Bye-bye booby

My surgeon called today with the initial pathology report. The two tumors in my underarm that they thought were 1.6 and 0.9cm and 1cm apart were actually just one 3.2 cm tumor. They ended up removing 13 lymph nodes that all came back negative for cancer! Great news!! The cancer didn’t spread? What stage is it? Jury is still out.

Since they didn’t find cancer in the lymph nodes it looks like it didn’t spread out of my underarm. But both masses on my breast that didn’t “feel like cancer” are cancer. They are considered T4 “skin nodules” (which doesn’t mean stage 4). They can’t determine what stage I am until those are removed and sent off to pathology.

So, that means I need to have the implant removed as well as all of the skin that was near those masses (pretty much another mastectomy). There are a couple of other weird lumps that I’ve felt so it’s possible the cancer did spread around my implant and hopefully no further but we won’t know until they get in there and cut everything out.

I just don’t have the words, so again, I’m having a hard time talking about this until we know more. What I know is the tumor board meets tomorrow and they will discuss my case, and my surgeon will call me on Wednesday with more news. I see him on Friday to take the drain out, so I’m hoping this week will have some answers on next steps.

For now, I’m trying not to freak out, watching movies with the kids and getting cuddles from my furballs until I have more news with actual decisions to make. To be continued…

5/20/19