Doc Nonverbal
Member
Hi all,
I don't post very often, as I don't have much free time between working, teaching, and herding my two young daughters. It's probably bad form to post a request for a favor, but this isn't for me.
My wife Sandi was diagnosed with breast cancer. She gets her mammogram religiously every year, but they didn't pick this up. Just before Christmas, she noticed a tiny spot of blood in her bra. She went to her OB/Gyn who ordered an ultrasound.
The ultrasound showed a 3cm mass at the back of the left breast. When it was biopsied, it came back cancerous, and she was given a diagnosis of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS), which is apparently the best of the cancer diagnoses.
The next step was a MRI of both breasts. We sat down with the breast surgeon to review the images (which I would have considered really interesting to look at if they weren't so darn scary). He showed us that the 3cm mass was connected with bright spots all the way to the front of the breast, making it more like a 5cm mass, compromising most of the breast. The diagnosis was changed to DCIS Comedo type, which is apparently a much more aggressive form of cancer.
Also present on the MRI was enlargement of her left lymph nodes (which was hopefully due to the biopsy on the left side) and two spots on the right breast. They couldn't detect these spots via Ultrasound, so she had an MRI-guided biopsy today.
Next week is genetic testing for the BRCA gene (look it up – it's scary as hell) and a bone scan. We'll meet with the reconstructive surgeons the following week. She's going to have a mastectomy on the left side and dependent upon the results of the biopsy today, possibly the right as well. They'll test the sentinel lymph nodes for cancer at that time. If the BRCA gene test comes back positive, they'll need to remove her lymph nodes and ovaries.
I'm writing this for two reasons: The first is to let people know that the Mammogram and/or self-exam will not pick everything up. The surgeon said that he couldn't feel any lumps in her breasts, but the MRI clearly showed the extent of the cancer. The moral of the story is that if there is any family history of breast cancer, a periodic MRI might be good insurance.
The second reason is that if you could please include my wife in a prayer or two, I would very much appreciate it. She's only 41 years old and we've been together for 20 years. We have two daughters, aged seven and five. Sandi is handling this bad fortune like a trooper, but if we learn that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or bones, the prognosis will be poor.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
David
I don't post very often, as I don't have much free time between working, teaching, and herding my two young daughters. It's probably bad form to post a request for a favor, but this isn't for me.
My wife Sandi was diagnosed with breast cancer. She gets her mammogram religiously every year, but they didn't pick this up. Just before Christmas, she noticed a tiny spot of blood in her bra. She went to her OB/Gyn who ordered an ultrasound.
The ultrasound showed a 3cm mass at the back of the left breast. When it was biopsied, it came back cancerous, and she was given a diagnosis of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS), which is apparently the best of the cancer diagnoses.
The next step was a MRI of both breasts. We sat down with the breast surgeon to review the images (which I would have considered really interesting to look at if they weren't so darn scary). He showed us that the 3cm mass was connected with bright spots all the way to the front of the breast, making it more like a 5cm mass, compromising most of the breast. The diagnosis was changed to DCIS Comedo type, which is apparently a much more aggressive form of cancer.
Also present on the MRI was enlargement of her left lymph nodes (which was hopefully due to the biopsy on the left side) and two spots on the right breast. They couldn't detect these spots via Ultrasound, so she had an MRI-guided biopsy today.
Next week is genetic testing for the BRCA gene (look it up – it's scary as hell) and a bone scan. We'll meet with the reconstructive surgeons the following week. She's going to have a mastectomy on the left side and dependent upon the results of the biopsy today, possibly the right as well. They'll test the sentinel lymph nodes for cancer at that time. If the BRCA gene test comes back positive, they'll need to remove her lymph nodes and ovaries.
I'm writing this for two reasons: The first is to let people know that the Mammogram and/or self-exam will not pick everything up. The surgeon said that he couldn't feel any lumps in her breasts, but the MRI clearly showed the extent of the cancer. The moral of the story is that if there is any family history of breast cancer, a periodic MRI might be good insurance.
The second reason is that if you could please include my wife in a prayer or two, I would very much appreciate it. She's only 41 years old and we've been together for 20 years. We have two daughters, aged seven and five. Sandi is handling this bad fortune like a trooper, but if we learn that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or bones, the prognosis will be poor.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
David
