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Time changes perspective about bad news
Colleen was pretty upset when she first found out the surgeon didn't get clean margins for her lumpectomy. This meant that a second surgery was necessary and our lives would be put on hold for at least another six weeks.
Colleen had a spiculated tumor, which means the tumor is star shaped and had long narrow fingers. After 4 TAC infusions, all they could detect was a small round ball less than 1cm in size. The cancer in the margin was a very small 1 mm by 1.5 mm piece, which cannot normally be detected by ultrasound or mammography, or at least that is what I was told.
After getting over being upset, we realized that the surgeon could have taken a smaller lump out and completely missed a very small pocket of cancer that survived at the end of one of the fingers of the tumor. If the small pocket was allowed to remain, the results could be tragic.
Instead of looking at the dirty margin as a bad thing, we are now looking at it as something that very well could save Colleen's life.
Since the pocket was so small, I think Colleen is looking to do a re-excision, but she has until May 22nd to make up her mind.
It's funny how a little bit of time and reflection can change your outlook on things.
Lee
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