The Diagnosis

Okay so a good friend of mine suggested that creating a blog might be a good way to let the masses know about what's going on with me through this journey I have been asked to take.  I know in the days of media it is much more impersonal to use email and texts to communicate, and I really wish that I could call each and every one of you and tell you the details but that just isn't going to be practical.  So I'm hoping this will help with that.

I am now just over a week into this next chapter of my life.  Wednesday March 16th, 2011 I found a small lump in my left breast.  I contacted my doctor's office on Thursday to make an appointment.  Friday morning at 8:15 I met with my doctor who then referred me to Women's Imaging at Doctor's West Hospital so that I could have a mammogram and ultrasound to see just what was in my breast.  I thought the decision to do so was more for piece of mind due to the family history I have regarding breast cancer and the gene that is in the paternal side of the family.  I was squeezed in at Women's Imaging and by 10:30 I was told that the radiologist would need to talk to my doctor and determine what the next step would be, they might just monitor it for awhile or they might decide to biopsy it.  By 11:00 I was given an appointment on Monday morning to meet with a breast surgeon who more than likely would do a biopsy.  Again they made it seem like this was just a precaution to rule out the breast cancer for piece of mind, but needed to make sure because of family history.   I was told it looked like a fibroadenoma which is a common benign tumor in women in their 20's and 30's.  Monday March 21st I had a biopsy performed on the 3/4" lump that was in my left breast.  That was not a pleasant experience, but I did okay right until the end when he was applying bandages, and then of course I thought I was going to pass out!  He assured me that the lump didn't appear to be cancerous, and again we were performing the tests just to be on the safe side.  At 5:00 on Thursday evening I received the call from the doctor who had told me he would call me either way to let me know my pathology report.  Unfortunately I knew before the words came out of his mouth that the test came back cancer.

I will be having an MRI performed on Monday am along with blood work to determine what we are dealing with, and then back to the Doc on Wednesday to discuss results and game plan.

I'm not going to lie and tell people I'm not scared to death.  This isn't a little thing, this is something that kills women every day.  However I am bound and determined to fight this with all that I have.  I am very appreciative of everyone's well wishes.  I know that I'm going to need to support of everyone in order to make it through this very difficult time in my life.  I may not be able to thank everyone appropriately, but please know I really am relieved to know that I have so many people on my side pulling for me.

I just finished celebrating my 32nd birthday.  Thanks to all the friends that made the night fun, I was able to take my mind off of things for a little while.  I pray that I will be enjoying my 33rd birthday this time next year!

I don't know how often I will make posts to my blog, but I will post new updates after tests and doctor's appointments, and will try and post some thoughts and feelings to go with those as well.

Thanks again everyone, I know this battle is just beginning but I know that I have what it takes to fight this!