It seems to me that dealing with a diagnosis like cancer is a lot like peeling a banana: you never know what you'll find just by peeling the skin back a little further. The fruit might be solid and white or mushy and brown or anywhere in between.
Good news is that there is no evidence of cancer in the left breast. Bad news is that the tumor in the right breast does not seem as well defined as at first thought. There is still no news about any spreading to the lymph nodes or anywhere else in the body. Apparently we'll have to wait until surgery for more word about that.
Surgery has not been scheduled yet but will definitely be after Memorial Day and the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee for which we already had a commitment to volunteer about 16 hours as well as chaperon a couple of our grandsons around to some exciting concerts. We're guessing the surgery will be the first week of June. Although Carolyn has chosen to have a bilateral mastectomy, the doctor thinks it will only involve an overnight stay in the hospital. She hasn't said how quickly Carolyn can expect to resume her normal activities.
We did have a consultation appointment with the plastic surgeon. Because of all the radiation therapy that Carolyn has had in her breast and stomach area, he was not enthusiastic about using her skin or fatty tissue in those areas for reconstruction surgery (boob job). That, plus the potential problems such as leakage or asymmetry, led him to recommend prosthetics instead. Carolyn took the news rather well.
We went over to our home teacher's home yesterday. They are going on an Alaskan cruise and Carolyn has volunteered to look after their garden. Don and I gave Carolyn a blessing she had requested.
That's probably all the news we'll get until we hear when the surgery is scheduled. Thanks for all the kind wishes and prayers and thoughts. We really feel your love and friendship.
do they ever take skin from the butt? thanks for the update. always thinking of you - staci
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