Cindi
06-22-2004, 10:15 PM
Well, the Drs. at Univ. of Michigan Hospital all met this past Monday at what they called their "Breast Cancer Tumor board" weekly meeting and my case was presented by my radiation oncologist.
Last week my Rad. oncologist confirmed that I could NOT be erradiated again because I had just received radiation in the same areas 18 months ago, she went the extra mile and presented my case to the board (about 15-20 doctors in attendance, who specialize in BC cases). She was looking to the surgeons as to whether or not surgery could be done to remove this 5 mm. lymph node.
Happily the concensus was YES! This lymph node that the uptake showed on the PET scan is in the level 3 axcillary nodes and they are going to go in surgically to get it. Given my age and prior stage of diagnosis (Current age 43, Stage 2A in 4/02) I feel that this is my best choice. To leave that lymph node to just Navelbine and Herceptin when there is a chance to remove it, seems riskier (especially with 3 chidren to raise). They will start the chemo/herceptin within 3 weeks after surgery.
I realize that like everyone who reads this board, that there are no guarantees, but as I said before, I am here to FIGHT!
We are on vacation this week, so I won't be posting for a few days. They will be setting the date for the surgery this week. I expect it to be late next week or early the following. I will keep you posted.
May God Bless you all and keep you strong during these tough times. I sooooooooooo agree with one the earlier posts that stated that this disease will be a chronic, but manageable one soon. My UofM surgeon said that exact same thing two days ago! Keep the Faith!
Last week my Rad. oncologist confirmed that I could NOT be erradiated again because I had just received radiation in the same areas 18 months ago, she went the extra mile and presented my case to the board (about 15-20 doctors in attendance, who specialize in BC cases). She was looking to the surgeons as to whether or not surgery could be done to remove this 5 mm. lymph node.
Happily the concensus was YES! This lymph node that the uptake showed on the PET scan is in the level 3 axcillary nodes and they are going to go in surgically to get it. Given my age and prior stage of diagnosis (Current age 43, Stage 2A in 4/02) I feel that this is my best choice. To leave that lymph node to just Navelbine and Herceptin when there is a chance to remove it, seems riskier (especially with 3 chidren to raise). They will start the chemo/herceptin within 3 weeks after surgery.
I realize that like everyone who reads this board, that there are no guarantees, but as I said before, I am here to FIGHT!
We are on vacation this week, so I won't be posting for a few days. They will be setting the date for the surgery this week. I expect it to be late next week or early the following. I will keep you posted.
May God Bless you all and keep you strong during these tough times. I sooooooooooo agree with one the earlier posts that stated that this disease will be a chronic, but manageable one soon. My UofM surgeon said that exact same thing two days ago! Keep the Faith!