Update

I have a little more diagnosis information, for those who are interested, and will attempt to relay it without getting completely TMI. But first, thanks to everyone who has passed on to me your regards, your hugs, your beer, and your offers of help if I ever need it. I probably won’t, for the most part, but then again who knows? Maybe I will. If I do I promise I will call you.

 

Chris and I met my surgeon on Thursday and I like her very much. She is funny and tough and kind. We went over my full pathology report from the biopsy, and as these things go it looks good. It’s a slow-growing, not-very-aggressive type so that’s good. And it’s positive for estrogen and progesterone receptors, which means it feeds on female hormones, so they know hormone therapy has a good chance of working going forward. On the other hand, it’s a type that sometimes likes to hide, and the mammogram pictures are pretty opaque, so they’re going to do an MRI on Wednesday to make sure there aren’t any more tumors. They haven’t seen any so far, but they want a better and more complete picture first. They’re also going to test one of the lymph nodes during surgery to make sure nothing has spread there. If it’s as confined as the evidence so far suggests that it is, I will not need chemotherapy. Even if it turns out there’s more, that’s no reason to panic. But it does mean I will need chemo which will completely blow but whatever, I’ll do it. IT CANNOT POSSIBLY MAKE ME ANY SICKER THAN THE PACKERS AND THE BROWNS DID TODAY (obligatory football crack).

 

Some time roughly mid-December I’m looking at surgery. I still need to talk to a genetic counselor and see the results of the MRI before we make a decision how extensive the surgery will be. Hopefully they can just take out the lump and that will be that. On the other hand, if they have to take off the girls altogether, maybe they can give me porn star boobs as a replacement. I mean, while they’re at it, AMIRITE??? (I’m sure the plastic surgeons have never heard anybody make that crack ever, because I am uniquely hilarious.)

 

Anyway, I remain optimistic. Yes, we have kept the children updated all along, and so far they seem fine. I am fine, as well. I’ve had a fleeting maudlin moment or two in my head, but there’s been no meltdown so far. If/when I have it, I will post about it on Facebook or possibly you can read about it in the Heights Police blotter.