IT'S CANCER

When I have talked with others who have dealt with cancer, they told me the worst part is the constant waiting; Waiting to get in to see a specialist, waiting for results, waiting for answers to questions, and dreading the ringing of the phone. Now I could relate. This is where I learned my next lesson. There really is value in being patient, getting mad and frustrated won't hurry the process any faster. It really is good advice to distract oneself and do everything possible to stay busy with normal day to day stuff.

When I got the news I consider myself lucky. My doctor called me on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 20th, only 2 days after the biopsy. I hadn't been stewing at all because I figured no phones calls were expected yet. I'm glad I was caught off guard. My wonderful doctor taught me the next important lesson; BE POSITIVE! This is the way she gave me the bad news; "Debbie, we got the biopsy back already and I have to admit I was surprised. It is cancer but don't panic, it is itty-bitty and we will be able to fully treat you and get you back on your feet in no time. Could you meet with me tomorrow afternoon so we can get the ball rolling? You're going to be fine!"

My first reaction was both shock and yet not that shocked. My mother had gone through breast cancer twice at the age of 55 and 59. So for me and my sisters we've always assumed there was a chance that we might find ourselves in this very situation at some point in our lives. Also I confess, my gut or the spirit kind of warned me all along that this was something to be taken seriously but to not worry. Thank goodness my mom was still alive and kicking after 20 years cancer free, I found that very encouraging.

I love the words itty-bitty, I kept repeating them over and over which helped me stay glued together mentally until the following afternoon. Once more I told no one except my husband. I figured until I had all the facts, people's imaginations would go into overdrive. I met with my doctor in her office and we talked for an hour. She told me my breast cancer was the most common type called invasive ductal carcinoma and it was 1.6 cm. We discussed the pros and cons of doing a mastectomy vs. a lumpectomy with radiation. She even had the surgery date all set up for September 12th. She gave me the names of the oncologist and the radiology oncologist she worked with as a team. Then she gave me lots of information about my cancer and the various treatment options out there for me to study. After the Q and A, she ended once more with such positive words. "We have caught this early and depending on which treatment is best, this will either be a small bump or a big bump in the road.

Wow! What can one say; suddenly my life has changed forever. I have had a number of friends with cancer including my own mom and now I'm in the same boat. As I drove back home all I could think about was how I found that lump. Personally I knew it was no accident and I found great comfort in that fact. I also thought about all those useless mammograms and how this should have been detected sooner. But the cancer was under 2 cm which seemed to be significant to my doctor. I had lots to learn, but first I had to tell my kids.