Friday, December 11, 2009

Updates....DCIS etc

It's December 11th already! I haven't updated for a while. First things first...I met with the surgeon about my dcis. Apparently there were cancer cells in most of the tissue they took and in all the margins. He said that I should have a lumpectomy (or as they term it, a "partial mastectomy"). He said it's basically the same as I had before only they take out a lot more tissue. Errr...well it's not the same as I had before then is it, doctor???? I would have to follow that with radiation therapy. Then he mentioned that if they didn't get all the cancer cells with the lumpectomy then the next step is a mastectomy. Holy crap! I must admit I was shocked. None of this terminology was mentioned before. A mastectomy seems to drastic. I like my boobs and I'd like to keep them, thank you very much. It has been a stressful time, but what can we do but take one step at a time? In many women, dcis can sit there and never spread anywhere. In some women it does (about 13% so I read). They don't know why or when so there doesn't really seem to be many answers and there isn't that much time to think. I have surgery in about a week's time, just before Christmas...then there's that waiting thing again. Let's just hope they catch it all.

In other news I finished my course at SFU. I don't know how I got it done, but it is done. Out of the way. I didn't want to waste the work I'd already put in. I decided not to take any more courses for a while. I think I have to make time to enjoy life and not be so busy all the time. Do the things that I find fulfilling...write more, spend time with my friends and family, play with my kids etc. Actually, one thing that has come out of this is realizing what is important and what is trivial; trimming the fat, so to speak. My family is wonderful and I am also lucky to have a few really good friends.

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