Slowing Down

 Many of you have already heard the news from our oncology consult. No one wants to be diagnosed with breast cancer (or cancer of any kind), but we now know that the news seems to be about as positive as it can be at this point. So let me just start by saying PRAISE THE LORD!!

I spent two weeks waiting for this appointment and all we had been told was that I had lobular breast cancer. I did research a little bit about what was likely to be the course of treatment. I was nervous going into the appointment to hear the details, but actually felt ready for the battle that was ahead. The oncologist was great and spent over an hour with us. He explained everything they know for sure, and it really is best case scenario:

• I actually don't have true lobular breast cancer, but it is a mixed cancer, meaning it is invasive ductal carcinoma with lobular features. This means the cancer is easier to treat, and I will not need a mastectomy.
• He said that the cancer is only in the left breast, and that the changes in the right breast are more "cells that are behaving badly" and pre-cancerous changes, which the meds below will help take clear up before it becomes cancer.
• It is grade 1 which means it is not a fast growing cancer.
• The portion they found in the surgery was small, and although at this point we do not know if they got all the cancer in the first surgery, the doctor said chemotherapy would not be warranted in this case.
• The tumor is estrogen+, progesterone+ and HER2- which is all good news. An anti-estrogen medication for the next 5-10 years will be very effective at "starving" the cancer and help stop it from returning. These factors all indicate that treatment will be more effective. (including a low Ki-67 index which also indicated slow cancer growth)
  

Unfortunately, having had the surgery is a mixed bag. On the one hand, thank God I had the surgery and found this cancer so early! On the other hand, because of the surgery I am coming into the cancer diagnosis sort of backwards. The surgery is going to make testing and treament more difficult initially, and we will have to wait several weeks for full healing to happen in order to complete some next steps: 

• I have an ultrasound scheduled in two weeks to hopefully see any remaining areas of cancer in the left breast and to look at the lymph nodes.
• I have a consultation that same day with a surgeon to discuss how we can biopsy the lymph nodes. Normally they map the lymph nodes where the cancer is likely to spread, but the surgery has impacted the lymph system, and they can't do mapping any time soon. So, we will likely have to do anxillary lymph node dissection which is a bit more difficult and invasive as has some more risk.
• Next steps will be an MRI in mid-March to hopefully confirm if there is any cancer in either breast. I follow up with the oncologist about a week after that MRI.
• In the meantime, once I have had the ultrasound and surgical consult, the doctors will discuss my case and set me up with a radiation consultation. We are not sure I will need radiation, but because of the area of cancer and my age, the doctor thinks he would suggest we consider it for a better long term outcome.

I am so incredibly grateful for a community of people who have made us feel very loved. Your texts, cards, meals and more have been overwhelming in a very difficult season. Thank you all!

Until Next Time

~Shari

P.S. Grandbaby is due any day now, and we are over the moon excited! 

My Eyes Keep Leaking

Wednesday, January 21st at 10:08 am is the exact moment my world (and mind) started spinning. As soon as I heard the surgeon's voice on the phone I knew it was not good news, since there was no reason he would personally be calling. From that moment I was on the phone nearly constantly until almost 4:00pm calling our family and friends. It was exhausting emotionally, and there were so many tears.

Now that we are a couple of days out from that phone call, the tears still keep coming. There is so much grief, shock and uncertainty. I will be doing fine for a few hours, and then a thought sends me spiraling and more tears fall. I am not really much of a crier (or someone who "spirals"). I am definitely someone who wants ALL the information, up front, all at once, and then I am ready to deal with it...so this waiting period between that phone call and the February 4 oncology consultation feels unbearble.

I have had to deal with a lot of medical issues and unwelcome diagnoses, but hearing the word cancer hits you so much differently. Most of us know someone who has had cancer, or maybe you have gone through this journey yourself. Not every cancer diagnosis is the same, which leads to a lot of questions and fear, but because each case is so individual, I have opted to not google much about it besides some basic information. Rest assured, once my doctor has the full picture of my personal case, I will get ALL the details (and share them with you).

While I never thought this blog would become a medical journal to document my cancer journey, I have decided to use it for this purpose for the foreseeable future.

I will be sharing some of these updates on FB, but if you would like to read them all and not miss anything, enter your email over on the right column --> to subscribe and you will be emailed every time I journal some news.

Thank you all, seriously from the bottom of my heart, your response has been overwhelming! I feel loved and cared for and am so incredibly thankful. 💜

Until Next Time

~Shari

Being Brave

Last Tuesday, January 13, I underwent a difficult surgery. You know I am usually an over-sharer,  but this surgery seemed too private to share. I am writing to ask for prayer, as things have taken an unexpected and heart-breaking turn. So now I am going to be brave and speak about something that seemed embarassing, but has turned out to be a great blessing.

I am so thankful for God's timing and providential care. My doctor had suggested I consider a breast reduction that could help with my chronic neck and back pain. It took a lot of convincing (almost two years from first mentioning it, to seeking insurance approval). It has been a rough first week of recovery, filled with doubts about if I made the right decision, and then this morning the phone rang...

The surgeon just called to tell me the biopsy report found invasive lobular breast cancer in both breasts. The surgeon said thank God that he did this surgery, as my mammogram did not pick up anything this past September, and that we wouldn't have wanted this to go undetected until next fall.  He believes we caught it early, but there will be testing in my future. My initial oncology consultation is February 4th, but they will get me in sooner if there is a cancellation.

Please pray for me and Chad as we figure out next steps, and pray for our children and family as we all come to grips with this news. We balance this news with the great joy of expecting our first grandchild in the next couple of weeks, and pray for her uneventful and healthy arrival!

I appreciate your fervent prayers on our behalf.

Until Next Time

~Shari


P.S. If you have 12 minutes, this video explains the type of cancer I have, but also shows why it is so hard to find it on mammogram and ultrasound.