Catia Bitching Cancer

I saw the surgeon (a cancer survivor herself) earlier today. She strongly advised me on a mastectomy, because the size of my breast and the location of the two tumors (plus another area she did not like the feel of at 12 o’clock) made the esthetic results of a quadrantectomy really dubious. The issue now is whether we are going to pursue a simple mastectomy (removal of just the breast) or a modified radical mastectomy (removal of the breast and of the axillary lymph nodes – the limphnodes under the armpit). That would depend on whether my lymphnodes screen positive to cancer.

Since I am considering immediate reconstruction of the breast I will talk to a plastic surgeon first. The general surgeon is setting an appointment time with him. In the meantime she put some time aside for me to either do a sentinel node biopsy or a mastectomy on October 20th. She’ll do the biopsy if I am trying to pursue immediate reconstruction, to make sure that I won’t need radiation (in which case she suggests I do a delayed reconstruction). I will also talk to the plastic surgeon to see what he recommends in my case. If I choose immediate reconstruction then the two surgeons will have to figure out a date and time to perform the operation together.

So, in a nutshell. Something will happen October 20th (either a mastectomy without reconstruction – one night at the hospital – or a biopsy – outpatient procedure). Between now and then I will see a plastic surgeon. Tomorrow I will have an ultrasound done on the right breast to make sure I don’t have bilateral cancer.

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