. She is not comfortable planning any surgeries after next Wednesday so mine (mastectomy) will be scheduled sometime in that time frame. We have an appointment to see a plastic surgeon tomorrow to discuss reconstruction options (I didn't realize there were so many) and to set a date for the surgery. These two Drs. work together during surgery and when Dr. Simmons is done, Dr. Gottlieb will still have another 3-4 hours to go. So much for the facts up to this point. I got the idea for this blog from my friend Bev who said that it is an easier way to keep people up to date than having to field phone calls and repeat the same information. I agree. And it will also give me the opportunity to write about my experience. I would love to hear from people so please send your comments to this blog, e-mail, etc. I can use all the prayers and good energy I can get. The few people who do know this information already have asked me how I am feeling. I'm really feeling okay at this point. I think I will heal and do well. I have confidence in my doctor and wonderfully supportive friends/family. The only thing that I am a little anxious about is the staging. And I am sad that I might miss Sue's Graduation from nursing school. Oh, and I am scheduled to sit for my certification as a Clinical Chaplain on Sept 9th...so wish me luck...Thank you in advance for your support and for caring enough to read this. Just keeping you abreast (hee hee). More later......
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