Follow-up appointment today. Pathology showed no more surprises. Because my cancerous area was so small the surgeon took two areas rather than one entire area. The initial area showed a 1mm clear margin and then the second area was completely clear. I still have some discomfort and a lot of bruising (I was not prepared for this level of bruising - YIKES!), but every day gets better. I am learning with a cancer diagnosis the question is always "What's Next?" As a long time West Wing fan, this always makes me smile a bit.
So What's Next?
I will have my mapping appointment with radiation in 3 weeks. This determines the area that will receive radiation. They will also decide how many rounds of radiation I actually need.
Radiation will begin 4 weeks after surgery at the earliest. Gotta give the body time to heal.
Genetic Counseling - Because of this diagnosis at 40 it is important to find out if there's a genetic reason this cancer happened. This will help my oncologist and medical team manage my long game.
Potential Hormone therapy - My cancer was hormone positive. So a potential hormone therapy may be recommended, again, for the long game. This would not start until a certain period following radiation, as hormones can actually negate the effectiveness of the radiation treatments.
In closing, I have seen MANY social media posts regarding masks being a sign of fear. I would like to weigh in for just a minute.
I am so thankful that so many of you have an immune system that, for the most part, would allow you to fight off COVID-19 effectively, efficiently, and hopefully without long-term damage (though medical science doesn't have ANY data on long-term because this stuff is only 6 months old). Until 1 week ago, I did too. But now, I am in recovery and will be for the next 6 months. So my family wears masks. (We did before I was diagnosed with cancer, too). I realize that, initially, the effectiveness of masks was in question. But, like all things, with more knowledge comes more power. Please don't site a social media article from April when saying masks aren't safe. We know better now. We will continue to know better the longer scientists study COVID-19. I have worn masks for entire days during the last several weeks because a hospital required me to. I also have (slowly because of surgery recovery) continued my daily walks around my neighborhood without a mask - again because the initial science on this virus says that is a safe option. I choose to trust the advice of doctors and nurses when it comes to my health, rather than journalists who have an obvious political and social agenda. You probably won't see much of me until all of this is over, but if you see my husband (who's my MVP) and you aren't wearing a mask, please keep your distance. We have a much bigger fight in our house than the one that I see on social media.