Gulp - some news

Have I really not posted anything since the 7th of April? Sorry no excuses, really - just laziness, and a bit of tiredness. I have to tell you all about our fantastic Easter weekend camping trip and my 5th treatment, but first, some news.

I made an appointment with Dr. Carr, the surgeon for the 11th of May. It seemed so far away when I made the appointment, that I asked if I could be on a cancellation list. I wanted to start making plans for the next stage of my treatment. Well, yesterday the receptionist called with an appointment for that very morning. I called Wanda and off we went. We sat in his office and he went through with me all the pros and cons of having surgery now, later, radiation now, later, or not at all, and reconstruction. I asked if it would be possible to just finish with chemo and do nothing at all. The answer was a resounding "no". OK, I knew what he would say, but I had to ask.

Nothing is for sure until he speaks with my oncologist in Victoria and the radiation oncologist, but Dr. Carr thinks that if he were to make the decision without any input from me, he would suggest a unilateral mastectomy, followed by radiation, then a reconstruction using my own tissue. There is no reason for me to have a double mastectomy. I was hoping to avoid radiation, but apparently that's the best way to zap any cancer cells that might be lurking about in my chest wall. The reason for having the reconstruction after the radiation makes sense - new tissue wouldn't do well if it were to be subjected to radiation.

Here's the timeline - surgery the second week in June, 3 - 5 weeks of radiation in August, and reconstruction in the fall. I asked him all the important questions, like how soon after surgery can I go camping. I have plans, you know, and I want to know if my regular life and my cancer life can mesh. He laughed, but thinks it's entirely probable that I can be ready to roast marshmallows in a week. Perfect. As for radiation, he said I should feel no worse than I have felt during chemo, so okey dokey, we will camp then, too. There's a provincial campground just outside of Victoria so I can pop to the hospital for treatment, then dash back to lounge around the trailer while the kids do their thing. Another smile from Dr. Carr, but hey, I like to have everything figured out. The reconstruction will take place sometime in autumn, with a new plastic surgeon. Apparently, he has a very good record, and as a new fellow, is yet to be corrupted by the lure of the big bucks of cosmetic plastic surgery.

After all this discussion, he took me in the examining room to check the unaffected breast, the left one. All seems fine, but he would like to schedule me for a mammogram of both breasts and an ultrasound of the good breast. "You know", he said, "You are the same age as my wife, and if you were my wife, I would want you to have the surgery then radiation. You're young, in good health, a non-smoker, and not to offend you, but you have enough tummy tissue for a good reconstruction." Ha, I knew I was hanging on to that tummy flab for a reason. I am so impressed by his level of compassion, understanding, and his ability to impart knowledge. Every time I see a member of the medical profession (which is often, let me tell you), I am very relieved to be dealing with the Canadian health system, and in particular with the people right here in our little town.

The visit came to an end with me signing a consent form for a mastectomy of the right breast - in June. That is June, 2009. I think a good-bye party is on order.

To debrief, my Mom and I took the kids to the lake for a picnic supper. Norm met us there after work. It was the perfect end to just another day.

The girls were so happy for the start of our Westwood Lake barbecue season that they packed their swim suits. That they actually put their toes in the water surprised me. After all, it's only the 24th of April. It was 14°C yesterday afternoon. Mom and I were wearing sweaters. The ice had just melted on the lake only a couple weeks ago.

That's Rosalie on the the dock. The girls did more than dip their toes in the water. Rosalie and Victoria swam out there, Evelynne made it half-way, then swam back. She's still pretty little to swim all that way. That's not the point. They swam in the lake, for a long time, in April. Brrr.