March 23: Pat and I met with the Oncologist, Dr. Garg. I am very anxious and it shows, my blood pressure is high and is normally very low. Before I continue with today's appointment, I need to rewind 9 years. In 2002, I was diagnosed with a disseminated case of Coccidiomycosis (Valley Fever). Pat and my mom asked me within a day of each other if this could be linked to Valley Fever. I was ready to dismiss this, but realized that there was no family history (mother or sisters) with known breast cancer, I should ask. I consulted with a Hopkins doctor (friend of my parents) and learned last weekend that there is a connection between having Valley Fever and developing breast cancer. It was my hope that Dr. Garg would understand Valley Fever and consider the impact with my treatment. Fortunately, Dr. Garg was a wealth of information. Because chemo surpresses your immune system and my system is already compromised, Dr. Garg is recommending anti-fungal medication which will start when Chemo Starts. We do not want these dormant spores triggered. Now the question...surgery first or chemo? Dr. Garg will consult with Dr. Liang and get back to me before we meet next Wednesday.
I received good news from this appointment. The receptor hormones are good which means that I should respond favorably to chemo. Additionally, the MRI shows the cancer had not spread beyond the left breast and lymph nodes.
Dr. Garg has ordered bloodwork and a CT scan.
March 24: Today is my second appointment at Hopkins. The rainy drive was a miserable 1 hour and 15 minutes. My appointment was at 9am and it took 1 hour for check-in. Between the processing of my insurance and who knows what else, the Administrator found it appropriate to eat her breakfast and take personal calls while helping me. I can feel my blood pressure rising... Which is the next stop. I am taken back to have my blood pressure checked and the nurse was having problems with the machine. She very diligently worked on trying to connect the pieces. After 10 minutes, I finally said, "this is a hospital, don't you have another one?" Her response, "on yeah". OMG! Blood pressure taken and it is high, go figure!
After the surgeon examined me, she reviewed the pathology reports, biopsies, and images (Mammogram, Ultrasound, and MRI). I did not offer any information from my past consultations. I really wanted her assessment. It was in line with the doctors at Anne Arundel Medical Center. I am very relieved and feel that my case will be handled brilliantly by my team of doctors.
March 25: Bloodwork and CT Scan completed....this was a piece of cake compared to the MRI. I received a call from Dr. Liang. She consulted with Dr. Garg and they both feel the safest option for my case is to perform surgery first. The next step is to meet with the Nurse Navigator to review surgery instructions (including the date). I hope to know this by next week.
Reality is setting in...ready or not! Let's just get moving. I have a lot of inner strength and pray I am not let down. I registered for the St. Petersburg marathon in January. It looks like I will have own marathon. Let's do it!
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