Highlights for the time-crunched among you:
- Ultrasound-guided biopsies done on both sides today.
- Possible MRI biopsy needed on right side, depending on whether today's sampling was successful.
- Besides cancer, there is a potential that the MRI-detected mystery areas have something to do with fibroids (I forget the term).
- I should hear results from today by Monday, March 5.
Today I went in for ultrasound views of both breasts, and the radiologist was able to biopsy both "mystery areas" that were discovered by the MRI on Feb 14. When I made the appointment, the nurse gushed to me over the phone how awesome the radiologist is at finding stuff through ultrasound. I decided to trust this.
I wonder what she says to the patients who see the mediocre radiologists. :-)
It's good news that I was able to have the ultrasound-guided biopsies, because there's a chance that I won't have to have MRI-guided ones later. The procedure today was definitely less of a trial than the stereotactic biopsy of January 30 - it's just not as weird, long or uncomfortable. Plus I brought along my new best friend to assist. ;-)
The radiologist is confident that the left side will not need an MRI biopsy because he's pretty sure he got the area in question. He is less confident about the right side. If the right side comes back "negative", he's going to refer me to an MRI-guided biopsy. But because of the location of the mystery area, they might not be able to biopsy the area, and instead it would need to be removed surgically.
I don't have any idea how this jibes with the fact that there's already known cancer on the right side that at the very least needs a lumpectomy. But I will have time to gather more information (like the BRCA-1 and 2 blood test results) before making surgery decisions.
I was really impressed by how professional and how very nice everyone was there. In fact, that's been true since the beginning, and I'm telling you it makes such a difference. The nurse took time with me after the procedure to talk with me and told me that in her experience, this period of not knowing that I'm in now is often the very hardest part for women in the whole process.
Not like the rest of it's a cake walk. But still.
I'm in a place where I'm drinking in any positive or hopeful comments like it's water in the Sahara, or sunshine in my northern, currently gloomy, city.
No comments:
Post a Comment