Second Mastectomy and More Pathology

As we discussed - Alan and I made the tough decision to proceed with a second mastectomy on the right breast. A lot of factors went into this decision including the fact that the cancer in the left breast was larger/more advanced than we originally thought with a surprise second tumor. Also - the desire to not have to endure another round of chemo in the future was a factor.

It took a little bit to convince all of the doctors. My oncologist felt strongly that the risk of the surgery itself was greater than the chance of contracting cancer in the other breast - as having breast cancer in one doesn't automatically mean the other will too. In the end - we thanked her for sharing her opinion but we were determined to follow through.

Having been through the surgery before - we knew what to expect, knew what to pack and knew that I wanted Alan to spend the night with me in the room. Which - he graciously did. It was a long night of bells, alarms, medications and vitals but I did very well handling the pain and was released the next day.

We were both very glad to be home but nights were still challenging as my pain medications were still given every 2-3 hours. Alan faithfully charted them out for me and set the alarm...giving them to me very patiently. I will admit to trying to wean off the medication a little too fast - which caused a call to the doctor. We were able to get back ahead of the pain but that night we received a call from my breast surgeon with the pathology results from the breast tissue.

We were stunned to hear that breast cancer was detected in the right breast. It was only 2mm in size and thus did not show on any of the tests - MRI, Mammograms, Ultrasounds and PET Scans. Unlike the other side - this was not invasive carcinoma - but DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ). Which means the cancer hadn't yet started to 'invade' other cells. It was also a Grade 1 cancer - meaning not yet destructive/aggressive and DCIS is considered Stage 0. While we are still waiting to meet with the breast surgeon to discuss in more detail - we are pretty sure the early stage and the fact that there were no close margins to be worried about means that chemo will not be necessary - or even radiation. The mastectomy took care of the risk. Before we pat ourselves on the back for our wonderful luck and decision making skills- we'll see what the surgeon has to say on Tuesday but we are hopeful.

Now it is all about healing and the dreadful drains. I have two again this time and I, of course, hate them. They hurt, are uncomfortable and it is nearly impossible to put clothes over them. Last time it took 6 weeks to be able to remove the last one and I am doing everything in my power to not have it go that long again. Unfortunately - we aren't off to the best start. I went into the plastic surgeon to review the drain output log and was certain they would remove one of the drains today. The assistant - Dr. Blagg - reviewed the log and agreed the one looked ready to come out. Drain #1. Yay. He felt so confident that he started the procedure without Dr. Agarwal. As soon as he snipped the stitch that holds the drain in place...he said 'uh oh'. That wasn't the right drain. Typically the first drain to be removed is the top drain...but they'd labeled mine backwards and the bottom drain was the one that looked good to come out. He left to go get the doctor.

Dr. Agarwal came in and explained that he wasn't comfortable removing even the one drain because the drain on the top should be the first to clear up. So - they numbed me up and restitched the drain back in place...and I went home with both drains. I may have said one or two bad words in the doctor's office. Or more. Alan did remind me on the drive home that 'life isn't fair'...to which I may have said a couple more bad words...directed at him this time. Yeah - I get the whole 'life isn't fair' concept. I'm like the walking embodiment of the phrase. Good thing he loves me in all my cranky glory and actually just laughed in response.

So - what's next. Lots of healing time. Once the drains are out - the expansion will start on that side. We are thinking close to October, we should be ready for the final surgery - reconstruction. It will be quite extensive as well - with having to remove a muscle somewhere on my body to cover/protect the skin damaged by radiation to ensure proper blood flow. It will be just over a year since the beginning (August 2012)that we plan to close this chapter of our lives. :)