Book # 4 - Breast Cancer Treatment

While not exactly a page turner, this book by Judy Kneece is filled with information that I wasn't aware of even after reading several other books and visiting many web sites about breast cancer. But let me get this out of the way before I go any further: does every book about b.c. have to be pink and / or have roses on the cover? (So far Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book is the only one that I've seen that isn't and doesn't.)

There are 15 types of breast cancer. Each is named accoding to the part of the breast they develop in. Mine is in a milk duct. It is the most common kind of breast cancer. Because it has not infiltrated beyond the walls of the duct it is called in situ. So, I have ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). In surgery on Tuesday Dr. Kahn will remove the cancer that they detected on the mamogram. Unless they find out that it has spread beyond that, the treatment will remain local -- excising the tumor and then radiation later to make sure that any cancer cells they might have missed don't continue to multiply. (This is very fortunate -- if the cancer would have invaded other areas I would have had to have more systemic treatment -- chemotherapy which all in all sounds like an extremely grueling process.)

When Nicole was here last week she explained that the reason they wait a month or so before heading into radiation is because after surgery there are cells being generated that help to heal the wound. This needs to be allowed to take place before radiation is used to eradicate any remaining cancer cells.

On Tuesday we will arrive at Northwestern at 8:30 in the morning. I'll go up to the Breast Center where the mamographer will localize the calcifications and place a wire which will extend from the calcifications inside the breast to the outside of the breast. There is already a metal clip inside there from the previous biopsy in Columbus which should serve as a guide. The wire shows the surgeon where to place the incision (at this point there isn't a discernible lump on the exterior of the skin and that's good!) Then I will be taken into surgery, put to sleep (although I will be breathing and so forth without assistance), and the cancer will be removed.

I feel pretty good about the surgery and am confident that Dr. Khan and her team will do a good job. I am not super excited about the wire part, as I will still be awake at that point, but I hope that it will be less of a deal than it sounds like on paper. When Kate had heart surgery she was concerned about what the cardiac catheter would be like and it turned out to be not much. So that is what I'm hoping for too. In any case, I will be asking for drugs at every opportunity available. Seriously.

It feels weird that it's almost here, but I'm really looking forward to having surgery behind me and getting on with the rest of treatment and healing this fall. Thanks again to everyone for all your good words and thoughts in email and here on this blog. It makes a big difference. Kate and I really appreciate it!