Nodules & Nodes...

As promised - here's an update on what's been going on with my breast cancer treatment planning and screenings. I've listed everything out so you can follow along chronologically. The photo is of an amazing tacky lit tree I drove past in a nearby neighborhood last month. It reminds me of the chaos that ensued once I heard the words "we did find cancer" again, all while trying to create birthday and holiday magic for my kids. Based on my CT results, this tree also resembles what my insides must look like when the IV contrast lights up with magnetic resonance and gamma rays. ;)

• 12/6/24 My annual breast MRI showed a cloudy suspicious spot in my right breast that warranted further review.
• 12/12/24 The radiologist who read my initial MRI conducted an MR-guide needle biopsy of the suspicious area. 
• 12/17/24 The radiologist sat down with Mike and me to explain that cancer was found in the biopsied sample, and I needed to meet with an oncology surgeon for next steps. Luckily, the one they recommended is the one I knew I wanted to work with if this ever became a reality...and here we are. 
• 12/17/24 Receive call from oncologist to discuss diagnosis and how it will impact my current treatment protocol. She explained that I'll probably be forced into menopause via surgery once I recover from the breast surgery. Great...can't wait for all that comes along with that. I was also advised to continue taking my current medication until a surgical plan is in place. Ugh! 
• 12/23/24 Met with breast surgeon for initial evaluation and surgical options. Obtained list of recommended plastic surgeons. The surgeon ordered two additional screenings to rule out metastasis in other areas of my body.
• 12/27/24 Visited nuclear medicine to have a bone scan conducted, along with a CT of my neck, chest and pelvis. This is routine for someone with a reoccurrence, but these additional tests were new to me.
• 12/30/24 Received clear results on my bone scan - yay! The doctor also confirmed that my cancer is once again ER/PR+/Her2- which means I do not need to undergo chemotherapy - big YAY! I wasn't so lucky when it came to the CT scan of the neck, chest and pelvis. Further testing would be needed to classify and grade nodules that were found on my thyroid and liver. They found other anomalies in other organs but are leaving those alone for the time being because they are not concerning. Okay, we're trusting the process...
• 1/7/25 Back to the radiation department to have a thyroid ultrasound and an abdominal MRI (liver). Tried to get a vibe from both technicians and they were keeping their thoughts and opinions to themselves. I couldn't charm my way into getting my favorite Rad Tech to spill it when it came to what he saw on the screen. And so, we wait.
• 1/13/25 Meet with a recommended plastic surgeon to go over reconstruction options after double mastectomy.
• 1/14/25 Meeting with oncology surgeon to discuss thyroid and liver screening results - discuss if any action is needed there, and if not, move on to discussing my breast surgical plan and whether I liked the plastic surgeon I met with the day prior.
• 1/29/25 Meet with another plastic surgeon who I feel more comfortable with, but their schedule is booked further out. FYI - my top pick in plastic surgeons isn't available until May, and I've decided that I can't put my life on hold for that long.

In between these appointments there have been numerous phone calls from the hospital's pre-approval department letting me know that my insurance company has not approved certain tests that my doctor specifically ordered to rule out additional cancers. Really fun times, y'all. Fortunately, it has worked out each time, and the paperwork eventually gets filed correctly, but it adds to the strain and mental load when you have to worry about paying out-of-pocket for expensive tests you didn't expect to need in the first place. 

I'll post again mid-next week when I know more. Thank you for your support and well wishes. I read every note on FB/IG and LinkedIn. It means the world to me to have such a huge community behind me in this fight!

~Linné