Today we met our surgeon, Dr. Bussey. She specializes in diseases of the breast only. When we got there, there wasn't anyone at the front desk. After about 2 or 3 minutes, Dr. Bussey comes up to the front herself. She told us her front office staff person wasn't in today, so Dr. Bussey did it all! She gave me my new patient paperwork to fill out, she took my DL and insurance card and made copies and then took us to our exam room and met with us... flabbergasted!!! Who says physicians can't do things themselves???
After my exam (yet another physician that has felt me up) she sat us down and told us our options and her recommendations.
Due to my age, type of cancer, and where the cancer is located she does not think I will be a good candidate for breast conservation (lumpectomy). She recommends a mastectomy. Since I have already decided to have a double mastecomy, to which she also recommended, she said I could wait and do genetic testing later. Genetic testing will tell if this cancer will spread to my other breast (which will be gone) or my ovaries. If genetic testing is positive, I can safely wait until 40 or 41 to have my ovaries removed. If I were to go through genetic testing now, she would not recommend both the double mastectomy AND having my ovaries removed at the same time. So I can wait, but I will get it done!
Since my cancer is lobular, she recommends an outpatient procedure prior to surgery to do the sentinel node biopsy, instead of at the time of surgery. Lobular cancer cells and the lymph nodes cells appear the same at first and could take longer to determine cancerous. Dr. Bussey likes at least 48 hours prior to surgery so we don't get a false negative and therefore I won't have to have 2 surgeries.
Next steps are to meet with the plastic surgeon, schedule my outpatient SNB procedure and get on the surgery schedule, which Dr. Bussey said should be in 2 weeks or so. Hopefully tomorrow I will get all that scheduled!
Oh, before I forget... word on the street in Mineral Wells (where I'm from) is Michelle, my twin sister, has breast cancer. So if you hear that, it isn't true...
Happy birthday to our puppy Gunner, who is 8 today!
Love to all
Christy
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