Mumbo Jumbo

I know a lot of you are awaiting the news from yesterday's appointment ... I apologize for the delay, but my computer got a nasty Trojan virus which remains to be fixed.
Back to the storytelling for now...

Monday I had my follow-up appointment with Dr. Butler. I was much less nervous going in to meet with him than I was during previous visits ... this time there was no terrible news he could break to me. He checked my scars and said that they were healing well and everything was going as planned. His next major concern was the right breast, which had been recieveing much less attention than the left one over the past few months. Dr. Butler expressed his concern with the second breast since Day 1, and now it was time for him to start suggesting things about it. He told me he thought it best for me to be tested to make sure that there was no pre-cancer (abnormal cells or non-invasive cancer) brewing within it. In order to do this, Dr. Butler suggested having an MRI done, since mammography is not guranteed to work on my young, dense breasts. Great ... more appointments. I immediately dreaded having this procedure done. First of all, it would require me to lay for an extended period of time in that small, closed in space ... remember, I am a tad chlaustrophobic. And second, I had read things about people getting breast MRIs and having metal 'hooks'placed in their breast so the machine would pick it up. Not looking forward to this. Dr. Butler said he would have the hospital call me with an appointment over the next few days.

Next, he suggested my being tested for the breast cancer genes BRCA 1&2. People with these genes, have a higher risk of developing breast cancer and have a risk of passing this gene on to their children. Dr. Butler suggested that if I was positive for this gene, it may be wise to remove the second breast to prevent a second cancer from forming down the road, since the BR genes significantly increase that risk. The bad news is that the results of this test can take up to a year to come back. The doctors right now are assuming that I am at low risk for having this gene, since no one else in my family has or has had breast cancer. But we err on the side of caution with things as such.

Finally, we discussed reconstructive surgery. Dr. Butler suggested taking my time with this, although he mentioned that I could have it done whenever I feel comfortable, whether 6 months, 8 months, or a year down the road. He said he would refer me to a local plastic surgeon so I could discuss this surgery further with him.

With that, I was sent on my way with more things to think about and consider. But the biggest thing on my mind was Thursday's appointment, which was making me progressively more scared as the days went by.