Didn't go to see psychologist - had half an hour with the doctor, before Prof arrived. We did have a erm..little bit of an argument, and she laughed and said I was a feisty biteen indeed (Irish for a' bit of an argumentative and no way I'm gonna get bullied or frightened by her, girl!).
Had blood tests, MRI (yes, even though they had said yes, then no....) and another ultra sound, ECT (pre-surgery thing of course) and the oxygen levels in my blood are only fair - fair says I ????? taking wonderful deep breaths and then having a coughing session - hence the chest xray to take a peek (no result until Monday). After talking with her and really presenting my case hard, yet politely (HOW do I do that when all I want to do is thump someone.....hmmmm) I have settled on a lumpectomy as outlined below - BUT not through being bullied - in fact I was told by the prof that I had been the one in control of the meeting and not him and that I had put him nicely in his place once or thrice - but he kissed me on the cheek and told me I was indeed a lady (he does NOT know me)
I asked to handle the Path report and said that the other day I had been trying to look at it, but that it had been kinda pulled away...and I wasn't happy about that. She handed it to me! I told her that although she had said it was confined to the breast, she had not said it was invasive, as stated on the path report - though my breast care nurse had indeed told me that it was grade 3 and not stage 3, which the professor had told me.....big difference, for me at least. Grade 3 is a fast grower. He apologised and said it was a bit of slip of the tongue and I told him he'd better watch that tongue of his then!
So it is:
Invasive ductal carcinoma grade 3 - no hormone test done yet. 2.5 cms, strong growth intensity, infiltrating duct carcinoma, nuclear, cytoplasmic/membranous and had apparently been growing for about 4 months, they said. If it had been left for another three months I would have been looking at a lot of Mets.
So on Monday: First to Nuclear Medicine for 4 injesctions around me poor likkle right nipple and then back to the ward - then by the time I go to the OT the radioactive stuff will have spread to the nodes and they find the sentinels by a beep, which apparently like a metal detector, gets quicker when it finds the sentinel and they know where they are and take it away.Extended excision lumpectomy, sentinel node removal. I did ask for it to be removed stereotactically, which is an increasing way ta do it (and growing very popular apparently) but was advised against it. Even with a mastectomy, I may have had to have further surgery, so....I hope I have made the right decision. AND it would have been dangerous apparently, to wait for a mastectomy, which would have been another three to four weeks anyways.
So I go in at 7.30.am Monday - Waaaaaaaaaaahh no coffee, just a sip with me aspirin in early moring - non chewing mints....and it could be hours before I am sent down - (prison or OT?) - I'll take some mouthwash with me to swill.and home again by about 7pm Monday if all goes according to plan.
The other thing I was given to understand was that I would receive radiotherapy first and immediately after the Op. No, not true. I apparently begin chemo afterwards - this of course changes absolutely everything with regard to not getting back to India on time - I have to wait until they determine the cycles after the Op and follow up, before I will know when I can go home - AND how much they are going to charge me in India....God help me.
So, like me, I think you have the full truth of the matter now - never meant to mislead you, only told what I was told - talk about a#se about face eh! Isn't the patient always the last to know anyways ...it won't be a cake walk I know, but it's all I can do. I will just have to summon the strength to do what I have to do when back in India.
Blessings M xxxxxxx
