Doctors, Doctors, Doctors

Yesterday I met with 2 more doctors - a 2nd oncologist and a plastic surgeon. The oncologist was great - very personable and he lives around the corner from me. He basically told me the same things as Dr. Link (the OC oncologist) and said that he was pretty sure that the cancer is not in the lymph nodes nor is it invasive. He ordered a blood test to see if I have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes (gene mutations that greatly increase your chances of getting breast and ovarian cancer). My blood is on it's way to the lab in Salt Lake City to be analyzed. If I test positive for the genes, then I will definitely have the left breast removed too (the cancer free side) and look into getting my ovaries removed. But, that's a whole different blog...

The plastic surgeon appointment was good as well. I'm not sure what makes surgeon's time more valuable than mine, but apparently it is. I've waited an hour past my appointment time for every surgical appointment I've had. I liked this doctor though. We talked at length about the pros and cons of removing the left breast (non-cancer side). The pros are 1. not having to worry about getting cancer in that breast, 2. not having to test that breast for cancer (regular mammograms) and 3. a more symmetrical cosmetic outcome (the left breast will match the right). The cons are removing a perfectly good body part that I kind of like. There is an option to insert an implant on the left side to make it look more like the reconstructed right breast (apparently it's difficult to make reconstructed breasts look like they've nursed 2 kids and lost the fight with gravity) As for the right side, (cancer filled, must be removed - If you're uncomfortable reading about female body parts, you should now skip to the end of this post...) he suggested making a small incision right below the areola where the breast tissue can be removed and the implant added. The nipple will be removed, but sounds like the areola can stay. (If the areola is removed, a new fake one is created with a tattoo. I've always wanted a tattoo, but not of an areola...) He showed me some photos of previous patients who have had the same procedure - the scarring was minimal and the breasts looked real - what more can I ask for?

Next week I'm meeting one more surgeon and then I'll start to make some decisions. Hopefully, I'll have news of a surgery date by the end of the month. Until then keep praying for healthy lymph nodes!