Thanks, guys. You are welcome to PM me any time you want. I’m also on Facebook – I’m Carolyn Lucas – look under Claire’s friends to narrow things down if you aren’t sure which is me. My current avatar is me flirting with a cast-iron soldier at the Tower!

Another way too long update – I got the surgical drains pulled (didn’t hurt) on the 20th, and got the staples removed today. Which also didn’t hurt. But when I got the pathology report back from my oncologist on the 20th, I was a little… upset. Turns out when they examined the entire tumor, they had found it weakly positive for hormone-receptors (8%), and they had been treating me as if it weren’t. Since February. What?!? 

And now I’m ALSO facing taking a pill (Tamoxifen) every day for the next five years and all of the side effects that come along with it. I had reconciled myself to having radiation treatments, with its own little cluster of side effects, but this threw me for a loop. 

Happily, I caught my surgeon at an uncharacteristically non-busy time for him today, so he sat down and talked to me about it. He isn’t an oncologist, but he only does breast cancer surgery. And he’s booked solid. He’s also very warm and fuzzy and has a very direct way of speaking. I really like him. We talked about whether he thought I would benefit from radiation, and he said yes. He also recommended taking the Tamoxifen even thought my tumor type was only weakly responsive to it. I said, “But the tumor is gone, and I got 6 months of intense chemo. Is there enough benefit here to outweigh the risks?” and he said, in his opinion, yes. He said to throw the book at it. He said I was very lucky being diagnosed before it spread, because on a 0-9 scale of aggressiveness, mine was a 9. It was good that I got the aggressive chemo and I was very fortunate the tumor responded by shrinking as much as it did. He called me his “rock star” and said to not wimp out on him now. And that was what I needed to hear. Meltdown over!

So, radiology consult on Monday the 4th, I can have my surgical port taken out Monday the 11th, proceed with radiation if offered (highly likely), and see him in Jan. for a follow-up exam, mammogram and start the windup for having my other breast removed prophylactically sometime in Feb. Finish radiation, start Tamoxifen and continue to see him and the medical oncologist and the radiology oncologist every few months for the first 18 months or so. I feel better having a battle plan again.

Whew! If you’re still reading, thanks!

It’s just an outpatient procedure – they said it should only take 15 minutes or so and I’ll be able to drive myself home afterward.

Thanks, everyone! It means a lot.

In early November, I had a row with my health insurance. They had said if I didn't want to change things, all I needed to do was fill out a health questionnaire which would entitle me to a small discount on my premiums. When I got the confirmation letter, it had put me in a health plan that doesn't allow for ANY out-of-network care. All of my care is out-of-network, except prescriptions, and I'm already paying higher premiums and co-pays, as well as higher amounts I must pay out-of-pocket before they start picking up anything. And they said it was my mistake and I wouldn't be able to change it for 2011.

So, I went to my surgeon and asked him if there was any way to get my second surgery in before the end of the calendar year, while I'm still covered by the old policy. He said he could do it December 14th!! and I was doing cartwheels of joy. I'll be done with radiation by then and will have time to recover before Christmas.

Today, I got a letter from my health insurance saying they'd been reviewing it and they're going to allow me to switch to the policy I want, after all. ARGGHH!!! They must love imagining my head spinning around. But I'm still going ahead with the surgery, anyway. I've already paid my maximums for the year, so the insurance will have to eat the entire cost of it. My surgeon is making sure I get any mastectomy bras and prosthetics I'm entitled to by the end of the year, too. Ha!