[Tom]

Dearest Friends,

All of you bring me to tears with your willingness to help at a moments notice. I know I am on dangerous ground here, both for my friend and I. Jumping back into the fray of worrying on a daily basis about a close personal friend was a gut wrencing decision for me, but I thought of what my Mom would have said about helping a friend of hers with this stinking mess. I also take into consideration that she is messing with a dangerous pitbull of sorts that will wreak havock on her if it gets out of the yard.

Let me respond as best I can to the stimulating answers you have all posted.

Laurel, I agree that this is a recurrence and should be treated as such. The option of more radiation therapy is out because of the prior course of radiotherapy according to her doctor and is unrelated to any requirement of the vaccine trial protocol. His protocol is quite liberal with respect to much other than that the disease be HER2+ DCIS. Also, thank you so much for the ASCO article. I found it fascinating to say the least, and will site it to her surgeon. This doctor is gonna hate my guts before this is all over. Oh well. I have always been interested in the strange response other areas of disease seem to have when their primery friend is removed. It's as if they know they lost their home base and go into overdrive to battle those trying to make them go away.

Rich, I was concerned about what diagnostics she would have, as again we are dealing with such a rascally rabbbit. As it turns out, the trial will provide tons of diagnostic testing including whole body MRI's before and after her surgery, as well as the latest tumor markers.

Chrisy, you are thinking what I have been thinking all day. Go for the sledge hammer while she can: Vaccine AND mastectomy. She is not obsessed with keeping her breasts intact mind you, but she is toying with the idea of not having to have one or both hacked off if she doesn't have to. I reminded her in the doctor's office that breasts were for nursing, so not to sweat it. Then I realized what a stupid thing I had said and apologized for my insensitivity. What if I were being told I needed to have one or both of my testicles removed? Geez...now that's an eye opener.

Jean, the barn door reference is not lost on me. Thanks for reminding me. They sure are hard to close afterwards.

Flori, I did ask the doctor if anything regarding the vaccine trial might later preclude her form getting Herceptin or other new drugs, and he said absolutely not. Asking for herceptin because of this "recurrence" sounds like a great question. I feel the air from your propeller hitting me in the face as I read your post.

AliceM, the construction issue is already being handled, as the surgeon has a team of plastic surgeons that operate with him at his request. Thank you.

Caya, another vote for the guillotine. I'm getting the message loud and clear now. Life goes on without breasts all the time. Stay alive to enjoy it.

Jacqueline, you are so right about your approach to coaching. I have already asked to have a long sit down with her and her two grown daughters. Sadly, her husband doesn't really seem to give two flying poops about much of it. I never did undersand that side of him. Then again, it isn't his body that they want to rearrange anyway, so who cares what he thinks. I confess they don't have the best relationship to begin with.

Marie, I don't have to say anything about your response. Just watching you in your daily struggle to keep your sweetie speaks volumes and adds support to my new mission. Thank you as always.

Well, this has been an intersting Internet session for me. Oddly, my computer is down and I am writing from the local library which my sweet Mother headed for so many years before retiring to battle one illness after the other. It is difficult for me to sit here where she walked around since I was a child, but I feel her presence as I read all of your posts and rack my mind for the right answers. I must confess that I might not have appreciated the significance of her disease at first blush, knowing that it was "just DCIS". Clearly this is nothing to take any more lightly than if it were a more advanced disease. It's time to slam the door on these hideous little cells while there is still time.

I cannot thank all of you enough for helping me with this difficult task. The pressure of worrying about somebody else almost overwhelmed me until this moment. Thank you all for your mindful input. Watch your home mail boxes. I will be sending new propeller hats to all of you. I am still praying for all of you wonderful patients and family members that are burdened with this disease.

Sweating just a little bit less,
Tom