January 7, 2013 - Even though my mom & Zac went with me to meet with the surgeon, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. The reason being, there are still tests that need to be ran in order for me to make the right decision, so surgery will not be scheduled for another month. With that being said, I will inform you on how I interpreted the conversation. My cancer is Stage 2 because it measures 1.88 cm but considering it is contained it's Stage 0. We need to find out if it is estrogen related and/or if it is genetic. Depending on the outcome of each of these, individually and collectively, will determine if I only have a lumpectomy or a double mastectomy.
If it is NOT estrogen related and NOT genetic, then I can have a lumpectomy with radiation. If it is estrogen related then I will be placed on a pill for 5 years. (2 out of 3 breast cancer cases are estrogen related) During which I will NOT be able to get pregnant and there is a possibility I wouldn't be able to become pregnant afterwards because the pill causes menopause or the ovaries no longer can function.
If it is genetic, I will have to make the decision to have a double mastectomy and will have to have my ovaries taken due to the increase risk of ovarian cancer. The one thing I am unclear on right now, is the surgeon said no matter what I will have to have chemotherapy. Having chemotherapy means that I will have to see a fertility doctor in order to have my eggs frozen if I decide to have children in the future. In my opinion this doesn't make much sense, but hey I'm just an accountant not a doctor. So I will get clarification on this soon and keep you updated.
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