News from the front

Where to begin? I am good with facts and chronological reporting, so here goes. 
So, about 3 weeks ago, we were all watching TV - probably the Brady Bunch - and I had my arm on the back of the couch around one of the girls. I reached over to scratch close to my sternum and noticed a pea sized lump. Well, to go back a few months, I had a B infection and so had that checked out with an ultrasound and treated with antibiotics. There was an area that was very large and hard during those few days. One spot never really returned to normal, and I just put it down as maybe something like scar tissue - a hard spot left over from the infection. It never occurred to me that it may be something to be concerned about. This pea-sized lump lead me to get a mammogram. The last one I had was about 18 months ago. (GET ON THOSE LADIES!!!! AND DO THEM YEARLY - as well as monthly self-exams)
So, when I got back from a trip to Snoqualmie, I called and made an appointment with the same place who did the ultrasound back in February. They were normally scheduling out 2 weeks, but had an appointment cancel that afternoon, so I got right in on Tuesday the 30th. They then had me schedule an ultrasound guided biopsy. That was for the following Monday - July 6th. My midwife from Kalispell - Honey Newton (I don't have a local dr. yet, and I needed a dr. to order the diagnostics and receive the reports) called Tuesday afternoon with the news that indeed the lumps were found to be cancerous. Ductal Carcinoma; one of them invasive and the other infiltrating. Both "in situ" (don't yet know what that means, but it is good!) and they are estrogen and progesterone positive. She expects treatment will be a lumpectomy and radiation.

So, how do I feel? I am really calm. I laughed to myself when my mother - before I had the biopsy - told Jeff "she may seem calm on the outside, but inside will be a totally different story". Well, not so much. I do wonder what treatment and after will be like, but really, I am calm and peaceful. I am different than my mother in that aspect. Of course, no one wants to hear the words "You have Cancer", but what I have is the best kind to have and it is early on, so treatment should be cut and dry (literally). When I scheduled with the surgeon, Jill (the wonderful scheduler) said to my answer of "in situ" - "OH GOOD, that is what you want.", sounding quite excited about it. I know hardly anyone here, and haven't found a doctor yet, except for the emergency care we visited in February. Honey researched and sent me a list of doctors in order with the best at the top. Also, my friend Joanne who just recently finished her treatment here had referred me to Cancer Care NW. So that's where I called and Jill said "I'm going to put you with our best Doctor, she is the one all the other doctor's choose to go to" and it was the doctor at the top of my list. Doctor Moline. I have to go downtown to the clinic she practices out of, but the other clinic that is closer, another doctor is only there once a week. 

I don't have any illusions that life will be normal; that I will go in for a surgery and then just have a few weeks of radiation with no interruptions in my life. In fact, with my calling at church, I know that I will be busy and then I have 2 young girls still at home needing to have care, transporting and attention. I expect to have the normal side-effects of whatever treatment I will end up getting. I am sure I will need to rely on help from people who offer it. Jeff has already stepped up (which puts him up higher than he already is on the helpful list), and the girls understand they will be learning life skills like cooking and laundry. I have the best immediate help one could wish! Honey did say that it is a good thing we are here and not still in Kalispell. The quality of care is better here than we would be able to find in Montana. I actually would be coming to Spokane for treatments.