So, next came the frustrations of actually getting a copy of the report to the surgeon's office. That took a good 2 days. I kept waiting for a call back and none came. I ended up picking up the films myself later the next afternoon. I faxed a copy of the report to the surgeon's office directly myself that afternoon. The next day, Thursday, the report was reviewed and I was given an appointment for Friday afternoon. I had spent 2 months doing a rotation in breast surgery in residency. I knew she triaged patients and I knew then that she too thought we were dealing with a cancer.
You know it's not good news when your surgeon walks in and gives you a hug, saying "I'm so sorry." She was a little distressed that I was there alone. I had already explained it to Howie and we had already discussed what I wanted. I wanted the tumor out. I did not need a biopsy beforehand to tell me it was cancer. I knew what it was. So, a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy was planned for a little over a week later. In the interim, I had to have some PATs (pre-admission testing).
The two weekends in between the mammogram and the surgery were very difficult. The first weekend was my grandmother's 90th birthday party. The next was my niece's naming. Lots of family at both but I didn't want to talk about my situation because I didn't want either event to lose its focus.
On April 30, we went to the naming and then took Rachel to a friend's house to sleepover. Yes, on a school night! A major treat for her. Scary for me because it meant this was all real. This was not happening to someone else. It was happening to me.
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