Nancy's Health Blog

October 31, 2005

Jo went with me to see Dr. Cortez. He had no problem ordering the tests. He also wanted labs done for my usual things (cholesterol, liver) so he gave me the orders and suggested the oncologist should just add what he wants to it. I received a flu shot in my left arm (no shots or BP or IVs in the right side due to the missing lymph nodes).

October 26, 2005

This was not the best day of my life. Jo, Jonathan & I went to see the surgeon for my follow up and to hear the pathology results. The diagnosis is invasive ductal carcinoma, ER negative, PR negative, HER2NEU positive, 2 of 6 sampled lymph nodes positive. The size of the tumor is large 2.1 cm, the other combined as 1.5 cm. On top of it the margins were not entirely clear either. Dr. Park wanted me to consult with the oncologist before deciding what to do next. He also told me I'd need to have a bone scan and CT scan to see if the cancer has spread anywhere else. I managed to not lose it (too much). This puts it at stage IIB unless the scans show cancer elsewhere.

I was unable to get an appointment with the oncologist until November 3. I didn't want to wait until after that to schedule the scans so I made an appointment to see my PCP, Dr. Cortez. I needed to see him anyway since I had canceled an appointment with him on the 18th. Jo also suggested I get a flu shot and we wanted to make sure he was in the loop on all this. Dr. Cortez put in the orders for the tests. The delays are so frustrating. I can't believe it has already been a month since the GYN found the lump.

October 19-25, 2005

I spent the week recovering. Sleeping was a bit uncomfortable but not too bad if I used a pillow below my right shoulder and another under my knees. Each day got a little better. I was only taking extra strength Tylenol - round the clock at first then tapered off to just morning before my shower and before bed. I was able to use the handheld shower and with some saran wrap and Jonathan's help, got pretty clean each day. The bandage felt like a diaper and had lots and lots of tape. I felt like it was getting pretty stinky under there.

October 18, 2005

There seemed to be some confusion about the fact that Dr. Park did not order any labs or EKG before surgery and that he was going to send me home the same day. The nurses kept saying it was common to stay over night but if Dr. Park didn't think it necessary that was okay. So we discussed it with him and he decided to keep me over night. He had been under the impression that insurance would not pay for an over night stay for this procedure. But HMSA will pay for it so it is safer to stay.

Surgery went well and there wasn't too much pain. I did get queasy and light headed from the anesthesia and was glad that I was going to stay over. They put me on oxygen in the room and leg compressors for my DVT history. I also had an IV antibiotic over the course of the day and night. I dosed most of the afternoon and evening. I was unable to eat when dinner came - too pukey. A little while later they gave me an anti-nausea medication called Zofran and that helped a lot. I mostly dosed and watched television. They take your vital signs so often that sleeping much is not possible but I did get a couple of solid hours toward morning.

By morning the lightheadedness and nausea were gone and I'd had 2 doses total of Percocet. The surgeon came in and checked my drain and since it wasn't producing much and I had a long drive to come back to have it out if they left it, he decided to go ahead and pull it. That was probably the most painful part of the whole thing. I asked for another percoset then, I'll tell ya. I called Jonathan to tell him I was to be released and while I was waiting for him to pick me up, I had a person from healing services come and ask if I wanted to try "healing hands". I said, "why not, it couldn't hurt". It was actually quite relaxing.

October 13, 2005

Back to See Dr. Park to get the biopsy results. When he said it was positive, I wasn't as surprised as I had expected I'd be. I guess I was almost already sure since the big one looked so nasty. I was surprised that all three were positive. So what we had to talk about now was taking them out. Mastectomy was an option but since all three were close to each other, lumpectomy was what we decided.

He also explained what he wanted to do about sampling lymph nodes in under my right arm. I wish now that I had understood the implications of his recommendations better. He did not want to do sentinel node biopsy but instead sample 6 nodes. He said this was more accurate. Surgery was scheduled for the following Tuesday as an outpatient procedure.

October 10, 2005

Dr. Brown did the ultrasound guided biopsy. The technician (her name is Nancy) was very nice and calming. The procedure was not comfortable but not awful either. They had me lying partially on my back and partially toward my left side with my right arm up over my head. Dr. Brown gave me shots to numb the area. He had looked at the films from the other ultrasound and was able to get to all three areas through only one little incision. I was able to see the lumps when they measured them and figured out exactly where they were. The bigger one looked exactly like a picture of breast cancer I saw on the Internet. I guess I figured out at that moment that this wasn't good, but still hoped it was nothing.

They took 3 or 4 samples of each lump. I was glad he demonstrated the thing that takes the sample before hand because it snaps and makes a somewhat loud sound. He also warned me just before he'd do it so I would be prepared. The first one hurt and he got squirted with fluid and had to leave the room. When he came back he numbed me up some more so the rest were not painful - just uncomfortable.

October 5, 2005

Meeting with Dr. Park. The appointment did not start off well because his nurse came in and immediately said "so you're here because you have breast cancer?" This made me angry and I told her that no I was there because I have a mass in my right breast.

Dr. Park is very good. He is personable, calm, to-the-point, but understanding. His credentials are excellent. He explained what should happen next which is indeed a biopsy. That was arranged for the following Monday there are the hospital in Waimea.

Jonathan went with me and took notes for me. That way I could just listen and try to take things in.

October 4, 2005

Hawaii Radiologic Associates in Kailua-Kona did my mammogram. She did extra shots of the right breast as I was expecting. Then they took me to another room for the ultrasound. A technician did that and then she went to get the radiologist. He repeated the ultrasound and showed me what they were looking at. It also showed that there were two more lumps in the same area. The bigger one looks nasty - he called it star-shaped as the borders were irregular. He recommended an ultra-sound-guided core needle biopsy.

That evening I got a call from Dr. Stohrer at home and she left her personal cell number. That was when I cried the first time because I knew it couldn't be good if she did that. I called her back and she told me she had already set up an appointment with a surgeon, Dr. William Park, for the next day.

I called my friend Susan and she came over to hold my hand while I freaked out. I contacted Jonathan who was in Japan to tell him what was going on. He called back a little while later to tell me he had arranged to be home by the next morning.

September 27, 2005

Went for my annual GYN exam in Waimea. This time I saw the new doctor (Ann Stohrer) instead of the PA which is the usual. Dr. Stohrer palpated a lump on the right side of my right breast that she was not happy about. She told me not to panic but that she wanted it checked out with mammography and ultrasound. Even after being told where it was, I couldn't feel it. So it is unlikely I would have found it myself.