I'm learning right now to play the waiting game. I have spent so much time getting the tests done that I need to. I'm hoping that with the ones I have scheduled that next week will be a quiet one as Scott will be gone. I got the results of my MRI and they weren't really what we wanted. They saw 3 other masses in the left side, and one in the right. I went right in for another ultrasound. The sonographer couldn't find any of the 4 they were looking for so she went to get the radiologist. He couldn't find them either. That was good news and bad news. The good news being that it may mean they are regular tissue just reacting to the MRI that way, the bad news is that they may only be able to find them again to biopsy them with an MRI guided biopsy.
Yesterday Dr Moline's office called to say that they were going to go ahead and biopsy the one largest mass that they could see with an ultrasound guided biopsy. Oh, and I forgot the other good news/bad news about the new masses. Good news is that they are all small. They are 3, 5, and 7mm. The bad news is that it means that I may have a double mastectomy if there's a lot of cancer spread all over. I guess the good news with that is Dr Moline said they would do the mastectomy and the reconstruction surgery all at the same time so I wouldn't have to do two separate surgeries.
So...tomorrow is another biopsy, but this one is supposed to be easier than the last because this is a needle biopsy so it's less invasive than the last one. Also, I made sure to schedule this one when Scott is here to help me. Next Friday is the PIM test that is another dye test that mostly looks at my lymph nodes. When I had my ultrasound on Tuesday they took lots of pictures of my lymph nodes then and they said they look very normal so that's a good thing! Also, next week I should be able to do the blood draw for the BRCA gene test. That will help and be a large piece of the puzzle as well.
When I was doing some of the tests this week I found out that our deductible isn't what we thought. Since we are on a family plan we have to meet our entire family deductible which is $5500! I was so shocked! We thought it was $2700/person with a maximum of $5500. Well, turns out we were wrong. I'm grateful we have the money in the bank, but was so disappointed to have to spend it on something so dumb as cancer treatments. I wish we could use it for a vacation to Hawaii! Then I heard about a contest that is for early detection of breast cancer. I went online to find out about it. They grand prize is $5000! You have to make a 60 second commercial of how early detection saved your life or the life of a loved one. Then you submit it and have people vote on it. When I went to the site to see how many there were to vote on there was only 1 and it's so stupid!! So we are going to make a video and try to win. I'll post the link when it's done so that everyone can go on and vote because I want to win! Then maybe we can save that money for a Hawaiian vacation when I'm well! :)
So right now as we wait for all the tests to come together we keep praying. I KNOW I'm going to be ok! I KNOW that I will (and already have) learn so much and be a better person and more understanding of others when they go through trials in their lives. One thing I know is that we all have trials, and I'm so glad I have the ones I have and not others! Thank you for your love and prayers! Scott was so sweet last night when we were praying. He was so grateful for the prayers and faith by so many in our behalf. We feel very blessed!
The Jensen Seven Adventures in life and the bump in the road of breast cancer
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Tests, tests, and even more tests
Today Scott and I went to see Dr Moline at Cancer Care Northwest. We were told that she had some time this morning so she was "fitting" us into her schedule. Our appointment was at 9:30. We didn't leave her office until about 12:15. Dr Moline was with us all except the first 15 minutes. She was so thorough! She is ordering more tests so she can be more sure of what she's going into with the surgery. She was so amazing to explain every detail! She was very matter of fact in everything that she said and did. We had a lady in our ward tell us that if someone didn't treat us like gold then we needed to find someone else to see. Well, after today I can say that Dr Moline and everyone we saw at Cancer Care Northwest did treat us like gold.
I expected Dr Moline to be in a huge hurry since she fit us in today. Not at all!! She was so willing to explain and answer every question we had even though I don't think we had any questions after she explained everything so well. I have an MRI scheduled for October 5th, but Dr Moline was going to try to get that moved up. Then she is going to do another dye test, then with those results she is going to schedule surgery. After surgery, and a few more tests we will decide on whether to do chemo or radiation. These will be decided after the results of the tests are complete and after the oncologist sees all of the factors. Dr Moline recommended an oncologist and radiologist that she likes the best.
I left with my head spinning from all of the information, and a binder that Dr Moline gave us to keep track of everything we would be getting over the course of my treatments. I'm grateful that Scott was there with me to help me remember and make sense of it all! Dr Moline said that we absorb about 25% of what we hear so it's good to have 2 people so that we can hopefully get 50% of it. I thought when I was in with her I was getting all of it, but now I'm wondering exactly all she said.
I wish I had more imformation to post. Really we don't know any more than we did earlier in the week. We just need to get some tests done before we can proceed. There are a few things we won't know until after surgery. Right now we are just praying that: 1.There is no Lymph involvement. 2.I do not carry the BRACA gene 3. That I'll be able to do radiation instead of chemo. There are a few more things, but right now those are the biggest.
We'll keep you posted when I find those things out. Thanks for your love and prayers!!
I expected Dr Moline to be in a huge hurry since she fit us in today. Not at all!! She was so willing to explain and answer every question we had even though I don't think we had any questions after she explained everything so well. I have an MRI scheduled for October 5th, but Dr Moline was going to try to get that moved up. Then she is going to do another dye test, then with those results she is going to schedule surgery. After surgery, and a few more tests we will decide on whether to do chemo or radiation. These will be decided after the results of the tests are complete and after the oncologist sees all of the factors. Dr Moline recommended an oncologist and radiologist that she likes the best.
I left with my head spinning from all of the information, and a binder that Dr Moline gave us to keep track of everything we would be getting over the course of my treatments. I'm grateful that Scott was there with me to help me remember and make sense of it all! Dr Moline said that we absorb about 25% of what we hear so it's good to have 2 people so that we can hopefully get 50% of it. I thought when I was in with her I was getting all of it, but now I'm wondering exactly all she said.
I wish I had more imformation to post. Really we don't know any more than we did earlier in the week. We just need to get some tests done before we can proceed. There are a few things we won't know until after surgery. Right now we are just praying that: 1.There is no Lymph involvement. 2.I do not carry the BRACA gene 3. That I'll be able to do radiation instead of chemo. There are a few more things, but right now those are the biggest.
We'll keep you posted when I find those things out. Thanks for your love and prayers!!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I am a Survivor!
I realized today I need to learn to be patient waiting for the doctor! I also learned that I need to make sure to bring a good book with me! Scott and I met with Dr Clyde today. Now, the interesting thing about meeting with Dr Clyde is that originally when my OB/Gyn office referred me to a surgeon it was Dr Clyde they recommended. Well, Dr Clyde was booked out 2 months so they scheduled me with Dr Lin. Dr Lin is a general surgeon, and Dr Clyde is a breast surgeon. Well, Dr Lin was too busy this week to meet with us so he turned us over to Dr Clyde. It's amazing how fast we got in all of a sudden!
Dr Clyde was very helpful. He was good at explaining things to me. Now, for the news that everyone is anxious to hear...I have the best, easiest to cure breast cancer. HOORAY!! Dr Clyde says that a lumpectomy has to be done so they can use the tumor to test how it will respond to radiation and chemotherapy. The good news as well is that Dr Clyde says usually my kind of cancer doesn't need chemo so he thinks it will be my outpatient lumpectomy then 6 weeks of 5 days a week radiation. He said that there isn't any hair loss (darn it--I was looking forward to not having to do my hair and being able to have a short spiky style after it started growing back in!) and the good part--not being sick to my stomach!! I know they make everything seem rosy, but my biggest fear is throwing up all day!
Then, the other good news of the day is that I have had a cancer clinic here very highly recommended to me. There is a particular breast surgeon there that is a woman (named Dr Moline), and very highly recommended. I called to make an appointment with her yesterday and they said she wouldn't make the appointment until she saw my records, but that she was booked out several weeks. I said I would wait as long as I needed to see her. So...they ordered the records and her office called today to say that she would squeeze me in Friday morning. I was glad about that, but then her scheduling lady said, Dr Moline said to make sure you know that the tumor is very small. I told her I knew that already because I had asked Dr Clyde. Dr Clyde said that the tumor is 1 cm in diameter! So small and so early!
The question that I keep getting is what stage? I asked Dr Clyde today, and he said he couldn't say for sure until he does the lumpectomy, but right now from the looks of everything he thinks I'm stage 1. Wow! What a relief! I went to run some errands after I was done and I found a necklace that I bought. It says SURVIVOR on the necklace. On the card it says, "Survivor. Accepting, challenging, fighting, accomplishing, surviving." I had to buy it. I will see it often to remind me if I ever forget...I love those words. I am a survivor!
Thank you for your love and prayers! We truly feel the support! The kids are doing well, but I know their little and big minds are spinning now with everything that's going on. Jed forgot to do his homework over the weekend. He had to run in PE because he forgot clothes to dress-down in. Julia and Emilee are having a hard time getting to sleep at night. Maybe that's because they giggle too long. Victoria gets teary easily, but she told her Seminary class yesterday about it and said that they needed to sing Where Can I Turn For Peace? She did tell them that her whole family was peaceful with it. Sam says he can't get settled in at night to sleep, but I think that's because he is too excited to go to school that he still can't sleep. :) All in all we are doing really well! Today I feel so blessed that we caught it so early, and all of the results from the report were so positive in being able to treat it. I'm so glad to know that I will be cancer free by Christmas! We will have a lot to celebrate then!
Dr Clyde was very helpful. He was good at explaining things to me. Now, for the news that everyone is anxious to hear...I have the best, easiest to cure breast cancer. HOORAY!! Dr Clyde says that a lumpectomy has to be done so they can use the tumor to test how it will respond to radiation and chemotherapy. The good news as well is that Dr Clyde says usually my kind of cancer doesn't need chemo so he thinks it will be my outpatient lumpectomy then 6 weeks of 5 days a week radiation. He said that there isn't any hair loss (darn it--I was looking forward to not having to do my hair and being able to have a short spiky style after it started growing back in!) and the good part--not being sick to my stomach!! I know they make everything seem rosy, but my biggest fear is throwing up all day!
Then, the other good news of the day is that I have had a cancer clinic here very highly recommended to me. There is a particular breast surgeon there that is a woman (named Dr Moline), and very highly recommended. I called to make an appointment with her yesterday and they said she wouldn't make the appointment until she saw my records, but that she was booked out several weeks. I said I would wait as long as I needed to see her. So...they ordered the records and her office called today to say that she would squeeze me in Friday morning. I was glad about that, but then her scheduling lady said, Dr Moline said to make sure you know that the tumor is very small. I told her I knew that already because I had asked Dr Clyde. Dr Clyde said that the tumor is 1 cm in diameter! So small and so early!
The question that I keep getting is what stage? I asked Dr Clyde today, and he said he couldn't say for sure until he does the lumpectomy, but right now from the looks of everything he thinks I'm stage 1. Wow! What a relief! I went to run some errands after I was done and I found a necklace that I bought. It says SURVIVOR on the necklace. On the card it says, "Survivor. Accepting, challenging, fighting, accomplishing, surviving." I had to buy it. I will see it often to remind me if I ever forget...I love those words. I am a survivor!
Thank you for your love and prayers! We truly feel the support! The kids are doing well, but I know their little and big minds are spinning now with everything that's going on. Jed forgot to do his homework over the weekend. He had to run in PE because he forgot clothes to dress-down in. Julia and Emilee are having a hard time getting to sleep at night. Maybe that's because they giggle too long. Victoria gets teary easily, but she told her Seminary class yesterday about it and said that they needed to sing Where Can I Turn For Peace? She did tell them that her whole family was peaceful with it. Sam says he can't get settled in at night to sleep, but I think that's because he is too excited to go to school that he still can't sleep. :) All in all we are doing really well! Today I feel so blessed that we caught it so early, and all of the results from the report were so positive in being able to treat it. I'm so glad to know that I will be cancer free by Christmas! We will have a lot to celebrate then!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Life Throws Us Curve Balls!
For those of you that haven't heard...yesterday I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. That is one word that I never even imagined being discussed so much in my home. Well, maybe about other people, but NEVER about me!
Right now I feel very blessed! It seems funny to be so grateful at a time like this, but I am. We are very surrounded by wonderful people that are so willing to help. We are blessed with the fact that we don't have a mortgage and have our down payment for a new house sitting in the bank. We are blessed with the foresight that Scott has that he took out a cancer policy on our family 1 year ago. It will help cover some of the expenses that our health insurance won't. I am grateful that all of my kids are in school all day long so I won't feel guilty leaving them when I need treatments, but most of all...I'm so grateful that we caught it so early and that it is very treatable!
Scott and I will meet with my surgeon next week. He will put together some treatment options. I am guessing that the first will be to send me to an Oncologist. The surgeon said that because of the location of the tumor it isn't very easy to operate, and that because it's so early it won't be necessary anyway. I'm so relieved with this as the biopsy was very painful and not easy for me to keep up my normal pace. :) I know that my pace will have to slow down a little, but hopefully not too much!
I will continue to post here what is going on. This way I don't have to explain the same thing over and over again. With that being said, I'm happy to talk to people. As you all know I'm a great talker so...
The good news is that I'm not afraid! My kids are doing really well. They are so happy to help now that they know what's wrong with Mom. Earlier in the week they were so puzzled as to why I was laying on the couch and kept asking them to do things. That's a different thing for them. Life is going to change a little around here. Julia is excited to have people bring meals. She hopes that they bring dessert! We are all trying to find the silver lining, and right now that's easy. Hopefully we'll be able to do that right in the middle of treatments.
I will post more when I know more. Thank you for your love and prayers. It's a very humbling thing!
Right now I feel very blessed! It seems funny to be so grateful at a time like this, but I am. We are very surrounded by wonderful people that are so willing to help. We are blessed with the fact that we don't have a mortgage and have our down payment for a new house sitting in the bank. We are blessed with the foresight that Scott has that he took out a cancer policy on our family 1 year ago. It will help cover some of the expenses that our health insurance won't. I am grateful that all of my kids are in school all day long so I won't feel guilty leaving them when I need treatments, but most of all...I'm so grateful that we caught it so early and that it is very treatable!
Scott and I will meet with my surgeon next week. He will put together some treatment options. I am guessing that the first will be to send me to an Oncologist. The surgeon said that because of the location of the tumor it isn't very easy to operate, and that because it's so early it won't be necessary anyway. I'm so relieved with this as the biopsy was very painful and not easy for me to keep up my normal pace. :) I know that my pace will have to slow down a little, but hopefully not too much!
I will continue to post here what is going on. This way I don't have to explain the same thing over and over again. With that being said, I'm happy to talk to people. As you all know I'm a great talker so...
The good news is that I'm not afraid! My kids are doing really well. They are so happy to help now that they know what's wrong with Mom. Earlier in the week they were so puzzled as to why I was laying on the couch and kept asking them to do things. That's a different thing for them. Life is going to change a little around here. Julia is excited to have people bring meals. She hopes that they bring dessert! We are all trying to find the silver lining, and right now that's easy. Hopefully we'll be able to do that right in the middle of treatments.
I will post more when I know more. Thank you for your love and prayers. It's a very humbling thing!
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