The nitty, gritty details.

I will start from the beginning just in case there is some woman out there who is ignoring a situation that just doesn't feel right. For me, I have felt a lump in my left breast for probably eight months now. Crazy, right? Well, maybe not so crazy when you are only 38 years old with big lumpy boobs and no immediate family history of breast cancer. Finally, due to my husband's nagging (Thanks, babe.), I got it checked out by my ob/gyn. He scheduled me a mammogram...which then lead to a follow-up ultrasound...which then lead to three roto-rooter style biopsies and two cyst aspirations...which then lead me to here- a diagnosis.

Specifically, all three of my biopsies came from my left breast and all three samples came back positive for invasive lobular carcinoma. Don't worry. I have already googled those three words a million times, and ILC is a type of cancer that begins in the milk-producing glands. Only about 10% of all invasive breast cancers are of this type. (Crap...I hope that people still want to research it.) The biopsies also indicate that I am Estrogen and Progesterone Receptor positive. According to my doctor, this is a "good" cancer. It means after the cancer is removed, I can take medication for five or more years that will suppress my hormones, and all will be well. When I met with my doctor a couple of weeks ago, she indicated I could go with a lumpectomy and radiation or with a mastectomy. Either way, I get new boobs due to a law passed in 1998 that says insurance must provide for that. (God bless America.)

Since my conversation with the breast surgeon, I have met with a plastic surgeon that explained the procedures associated with each type of surgery. Also, I have had two MRIs. Unfortunately, I have recently learned that the MRIs indicate more "areas of concern." This time on my right side. With this new knowledge, there may be no choice of treatment plans. To tell the truth, I am leaning toward a double mastectomy anyway. I want these puppies off. Give me fake fun bags. I don't want to be looking over my shoulder the rest of life waiting to do this all over again. Turns out, I'll be paranoid anyway though, as the path report indicated that I may be at increased risk for signet ring gastric carcinoma. (Googled that one already, too...stomach cancer). Sucks, sucks, sucks. So where am I now? Well, tomorrow I go in for yet another ultrasound to investigate these "areas of concern." I am hoping there is no need for another biopsy because that has been so far the absolute worst part. After the ultrasound, I'll meet with the breast surgeon again. This whole process seems awfully slow. Jeez...isn't there cancerous crap growing exponentially in my body?

Let me add that comments are appreciated. While I don't want any sympathy, I do want to keep my friends and family updated and informed. Plus, I love when people tell me survivor stories. Getting cancer is sort of like getting a new car. All of a sudden you realize how many people have that same car out there. Lots of women have been through this and came out the other side. Can't hear enough of those stories.