Game plan for BFFN 2
May. 19th, 2008 06:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annathepiperSo, yeah. Didn't post about this on Friday due to general stress and distraction, but for the sake of getting caught up, here's what's going on.
On Friday, I went in for a rush-job mammogram on the left side, so as to determine whether it was going to be a problem along with the right. They took quite a few shots in the machine at several uncomfortable angles, and then they sent me over to have an ultrasound of that breast for good measure.
Dr. Carlson, the same lady who did my biopsy, informed me that there wasn't anything of immediate concern in there--just a few entirely harmless cysts that she said were completely normal. However, there was this weird shadowing that she saw in places, and she wasn't at all sure what was up with that. Between this and the fact that I'm looking at a potential double mastectomy here, she recommended that I go ahead and have an MRI done on the left just to be sure of what's going on in there.
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solarbird and I went in to talk to Dr. Towbin today and basically start laying down a game plan. Biggest question to settle: take off one, or both?
As I told Dr. Towbin, I've been putting a lot of thought into this. And I haven't really budged much off my opinion on the matter, a few days after getting the news: to wit, I'm still feeling like I ought to lose both of them. There are two major reasons for this: 1) I don't trust my system not to throw me another vicious curveball on the left side, and 2) there's the whole question of whether Dara and I can ever have a child.
I'm pushing 40. I'm also on Tamoxifen, and one is not supposed to get pregnant when taking this drug. However, if I go through the entire five-year course of the medication, this means that probably the earliest I could legitimately try to conceive is around age 45. Which is really late in the game.
So yeah, we're looking at a two-fer here.
Dr. Towbin certainly felt that both of my concerns here were very valid, and he was supportive of the pregnancy reason for wanting to back off the Tamoxifen. I would be able to drop it, apparently, with a double. I also will not require either radiation or chemo. So there's that at least.
We also discussed what my options are for breast reconstruction. We touched on this only in very general terms, since Dr. Towbin recommended that I consult with a specialist on Evergreen's staff about this. But on that general level, we did discuss that my two major options here would be either tissue relocation or implants.
I'm kind of inclined towards the former, at the moment. Gods know I have plenty of tissue to spare around my belly, but as soon as we get that consult scheduled, I'll get the appropriate recommendation for this too.
Meanwhile, Dr. Towbin thought that even if I'm going to shoot for a double, it would be appropriate to go ahead and do that MRI on the left, as this may affect technical aspects of the surgery. He also noted that I do have very dense breast tissue and it's certainly possible that some surprises may be lurking in there. So we have scheduled that MRI for Thursday.
Tuesday of next week, I go back to follow up with Dr. Towbin to discuss MRI results and hopefully also the consult mentioned behind the cuts above.
Wednesday of next week is potential Surgery Day. How long I'll be down for the count is going to depend on the MRI and the other forthcoming consult.
On Friday, I went in for a rush-job mammogram on the left side, so as to determine whether it was going to be a problem along with the right. They took quite a few shots in the machine at several uncomfortable angles, and then they sent me over to have an ultrasound of that breast for good measure.
Dr. Carlson, the same lady who did my biopsy, informed me that there wasn't anything of immediate concern in there--just a few entirely harmless cysts that she said were completely normal. However, there was this weird shadowing that she saw in places, and she wasn't at all sure what was up with that. Between this and the fact that I'm looking at a potential double mastectomy here, she recommended that I go ahead and have an MRI done on the left just to be sure of what's going on in there.
solarbird and I went in to talk to Dr. Towbin today and basically start laying down a game plan. Biggest question to settle: take off one, or both?As I told Dr. Towbin, I've been putting a lot of thought into this. And I haven't really budged much off my opinion on the matter, a few days after getting the news: to wit, I'm still feeling like I ought to lose both of them. There are two major reasons for this: 1) I don't trust my system not to throw me another vicious curveball on the left side, and 2) there's the whole question of whether Dara and I can ever have a child.
I'm pushing 40. I'm also on Tamoxifen, and one is not supposed to get pregnant when taking this drug. However, if I go through the entire five-year course of the medication, this means that probably the earliest I could legitimately try to conceive is around age 45. Which is really late in the game.
So yeah, we're looking at a two-fer here.
Dr. Towbin certainly felt that both of my concerns here were very valid, and he was supportive of the pregnancy reason for wanting to back off the Tamoxifen. I would be able to drop it, apparently, with a double. I also will not require either radiation or chemo. So there's that at least.
We also discussed what my options are for breast reconstruction. We touched on this only in very general terms, since Dr. Towbin recommended that I consult with a specialist on Evergreen's staff about this. But on that general level, we did discuss that my two major options here would be either tissue relocation or implants.
I'm kind of inclined towards the former, at the moment. Gods know I have plenty of tissue to spare around my belly, but as soon as we get that consult scheduled, I'll get the appropriate recommendation for this too.
Meanwhile, Dr. Towbin thought that even if I'm going to shoot for a double, it would be appropriate to go ahead and do that MRI on the left, as this may affect technical aspects of the surgery. He also noted that I do have very dense breast tissue and it's certainly possible that some surprises may be lurking in there. So we have scheduled that MRI for Thursday.
Tuesday of next week, I go back to follow up with Dr. Towbin to discuss MRI results and hopefully also the consult mentioned behind the cuts above.
Wednesday of next week is potential Surgery Day. How long I'll be down for the count is going to depend on the MRI and the other forthcoming consult.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-20 02:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-20 02:37 am (UTC)