Against Medical Advice

So, I have finally reached my decision about what treatment comes next! For those of you keeping tabs, the delay in moving forward was because I was being a "bad patient" and not wanting to have a double mastectomy. It just never felt like the right decision for me (damn you Angelina Jolie for "coming out" when you did because if I have to hear one more person point that out to me, I might scream). 

After WEEKS of tests, scans, and doctor's appointments with EVERY doctor on my "team" and then some, here's what I can report:

I am going Against. Medical. Advice.

(1) The breast MRI I had done two weeks ago came back CLEAN (This is a miracle of God, BTW)!

(2) I have had all the genetic testing there is to have and I do not carry the BRCA gene. Yeah for me...and my daughter...and my son and any kids he might have some day...and my brother's kids (again, some day...ha, ha).

(3) It's all about risk/reward for me, and no one could sell me on the fact that the reward of this surgery actually outweighed the risks. In all honesty, I'm more likely to die from a heart attack now (thanks to the chemo), leukemia (again, thanks chemo), or lung cancer (chalk that one up to radiation) before the breast cancer came back...if it ever comes back. I'm really not increasing my risk by any significant percentage over the course of my lifetime.

I will NOT be having the recommended double mastectomy (bad patient = me). (Some day, I will tell you the story of how I played my doctors against each other like a teenager manipulating their parents. It was quite funny, and what happens when you have three doctors with very distinctive personalities). 

Instead, on 6/14, I will have ANOTHER surgery (a "re-incision," my 4th) just so they can open me up and scrape any microscopic cancer cells that might be hiding. Honestly, I really don't think they need to do this but the radiation oncologist said it would make him feel better. Fine. Whatever. 

Somewhere around 7/10, I will begin radiation treatments, which will be every day, 5 days/week for 7-8 weeks, taking me through mid-September-ish.

That's what the plan is right this minute. Thank you for your continued support and prayers!! And for not posting links to articles about how amazing Angelina Jolie is and how I should just suck it up.