Hey All

I've been reading here for a couple of weeks and finally decided to jump in.

I'm (gasp) 59 years old. I've always done my breast exams in the shower. Note to self-you can miss a lump until your left nipple goes south. Surgeon explained that you should do self exams dry and lying down. Not much help now.

Anyway, July 2, I found the lump. July 8th, I went for a mammo. Mammo turned into a diagnostic mammo which turned into a breast biopsy. Holy cow!! Not looking good.

Path report 4.2 cm lesion which "dumbelled" to a 1 cm lesion below the nipple. Hmmmm. I've got breasts about the size of a teacup, a lumpectomy makes no sense to me. Taking out the lumps and the amount of tissue they would need to to get clear margins leaves me with what?

Mastectomy in my future. I'm ok with that, its just the surgery that scares the bejesus out of me. I'm a longterm smoker and a chinless wonder, a combination that nurse anesthetists don't love.

But that is I have said in the future. My surgeon (whom I love) and my med onco (not so much) have suggested a course of femara for 4-6 mos before surgery to shrink the tumor. As my tumor is >90% ER positive, 86% progesterone positive and Her2nu negative, I think this is a swell idea.

My surgeon (did I say I love him?) also suggested Zometa to build my bones since I have osteoporosis in my spine and my hip. He also suggested that it has benficial effects o breast cancer.

Let's see, what else. Oh, I talked to the plastic surgeon. He's kind of a pocket doc. very small and young. I think I probably have shoes older than him. But I liked him. Very informative and he insisted that I bring family to the next meeting. He recognizes that I can only absorb so much. He really was leaning towards a trans flap even though I'm a smoker. Big surprise. Surgeon did not approve.

I also have an appt. to see the radiologist in a couple of weeks. I have it on good authority from co-workers that this guy is the bomb.

Just because live is always an adventure, my husband has placed his mother in a nursing home. She needed to be there two years ago but they were able to get help in home for her. Her care giver discovered 2 weeks ago that she had cancer in her liver, spine and lung. She died this past Monday. She was such a wonderful person it is so sad. Needless to say, my husband is a wreck. His mother has Altzhimers and even though the staff keeps her active and engaged, every time he goes to visit, she just wants to go home. Judy the care giver became so much of a friend that her passing just broke his heart.

I'm very fortunate in that I have the most wonderful duaghter in the world and a sister who is a natural care giver. Becky is there for support and Kitty is there to kick a@@ and take names if needed and even if not needed (she bears watching). This relievs my husband of some anxiety about being supportive of me for now.

So that's pretty much it, except that Becky and I are heading to Disney World at the end of Sept. I've gone back and forth on this because the medical bills are coming in. I've just decided that I'll toss it up the the universe, do what I can to pay the bills and get a really good tan.

Love and Peace
Roberta