Friday, June 10, 2005

Mammogram - Say Yes

The next step in the breast cancer, was to go in for a surgical biopsy. Dr. G (our family doctor), introduced us to Dr. T (General Surgeon). During the Stereotactic biopsy, they had put a small titanium clip by the spot they suspected of cancer. I can't remember alot of what happened, just glimpses. I remember a woman, who had to stick a long, thin needle into my breast, she talked about her sister, who had breast cancer, that was too advanced and she died. It scared her so much, that she actually had a double mastectomy to make sure she wouldn't succumb to the same awful death, I can't imagine how deep those experiences must of affected her, for her to make such a decision. I felt so many different emotions, while she told me this, that while she stuck that needle in my breast, it was like nothing, okay a needle is in my breast, so? Maybe, that is why she talked about it, I don't know. But, I will never forget her.
I also remember something ...where they took me in a room, with Clark (he was not a stroke survivor at this point (that was yet to come)), but they had to inject this dye, OH yes I remember that was for the 3rd surgery. When they removed my lymph nodes. I will get to that later, and the awful fight Clark and I had.
Sorry, I am confusing things. I never kept a journal, about this experience.
To make this short, I had a biopsy, where they removed tissue about the size of a melon ball. It came back as cancerous:
Ductal carcinoma, invasive, grade 2, Scarff-Bloom-Richardson tubule+nuclear+mitotic scores 3+2+2=7, with extensive intraductal component (high grade). Tumor measures 0.32 cm, adjacent to needle core biopsy site.
Excision margins negative; nearest margin, lateral, is 0.8 cm from invasive carcinoma, 0.5 cm from ductal carcinoma in situ.
Very small, very early, it was Estrogen Receptor positive, very good news, the only negative aspect was the HER2/neu was 2+. So my oncologist, watches this very closely.
I will go more into that later.
Anyway, the MAMMOGRAM was the key, I am a very lucky lady......

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