Stop. Breathe. This is the good news part. Asmodeus is not overly aggressive, and is responsive to hormones, which means the chemo should be easier on me.
But I still have several tests to go through before they're ready to do surgery.
They drew blood today to run the genetic test for the cancer gene. I still don't have enough trust in insurance companies to publish the official results here (or anywhere semi-public), but let's just say the odds are good that the test will show I have the gene, and my treatment will follow accordingly.
What's next? More doctor's visits in the next few weeks than I've had in the previous five years. or more.
I have an MRI tomorrow - this will help pinpoint what exactly it is we are dealing with here; the results are more detailed than they can get from a sonogram or mammogram.
Next week, I have appointments with a plastic surgeon, the breast cancer surgeon (again) and the medical oncology team. The MRI results will be in early next week, and so we can begin to plot out our plan of attack. The plan won't be finalized until the results of the genetic testing come in, early the following week.
and that's about all I have energy for tonight. It's been a long day.
It means more to me than you can know, to know I don't walk this road alone. Since I sent out notice that I've taken this detour, I've been flooded with e-mails offering prayers and support. Some I've managed to actually reply to, others have just gotten a mental 'thank you'. All are appreciated.
You are a strong warrior, Janice. You will find the blessing in this detour and we (selfishly) will have you here in town for an extra bit of time. Let me know what you need. If you need a place to crash, I'd be happy to give you a key to my mini-pad (ha, I guess that's a multi-meaning word). Call if you need to talk, listen, cry, vent, hold a cat, hold my hand, eat a bowl of soup, or any or all of the above. You are loud in my prayers, my friend. Love you.
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