Meeting the Oncologist

October 16, 2012:

Yesterday I went to work because I can't just sit at home thinking. Still not eating much or sleeping, really hard to be motivated to feed the kids some nights. Hopefully today I will have answers.

Today I met the oncologist. The appointment was at 12:30pm, so Keith and I decide to go to Costco first and run some errands. Why not? And their frozen mocha slushie is really the only thing I want for lunch.

When we're done shopping, I get a phone call from the MRI center that says the results of the MRI are unreadable and I will have to do another one. Apparently I was moving (how is that possible with 3 Valiums in my system?), and the estrogen in my system was clouding the image (no one told me I should go off my birth control pills). WTH?! Needless to say, I am a little angry on the short car ride to the oncologist, which I spend plotting ways to yell at the people involved. This is going to set back my plan of action/results at least another week! SO VERY MAD!

Which is how I walked into the office, but the receptionist was amazing and I feel bad that she has to deal with crazies like me on a daily basis. Bless her.

We did meet with the oncologist...for TWO HOURS. I had no idea the appointment would be this long. At least at the end of it, I felt like I had details and answers that I had been craving, even if they weren't all good. It is from this visit that the name of the blog came about...

First, he went and looked at my MRI himself, and called in the head of breast imaging to look at it also. While they agreed it was inconclusive, they both felt they could see what they needed to see, and thought I might not have to have another one right now since I was going to have to have another surgery anyway. (More details to follow).

From this visit I learned that:
My tumor is 1.1 cm, with a histological grade of 8 out of 9. I refer to this number as the "cancer badness" scale, with 9 being the worst. 
Other words I heard were invasive, aggressive, and angry. Yep, I have angry cancer...of course I do.
I actually have both types of cancers: invasive ductal carcinoma, and ductal carcinoma in situ. Because why not have it all? :)

It is still unknown whether it has spread to the lymph nodes (damn MRI), and it is this info that will drive further treatment. What he does know is that I will have another surgery, and then either chemo and radiation, or just radiation. Either way, it appears the course of treatment will be much longer than I thought.

Now more waiting...surgeon's appointment is on Thursday.