Surgery: Redux Duplex

For those of you who are interested and keeping tabs on what is going on with my health...
I am having a double simple mastectomy tomorrow morning, 9/16/09, at Tampa General Hospital. My surgeon will also be doing the Sentinel Node Biopsy on the right breast (as he did with the left) to check for cancer. If there is any sign of cancer in the Sentinel Nodes, they will do an axillary node dissection on the right. While there is no indication that there is cancer in my right breast, I feel as if I will be more comfortable having both removed.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I had a lumpectomy on the left breast...along with an axillary node dissection (there were cancer cells in 2 of the 4 sentinel nodes...and the pathology report showed 1 additional lymph node with cancer cells). So, 3 of 20 left side lymph nodes had cancer cells. My doc was unable to get "clear margins" on what he removed so far, and I don't have much breast tissue left in my left breast, my only option really was to have a mastectomy of the left breast.

When I discussed this with my doc, I felt like we should do a double mastectomy. This was based on a number of factors; namely, the MRI didn't show the amount of cancer in my left breast that was really there...so what IF there is some in the right breast not showing up; if you remove one breast and reconstruct it, it will never "match" the other one; I would be lopsided (lol); I would have an increased chance of recurrence; and so on.

For me, better to have both off...know for sure if the right breast has any cancer or not...get the appropriate treatment...get Cancer-Free...and get a new set of boobs later.
Well, I can't say that I am happy about having to do this...in fact, I am absolutely pissed off. It's a shitty hand to have been dealt, but that's why I like "draw" instead of "stud." Don't like a couple of cards? Throw em back and draw 2 new ones. And that's just what I am gonna do!
Anyway, just a hurdle on the road to becoming Cancer-Free...wish me luck...send me good positive thoughts...pray...drum...yodel...do whatever you do to help me get well! I appreciate it all.

My sister, Becky (who is absolutely the most awesome person) will be logging into my account again tomorrow to post on how I am doing. I never did claim that I am not neurotic.

Have a good one guys...I'll say goodbye to "the girls" for you!

~Tory