24:Good News and Not so Good News

Thursday February 11, 2016

One quick flight in the early morning and we are on Oahu. We arrived with plenty of time and I was early in checking into my 830am appt., by an hour. The CT of the lungs went fine. I was done with and without contrast. The Breast MRI was also done with and without contrast. For Breast MRI you are laying down, face down arms above your head with your face resting in donut (like a massage table). I was given button to hold in my hand to call for help if I needed it during  the exam. If this button is pressed after the contrast has been administered and the technologist has to stop the exam, then the exam would have to be rescheduled.

Minutes after the contrast was pushed through my I.V. my throat started to itch! I didn’t want to push the button and cancel this important test. My nose was stuffy, I was on the tail end of a head cold. My nose was just dripping, couldn’t do nothing about that. My eyes started to water and my throat was really itchy. I had to clear my throat a couple of times. I was trying really hard not to move. I was literally talking to myself, saying “I can do this, I can do this”! My throat didn’t close up, I was having to breathe through my mouth, because my nose was so stuffed up. I managed to complete the exam.

The technologist called over a radiologists, Dr. Kristen Nagata to examine me. A first responder nurse also came. I was told that normally they would take me over to the emergency department for observation, after a reaction to contrast. However, because I had an 11 am appointment with Dr. Nakashizuka (breast surgeon) they opted to keep me there and observe me. The nurse was honest in telling me that if they sent me to the ED, that I would not be discharged in time for my 11:00 appointment.

Dr.  Mari Nakashizuka; 11 am appointment:

Dr. Mari already had both the MRI and CT reports in her hand for this appointment. The “Good News” is that the original tumor in the left breast is gone!!!! Also, that area near the chest wall is also no longer there! The lymph nodes were a different story. Some lymph nodes appear slightly more prominent. Instead of doing a sentinel node biopsy during surgery she is now going to do lymph node dissection.

The CT, (sigh) as previously on the first blogs (blog #12) I mentioned a nodule on my lung, small little burger, only 5mm in size. Well today it measured 7mm, could be a difference in equipment, could be human error. This can not be ignored.

Surgery discussion:

The original plan was to do a bilateral Mastectomy with reconstruction. I have made the decision to have both my breast removed, this will still happen, just not as I had planned. Because of the Lymph nodes Radiation Treatment might be necessary. And because of the Lung nodule, it’s just another wrench in the bucket!! What Dr. Nakashizuka is recommending is a Left Mastectomy first, deal with the Lung nodule, get through the remainder of my Herceptin treatments, and have radiation treatment if necessary. Then do the Prophylactic Mastectomy on the right side with bilateral reconstruction. Dr. Mari feels I would opening myself up for the possibility of infection with my immune system being compromised with my continued treatment……………..I just want this over with!

Friday February 12, 2016

My appointment with my medical oncologist was at 1030 am. Dr. Chong went over the test results again with me. He made me feel better, by stressing that the main tumor in the left breast is gone! He wants to proceed with the breast surgery as soon as possible. He feels that I am strong enough for a bilateral mastectomy, however he is going to have me talk to a Radiation Oncologist. If radiation treatment is needed then putting off the reconstruction might be the best course.

So whats next?

Dr. Chong will contact the Thoracic doctor and have them look at my PET CT from 8-2015 and my CT from 2-2016 to determine if a Lung Dissection is needed. The office the Dr. Baker, Radiation Oncology will be calling me to set up an appointment. All of this should happen before my next appoint with Dr. Chong and Dr. Nakashizuka which is set for  Friday March 11th.

Not exactly the news I was hoping to blog about, but it is what it is. I need to stay on course and stay positive that all will be okay. This is just another bump in the road, or lung!

Mahalo for reading, and my apologies to family that I didn’t get a chance to talk to prior to posting this. (you know who you are) Thank you for the well wishes and prayers.

Much Aloha Pina