Merry Christmas - 2008!!

Christmas morning turned out to be  beautiful.  The storm that had been predicted had not arrived, the sky was clear, and the snow that was on the ground, sparkled in the sunshine.  Our Christmas tradition is to have brunch and then open gifts, but since Colin stayed over, Santa had found him, and there was a load of gifts under the tree for him. He couldn't wait till Amy's family arrived, so we had the first of the great gift rushes in the morning.  I felt pretty good.  In fact, I was surprised I didn't have any more pain than I had. I sat in the living room and enjoyed watching Colin open one surprise after another.  It was the beginning of a merry Christmas!

Amy and her family arrived about noon for brunch and the second great gift rush.  We had a yummy brunch, all handled by our children.  I just sat and watched, which is pretty difficult for me to do.  Pat's nephew, David, and his wife, Janna, showed up to enjoy brunch with us and of course help open gifts.  We had a very nice afternoon together.  About the time that I thought I needed to lie down and have a break, my niece, Lisseth, and her family showed up.  So, another round of Christmas cheer.  

Christmas night came, and we were all about to sit down and play a game of Saturday Night Live Trivial Pursuit, when the snowstorm, that had been predicted, showed up.  When it arrived, it arrived with a slam.  Amy and her family barely made it home, before the roads were bad. Mark tried to get back to Salt Lake City, but wound up turning around and coming back to our house.  He wound up leaving his car about a block away, because he couldn't get up the hill. Erin, Colin, and their dog, Scout, stayed, too.  So we had another houseful.

It was a wonderful Christmas, and the best part was that my surgery was over, the tumor had been removed, I was home, and feeling pretty dog-gone good, considering everything.  Needless to say, I slept very well Christmas night.    

Chriatmas Eve and a Trip Home

December 24th, Christmas Eve!  I had a little bit of breakfast, but wasn't feeling like eating much. They were still trying to give me a Loritab along with the Toradol (switching each time) and the Loritab was still making me sick to my stomach.  I went for a short walk, and came back and got sick.  Pat showed up about noon, hoping to take me home, but that wasn't going to happen till I kept my food down, and was able to have a couple of good walks.  We both wanted to get home as soon as possible because a big snowstorm was due by evening.  The afternoon was spent trying to get myself to the point where I could go home.  Dr. Agarwal came in and signed my discharge, but with the stipulation that I was not getting sick when I went walking. 

My niece, Lisseth, and her family came to visit in the afternoon.  I also had a couple of visits from family groups who were singing Christmas carols for patients.  It really was special, and made me even more determined to get home for Christmas.  Finally, about 7:30pm, I was discharged to go home.  YEA!!!!!  

My daughter, Erin and her son, Colin were there when we arrived.  We talked them into staying overnight because the snowtorm was supposed to arrive before morning.  Besides, having Colin here to share Christmas with would be so much more fun.  My son, Mark also showed up, so we had most of our family with us.  I, of course, went straight to bed, and immediatly fell asleep. My daughter, Amy, woke me up about 11pm to strip the drains that were in me and give me some medicine.  Then I spent a very comfortable night in my own bed, and dreamed of sugarplums dancing in my head.       

Surgery, at Last!

December 23rd came at last, and none too soon as far as I was concerned.  I wanted this thing out of me and now.  We had to be at the hospital at 9:30am.  So I was up and at it early.  I, of course, had to take a shower, shave my legs and armpits, and wash my hair.  I certainly couldn't go to the hospital without doing all of that.  You remember what your mom always said about being sure you have on clean underwear with no holes, just in case. Well, my point exactly.  

We got to the Huntsman a little before 9:30am and they took me right in to pre-op and started IV's, etc.  I had visits from a plethora of nurses and techs to do this, that and the other, and with each visit, I had to repeat my name and birthday.  They were sticklers at making sure they had the right stuff for the right patient. Comforting!!  Pat was with me during this part and we watched his favorite show 'Desperate Housewives', while we waited.  Pretty soon, Dr. Neumayer's assistant came in and started drawing pretty pictures all over my right boob and chest.  She even wrote the word 'yes' on my right boob.  Must make sure we take the bad one off and not the good one. 

 Then Dr. Agarwal's (plastic surgeon) assistant came in to talk to me about the type of expander they were using to prepare for the reconstruction.  Believe it or not, the expander is made of cadaver tissue.  They were doing a study to see which cadaver tissue worked the best, and wondered if I wanted to be a part of the study.  I said sure, because they would put in whichever one that came up, whether I was in the study or not. 

Finally, I met Dr. Neumayer in the Radiology Dept. to have some kind of isotops inserted into my breast so they could find and remove all the cancer.  Then it was finally off to surgery.  Needless to say, I don't remember anything beyond the surgical doors.  The next thing I knew someone was trying to get me to wake up and I was in recovery.  I didn't feel much at that point, but they told me I had a little button in my hand and if I began to hurt, just push it and it would stop the pain.  I didn't know I was dealing with Morphin, and so about every ten minutes I was pushing the button.  Pretty soon, I was higher than a kite and feeling no pain.  When I got to my room, the nurse asked me if I wanted to go for a walk.  Sure, why not.  We walked around the hall a few minutes and I suddenly felt like I was going to pass out.  I got back to the room in one piece and sat in a recliner, then immediately went into a drug reaction.  My daughter, Amy, said I went as pale as paste and started in a cold sweat.  Thank goodness she was there.  They took the Morphin away from me, which was a very good idea, and tried Loritab instead.  That was just about as bad.  It made me sick to my stomach.  Finally, Amy suggested to the doctor that maybe I'd do better on something that was not a narcotic.  They started me on Toradol, which is a high dose of Tylenol, and it worked. No pain and no reaction.  I was a much happier patient.  

My family stayed with me for quite awhile, but then I needed sleep, so everyone moved on. The night went pretty well, except that the IV in my arm started leaking, and it took three nurses several tries to find another vein to get it restarted.  That was no fun.             

The Power of Prayer

I need to say something about all the prayers that have been asked in my behalf.  I have always believed in the power of prayer, and this experience has reconfirmed those beliefs a hundred fold.

My sweet niece Lisseth Turner and her daughter, Cristina, had my name placed on the prayer lists of all the LDS temples between Bountiful, Utah and SanDiego, California.  My dear friends, Jan and Jerry Burgess prayed for me with their Bible study group.  Becky and Mort Patterson had prayers given for my in their church, as did our friends Dave and Vanene McShane.  People from all over the country were praying for me, and I want you all to know what great strength they gave me, and still do. 

The night before my surgery, my home teachers from my LDS Ward, gave me a special blessing. Bishop Carl Webster offered the blessing, and Bishop Rick Britton assisted.  I felt so calm after that blessing and I knew everything was going to be all right.  

I think so much of the time in our lives we take things for granted, including our Father in Heaven and His importance to us.  Then when something like this happens, we become refocused on what is really important.  I'm so thankful for my beliefs and my faith.  My life would be far less meaningful without it.  

Thank you to all of you who have kept me in your thoughts and prayers. You're the very best family and friends a girl could have.  

Preparing for Surgery

The time between my my first visit with Dr. Neumayer and my surgery was filled with one appointment after another.  I had an MRI on both of my breasts on December 16th.  That was an interesting experience.  I laid on this curved table, face down, with my boobs hanging down in these two holes, and holding on to these two bars.  The tech asked me if I was comfortable. What are you supposed to say?  Anyway this scan lasts for about 30 minutes, and you're supposed to lay still the entire time.  It's very noisy, so they gave my some earplugs to kind of deaden the noise a little, and they played some music through them, but it didn't help much.  I knew after this test that my modest dignity was a thing of the past.  I was glad to have that one over.  The reason for the MRI was to make sure there was no cancer in the left breast and no more in the right breast.  

They had found an area of calcification when they did the ultrasound on Dec. 2nd and it was confirmed by the MRI, so the next test was a cumputer generated biopsy of the calcification. This was another undignified test.  They had me lie on a table, face down with the boob to be biopsied hanging down in another hole.  Then they lifted the table up and worked under it. They found the area with a computer, honed in on it and took two or three samples.  It didn't hurt because they had numbed the area, and it was just a little pop, when they took the samples.  Another test to have behind me, and the results were negative.  GOOD!

After that test, I visited with the anestheseologist for a pre-op check.  I had to have a EKG because I have a Left Bundle Branch Blockage.  It shows up as a little blip on the EKG.  It hasn't affected my heart, but it's something they need to be aware of. 

After all this, I actually got to do something nice for myself.  On the Thursday before my surgery I had an hour massage with my favorite massage therapist, Carolyn Reddington.  It really helped me to relax after everything that had gone on in the last two weeks.  I had to tell Carolyn about the upcoming surgery, so that was a little difficult, but she was great and I found out that she was trained to do the massage to help aleviate lymphedema, which is a condition that can develop in the arm where lymph nodes have been removed during a mastectomy.

So now I was ready for surgery.  It still was six days of waiting, and needless to say, an anxious period of time. 

My first visit at Huntsman Cancer Institute

My first appointment at the Huntsman came one week to the day after I had the diagnostic mammogram, etc.  I still believe there was some higher intervention, because when I first called to make an appointment, they couldn't get me in before the 18th of December.  Then not more than an hour after I called, they called me back and told me there had been a cancellation. That just confirmed to me that I was in the right place and the right hands. 

My appointment was for 1pm, so my daughter, Amy, her new daughter, Callie, and I were there about 12:45pm.  It wasn't until almost three hours later, that we finally got in to see Dr. Leigh Neumayer.  Needless to say, I was getting very anxious, and wondered if I WAS in the right place, but when I finally met Dr. Neumayer and her clinical nurse, Vicki Rosser, I was put at total ease.  They were very personable and spent at least and hour and a half with us, explaining the results of my biopsy, what it all meant, talking about my options as far as surgery, etc.  I told them at first that I was interested in a lumpectomy, but then they explained the survival rates of a lumpectomy versus a mastectomy and what would have to be done since the tumor was under the nipple.  By the time, I left I was leaning very seriously toward a mastectomy with reconstructive surgery.  

While I was at the appointment, I was introduced to Dr. Jay Agarwal, the plastic surgeon that would do the reconstructive surgery, if I decided on that option.  He was also very informative, and I was shown a catalog of some of the surgeries that he had done.  I was really impressed.  It was very difficult to tell the difference between the reconstructed breast and the real one.  He told me about the two types of surgery.  One that was done with an insert or one using your own muscle and tissue.  This one includes a tummy tuck, which I thought was a bonus to an otherwise difficult decision.

By the time Amy and I left, at nearly 7pm, my head was so full of information that all I wanted to do was go home and go to  bed, but we didn't.  We went to dinner, and talked, and I was so glad that I had taken Amy with me.  With her medical background, she heard and understood so much that just basically went over my head.   Just talking to her helped me to make some important decisions.  By the time we got home, I had made up my mind that I was going to have a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.  I've never had any qualms about my choice since then.  

My surgery was set for December 23rd.  At first I thought,"but that's Christmas".  Then I started thinking that the best Christmas gift I could have would be to have the tumor GONE!!!!, even if I had to be in the hospital on Christmas.  I wanted it out as fast as possible. 

So, I was ready to move on and move on I did.   

Welcome to my Blog!

For those of you, who didn't know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer on December 2, 2008.  I set up this Blog so I can talk about it.  I think I'm doing this more for my own therapy than anything else, but if what I talk about can help anyone that is going through or might go through the same thing, then that's great.  I also thought it would be a good place for those of you who might want to check on my progress, to find out how I'm doing.  Anyway, WELCOME!!!

The first thing I want to say to all my female friends and family is GET YOUR YEARLY MAMMOGRAMS,  and if you feel like something is wrong, GET IT CHECKED OUT!  I've had yearly mammograms for at least ten years, if not more, and they always came back normal.  My last regular mammogram was in February 2008.  It came back normal.  I didn't notice anything different with my breast until the middle to latter part of October 2008.  Then I just noticed that sometimes when I slept on my stomach I'd be awakened with pain in my right breast, especially around the nipple.  I didn't think much of it, because there was nothing else that seemed different and it didn't hurt all the time.  I just thought I might be sleeping on it wrong. 

I had set up an appointment with my regular physician for my annual checkup on November 20th.  She won't renew any perscriptions unless she sees her patient's in person, and I thank her with all my heart for that attitude.  Otherwise, who knows how long it would have been before I discovered this.  Anyway, the day before I went in for my checkup, I noticed that the nipple on my right breast looked like it was inverting. (Sorry, guys, I know this is probably more than you wanted to know)  I knew that was not good.  So during my checkup I told her all this and she set me up for a diagnostic mammogram on December 2nd.

My appointment was for 1:30pm at the LDS Hospital Radiology Dept. and four hours later I went home.  The mammography machine at LDS is digital, and can see things much more clearly.  They saw something, so they wanted to do an ultrasound, which showed something even more clearly, so then they wanted to do a biopsy.  They had a difficult time finding my doctor to get permission to do it, as she had left her office for the day, but they finally got ahold of her, and went ahead with it.  I thought at the time, ask me for permission, because I'll give it.

They did an ultrasound guided biopsy of the tumor, taking three samples, and finally sent me home, telling me they would have the results by Friday (this was Tuesday).  

Needless to say, the next couple of days were rather nerve racking.  I think I knew in my heart, even though my brain didn't want to admit it, that it was malignant.  The only thing that kept me from going bonkers at the time was the fact that I had a group of women coming to my home on December 4th for a meeting, and I wanted my Christmas decorations put up before that.  So, I dived in and got that done, and tried not to think of the other.  Finally, Friday morning arrived and I called my doctor.  Of course she wasn't available and would return my call.  She called back about an hour later and told me what I already knew.  In fact, when she called, she said "I think you already know this, but it's malignant."  She told me she was sorry, and we talked a few minutes about the pathology report, then she gave me some names of surgeons that I might want to call, and wished me luck. 

My first thought after our conversation was to call my brother, Ted, who is a Pediatrician in Price, Utah.  Then I thought I should call my daughter, Amy.  She's a nurse and I thought she might know who to call.  I think I was in a mild shock.  I wanted to do something but wasn't sure what.  Finally, I looked up the two surgeons that Dr. Sambado a suggested first.  Her first suggestions was Dr. Leigh Neumayer at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and the second was Dr. Regina Rosenthal at the IHC Regional Hospital.  She had  told me they were both excellent, so I called Dr. Neumayer first, but her secretary was unavailable. Then I called Dr. Rosenthal's office. The soonest she could see me was the 23rd of December.  I made the appointment and then went shopping with my daughter, Amy.  I think she was more upset than I was.  I probably was still in a bit of denial.  She was also upset that I couldn't get in to see the doctor till the 23rd, so I told her I'd try to get ahold of Dr. Neumayer on Monday.  When I called on Monday, the soonest they could see me was the 18th of December.  I took the appointment and hung up.  Not an hour later, her secretary called back and said there was a cancellation for tomorrow, and do I want the appointment.  Of course, I jumped at it, and thus began my adventure in the world of cancer.