At The Beginning

[Mary Jo]

Hello Everyone,

I spoke with someone last night who was just recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She was just diagnosed on the Friday after Thanksgiving and will already have a lumpectomy on Tuesday of next week. Anyway, that got me thinking as to what you all had done to you after your diagnosis.

After having a needle core biopsy I was told the next day I had breast cancer. From there appointments were made to meet with a surgeon and an oncologist. The first oncologist I met with wanted me to have a PET scan to see if the cancer was anywhere else, a chest x-ray, blood work and an MRI of both breasts to see if there was anymore breast cancer. After all of that (thankfully all tests proved negative EXCEPT for original breast cancer) I had my mastectomy approximately 5 weeks after diagnosis.

Looking back, I remember how I wanted everything over with right away but now am so thankful I was put through this series of tests.

What was your course of testing after diagnosis? Does everyone go through a PET scan after first diagnosis? Blood work? Chest X-ray? OR whatever else there is.

God Bless you all,

Mary Jo