The Worst Birthday Present EVER!!!

Six weeks after the CT scan that revealed a possible issue in my breast I had a mammogram. I went to the mammogram by myself as you usually just go for the imaging and go home. This was not the typical mammogram visit. While the technician was taking the images Dr. Yi was in his office viewing them. When the mammogram was finished the tech asked me to have a seat in the waiting area. A few minutes later Dr. Yi came out to talk to me. He sat on the table in front of me and began the conversation by beating around the bush. He wouldn't come right out and tell me what he saw. Finally, he asked me how I wanted him to speak to me about his findings. I told him that I am the type of person who wants straight talk. I don't want someone to tippy-toe around the truth. He then proceeded to tell me that he was greater than 50% sure I had breast cancer. He then took me to the next office over for an ultrasound of the area. He was even more sure of his diagnosis. Before I left his office that day he had Lisa from the Surgical Center come speak to me about what was next. Because I was on blood thinners I would have to come off of them for a biopsy. My appointment was set for the next morning at 10:00 a.m.

As I was leaving the hospital I called my mom. It was very difficult for me to talk to her. I asked her if she would come pick me up and take me to her house (remember, I drove myself not knowing what to expect). I then called my husband to tell him I wasn't coming straight home because I didn't want my children to see me upset. I wasn't ready for them to know what was going on as I really wasn't positive myself. My mom took me to dinner and then home with her for a little bit. I went home feeling a little bit better about my situation.

The next morning I met with Dr. Labbe (sounded lah-bay). She reviewed my mammogram and ultrasound and then did a manual breast exam. She told me that she didn't feel that it was breast cancer because she couldn't palpate the lumps on exam and that she felt the left breast felt lumpier. We discussed the biopsy and scheduled the date. It was scheduled for the following Monday as I needed the weekend to come off the blood thinners. As I have many allergies, I knew the local anesthesia would cause me some problems. The morning of the biopsy I took a Phenergan for nausea and a Xanax to calm the anxiety the anesthesia causes.

Quick Side Note: The ultrasound revealed that the little blip on the CT scan six weeks earlier was now two lumps that couldn't be palpated by either doctor.

By Wednesday Dr. Labbe had called and left a message that the results were in and she wanted me to come see her the next day so that I could stop worrying about the results. I immediately called my mom feeling the anxiety as I know better than to think a doctor is going to call me herself and after hours (she called after 6:00 p.m.). We prayed that God's will be done and that the results would be according to His will in my life. The next day just happened to be my mom's birthday and a day I would never forget - April 9, 2009. My husband and I met with Dr. Labbe alone first. She first told me that she was hopeful that she was right about it being noncancerous. Unfortunately, that wasn't the news she had. She said that both tumors were cancerous and included about six inches of breast tissue between the tumors. She then discussed the surgery that was mandatory for me to have. Amazingly, she had already discussed my case with the surgical team as soon as she received the results and already had my surgery scheduled. I was to admit to the hospital the following Monday to be taken off Coumadin and placed on a Heparin drip before my surgery on Thursday.

After discussing everything that was happening and going to happen I asked Dr. Labbe if we could bring my parents to the room to break the news rather than do it in the lobby. The second they walked into the room they knew the results. My mom came over to hug me and tell me that I am never again allowed to give her a birthday present as she didn't like this one too much. I was really hoping to give her good news on her birthday. The hardest thing to do after this appointment was to hold ourselves together for the kids. I didn't want to tell them anything until Friday night as I wanted them to be able to finish the school week and take their tests with a clear head. With ALOT of help from God we managed to keep our emotions in check. The next day I visited each of the kids' schools and spoke with their guidance counselors. I was shocked to here that they too had battled cancer. They were very supportive and told me they would bring the kids in their offices on Monday to counsel them about what I was going through.