Dr. Atwood's nurse just came out and said they about to truly start now. They started earlier, but they can't really start until the bleeding from the previous surgery stops and gets cleaned up. Vici (veecee), Dr. Atwood's nurse said everything looks fine so far and they'll let me know more in a couple of hours. She kind of squashed my theory that Jenna will be through early. She thinks they are right on track for our original time table.
Big winner
Jenna's friend from work, Bev, just came by and dropped off the gift Jenna won at the Chamber of Commerce breakfast. Springdale Chamber of Commerce puts on a breakfast for Springdale School District employees. Jenna won a $100 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble and a nice book bag from there. Kind of nice to have $100 to spend on reading when you're about to spend a couple of on your back.
Cross came out
Dr. Cross just came out and said everything went smooth and easy. Atwood is scrubbing in right now and should be 5-6 hours. Cross' went a little ahead of schedule so if everything goes good she may be in a room a little bit quicker than expected.
Dr. Cross has finished
Dr. Cross has finished with the mastectomy. There will be about a 20 minute gap while they move Jenna to her stomach and stabilize everything and then Dr. Atwood will come in. Cross should come out to speak to us in a second.
Pre-surgery pic
Jenna wanted one last pic before going back so I snapped this with my phone:
For those of you who don't know, Jenna is practically blind so she had to wear glasses this morning. She wears them so rarely and they change her look so much I barely recognize her with them on.
For those of you who don't know, Jenna is practically blind so she had to wear glasses this morning. She wears them so rarely and they change her look so much I barely recognize her with them on.
They've started
Just got the official word they have started the surgery and everything is fine. They'll call every 1 to 1 1/2 hours to let us know how things are going.
And they're off...
Jenna's back in the OR. We got here at 6 and went through the whole pre-op routine of IVs, antibiotics, and her 6-pack (what the anesthesiologist referred to her 'relaxing' medication). The bonus was the cool lingerie she got from the pre-op nurse. Full leg stockings (support hose) and garters (air pump valves). The lingerie is to prevent embolism during everything.
On a serious note, I feel so grateful for the great team of doctors and nurses Jenna's with right now. I know I don't know them away from this environment but when you are with Drs. Cross and Atwood you can see the understanding and you can really feel the compassion coming from them. I know that God has put Jenna on a path to great things and I know He put these gentlemen on this path with us for a reason.
On a serious note, I feel so grateful for the great team of doctors and nurses Jenna's with right now. I know I don't know them away from this environment but when you are with Drs. Cross and Atwood you can see the understanding and you can really feel the compassion coming from them. I know that God has put Jenna on a path to great things and I know He put these gentlemen on this path with us for a reason.
Tomorrow's the big day
As most of you know tomorrow is Jenna's surgery. We have to be there at 6AM and the surgery should be over around 5-530PM. I'm going to post news here as the day goes on and the news is filtered to me. Of course when she gets to her room there may be a big pause in posts while we get her settled in. The Dr. would like visitations to be limited within the first 24 hours but after that please come to see Jenna and lift her spirits. I'm forwarding all of our phones to my cell phone for the next several days so if I don't answer just leave me a message and I'll try to get back as quick as I can.
I'll do my best to keep you all informed because I know how blessed my wife is to have so many people who love her. Thank you all for your support yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
All my love,
Chad
I'll do my best to keep you all informed because I know how blessed my wife is to have so many people who love her. Thank you all for your support yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
All my love,
Chad
Still little boy
Noah skipped his morning nap so he was on fumes when we left church. As we were leaving I pointed at a little boy about Noah's age who was laying with his head on his mother's shoulder on their way to their car. I told Noah, "Why aren't you ever still like that so your Momma and Daddy can hold you.
Of course he fell asleep in the car from the church to Sam's (about 2 miles) so we decided to lay him out on his buggy cover in the shopping cart. Well when I picked him up he stirred a little but the sun convinced him to keep his eyes closed. I held him like a baby for a few minutes to let him get back to sleep. Then instead of putting him in the buggy I put his head on my shoulder like other parents get to hold their kid. What do you know, he didn't wake up. I walked into Sam's and held him for as long as I could before my arm went to sleep. Then I put him in the cart and he slept the whole time. On our way out we ran into someone in Jenna's school and we stayed in one place for too long and he woke up.
I told him that he may not remember it but he let Daddy hold him and he liked it a lot. Next time he'll have to be awake for it and then fall asleep with me holding him. What a concept :P
Of course he fell asleep in the car from the church to Sam's (about 2 miles) so we decided to lay him out on his buggy cover in the shopping cart. Well when I picked him up he stirred a little but the sun convinced him to keep his eyes closed. I held him like a baby for a few minutes to let him get back to sleep. Then instead of putting him in the buggy I put his head on my shoulder like other parents get to hold their kid. What do you know, he didn't wake up. I walked into Sam's and held him for as long as I could before my arm went to sleep. Then I put him in the cart and he slept the whole time. On our way out we ran into someone in Jenna's school and we stayed in one place for too long and he woke up.
I told him that he may not remember it but he let Daddy hold him and he liked it a lot. Next time he'll have to be awake for it and then fall asleep with me holding him. What a concept :P
My "Think Pink" Party
I went to Texarkana last week so that my mother and dad could help me take care of Noah while my biopsy sites under my arms healed. I got a nice rest as mom got up at night with Noah, bathed Noah, and got up in the morning with Noah. For the first time in a long time, I felt truly rested. While in Texarkana, my mother's friends threw me a party. I did not know about it. I was so touched. I told them I had never been to a cancer party. Diane Green quickly corrected me and told me it was a "Think Pink" party. It is truly amazing how many people love me. I don’t know what I have done to deserve all this love. I have a good life. Many people were there and everyone had on pink, even my dad and Curt Green. The snacks were all pink as were the very cute table cloths. There was pink champagne and pink lemonade. The guests brought gifts for when I am in the hospital and when I am at home recovering. I got pjs, house shoes, stationary, bath products, and inspirational books. They all formed a team for me in the Texarkana race for the cure. They named it Jenna’s Hens and Friends. It was one of those moments I will never forget. It ranks up there with the day I married Chad and the first time I met my son. Funny, those days were about joy and were full of happiness. This day was bittersweet as I am on the countdown to a bilateral mastectomy due to breast cancer. I know I will come out of this a stronger woman. I recognize and am eternally grateful for the people who care for me and sprinkle me with droplets of hope.
Rally for the Cure
It's funny how you are oblivious to things until they affect your life. Every year I play in some charity golf events. It's pretty much the same thing. You get a day of golf at a nice course, a tax write-off, and if things work out a nice fat gift certificate to the pro shop. I'm always aware of what the tournament is benefitting but it is always the last thing you think about. If a buddy called and said "Hey there's a 2-man on Thursday at Pinnacle for $100, you in?" I'd just look at the checkbook and my calendar to see if I could play. Since all tournaments on weekdays are for charity, I know it is a benefit tournament, but I doubt 1 out of 10 times I'd even ask what the charity was.
With everything happening in our life right now, I've become super pink ribbon aware. It's strange how many people you see wearing pins or signs at shops or even on stationary we've received. I saw a flyer the other day with a pink ribbon. I picked it up and it was an entry form for Rally for the Cure, a charity golf tournament benefiting the Susan G Komen foundation. I called Mika and he stopped by Pinnacle Country Club and signed us up. I thought it was cool to play in a tournament benefiting breast cancer research and cleared my Wednesday afternoon calendar.
It wasn't until I pulled up and a huge, pink blow up arch was over the clubhouse drive that I had any deeper thought than it just being 'cool' to play in this tournament. Standing there at my car I realized that this tournament was being played for my family. This wasn't a tournament for me to get out of a day of appointments. It wasn't a good excuse to play Pinnacle for only the 3rd time. This tournament was to raise money so the next generation doesn't have to go through what my wife is going through. It's being played so husbands don't have to hold their wives in the middle of the night while they cry themselves to sleep. This tournament was about hope for a better tomorrow.
Before the tournament we sat in the dining room eating lunch while the women players came off the course. A couple of groups stopped at our table and thanked us for playing. One lady told us how happy she was the mens' field of 60 teams was full for the first time. Before we went to our teeboxes a man gave a speech about what we were playing for and to play hard and play well but at least take some time on the course to think about why we were there and to realize 1 in 8 women will get this terrible thing. I've heard dozens of these speeches. All I could think was I wanted to just shout out to the assembled men that he was talking about my family, because I know the vast majority were doing what I always do. Nod their head, think about it for a few minutes, and then play golf.
I think Mika and I took a lot of what he said to heart. We didn't start out with our usual talk of what number we think it will take to win. We didn't seem overly concerned when we started scrambling for pars on the first 4 holes. Likewise, we never got too excited when we hit our stride and started throwing darts at the flags and went on an extended birdie barrage. We stopped at each hole that had a group of women in pink shirts and spoke to them and told them it really was our pleasure to play. They thanked us anyways. We just shrugged our shoulders when the men we were playing with kept encouraging us that they felt we had a chance to win if we continued to play well. We never even had our little math session where we try to find the birdies in the last few holes and which hole we can steal a bird at. We just played.
We did have 1 moment on the course where our foursome discussed the reason we were there. On 1 of the par 3's a group of women in pink were there to watch and see if someone got a hole-in-one. The prize was a new car and a Rolex watch. While we waited to hit, one lady asked if breast cancer had affected us directly. I told her about Jenna and her upcoming surgeries. She was real perky and bubbly and I could tell she wasn't ready to hear that. She looked like I'd thrown cold water on her. The group of women all gave words of encouragement and said they'd pray for us. I'll give the lady credit for not being deterred. She asked the guys playing with us the same question while McFadden and I went up the teebox to hit. The younger of the 2 guys, 24 years young, told us how his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 31 and died at the age of 34, 2 days after his sixth birthday. On the next hole, I told him I was sorry about his mother. He asked me what Jenna's plan of care was. When I told him bilateral masectomy he said, "Good. Get that out of her body and let her raise her son." I really thought I might cry. If we weren't looking at a 40-footer for eagle I may have.
I don't know if it was the relaxed way we played or not, but at the end of the day Mika and I did shoot the magic number. We beat the 59 other teams and won the tournament and got the congratulatory hand shakes...and beers. I'd also won the long drive hole and got a new driver for my efforts. I got more congratulatory hand shakes...and more beers. I felt pretty good but I still was just happy to play. I didn't think it was a big deal to have won until I got into my car and called Jenna on my way home. She'd had a pretty special day in Texarkana where a group of her friends and family had thrown her a surprise 'Think Pink' party to announce their 'Walk for the Cure' team named in her honor. "Jenna's Hens and Friends" gave her a very special day that I'll let her tell about later. When she finally ran out of breath she asked me if I had fun playing golf. I told her we won. She didn't believe me at first. When I told I was serious she started yelling to her friends that we had won the 'Rally for the Cure.' She came back and her voice was thick with emotion, love, and gratitude. She said it was the perfect end to a perfect day and she was so happy she could burst. That's when it became special to me that we won. Until then I swear I'd just been happy to have played and been a part of the tournament. I'd spent my day with a great friend, playing a sport we love, and helping out a cause that I just now get. However, when the day came to an end I listened to my sweet wife's voice and I got caught up in her emotions and I let them carry me away.
With everything happening in our life right now, I've become super pink ribbon aware. It's strange how many people you see wearing pins or signs at shops or even on stationary we've received. I saw a flyer the other day with a pink ribbon. I picked it up and it was an entry form for Rally for the Cure, a charity golf tournament benefiting the Susan G Komen foundation. I called Mika and he stopped by Pinnacle Country Club and signed us up. I thought it was cool to play in a tournament benefiting breast cancer research and cleared my Wednesday afternoon calendar.
It wasn't until I pulled up and a huge, pink blow up arch was over the clubhouse drive that I had any deeper thought than it just being 'cool' to play in this tournament. Standing there at my car I realized that this tournament was being played for my family. This wasn't a tournament for me to get out of a day of appointments. It wasn't a good excuse to play Pinnacle for only the 3rd time. This tournament was to raise money so the next generation doesn't have to go through what my wife is going through. It's being played so husbands don't have to hold their wives in the middle of the night while they cry themselves to sleep. This tournament was about hope for a better tomorrow.
Before the tournament we sat in the dining room eating lunch while the women players came off the course. A couple of groups stopped at our table and thanked us for playing. One lady told us how happy she was the mens' field of 60 teams was full for the first time. Before we went to our teeboxes a man gave a speech about what we were playing for and to play hard and play well but at least take some time on the course to think about why we were there and to realize 1 in 8 women will get this terrible thing. I've heard dozens of these speeches. All I could think was I wanted to just shout out to the assembled men that he was talking about my family, because I know the vast majority were doing what I always do. Nod their head, think about it for a few minutes, and then play golf.
I think Mika and I took a lot of what he said to heart. We didn't start out with our usual talk of what number we think it will take to win. We didn't seem overly concerned when we started scrambling for pars on the first 4 holes. Likewise, we never got too excited when we hit our stride and started throwing darts at the flags and went on an extended birdie barrage. We stopped at each hole that had a group of women in pink shirts and spoke to them and told them it really was our pleasure to play. They thanked us anyways. We just shrugged our shoulders when the men we were playing with kept encouraging us that they felt we had a chance to win if we continued to play well. We never even had our little math session where we try to find the birdies in the last few holes and which hole we can steal a bird at. We just played.
We did have 1 moment on the course where our foursome discussed the reason we were there. On 1 of the par 3's a group of women in pink were there to watch and see if someone got a hole-in-one. The prize was a new car and a Rolex watch. While we waited to hit, one lady asked if breast cancer had affected us directly. I told her about Jenna and her upcoming surgeries. She was real perky and bubbly and I could tell she wasn't ready to hear that. She looked like I'd thrown cold water on her. The group of women all gave words of encouragement and said they'd pray for us. I'll give the lady credit for not being deterred. She asked the guys playing with us the same question while McFadden and I went up the teebox to hit. The younger of the 2 guys, 24 years young, told us how his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 31 and died at the age of 34, 2 days after his sixth birthday. On the next hole, I told him I was sorry about his mother. He asked me what Jenna's plan of care was. When I told him bilateral masectomy he said, "Good. Get that out of her body and let her raise her son." I really thought I might cry. If we weren't looking at a 40-footer for eagle I may have.
I don't know if it was the relaxed way we played or not, but at the end of the day Mika and I did shoot the magic number. We beat the 59 other teams and won the tournament and got the congratulatory hand shakes...and beers. I'd also won the long drive hole and got a new driver for my efforts. I got more congratulatory hand shakes...and more beers. I felt pretty good but I still was just happy to play. I didn't think it was a big deal to have won until I got into my car and called Jenna on my way home. She'd had a pretty special day in Texarkana where a group of her friends and family had thrown her a surprise 'Think Pink' party to announce their 'Walk for the Cure' team named in her honor. "Jenna's Hens and Friends" gave her a very special day that I'll let her tell about later. When she finally ran out of breath she asked me if I had fun playing golf. I told her we won. She didn't believe me at first. When I told I was serious she started yelling to her friends that we had won the 'Rally for the Cure.' She came back and her voice was thick with emotion, love, and gratitude. She said it was the perfect end to a perfect day and she was so happy she could burst. That's when it became special to me that we won. Until then I swear I'd just been happy to have played and been a part of the tournament. I'd spent my day with a great friend, playing a sport we love, and helping out a cause that I just now get. However, when the day came to an end I listened to my sweet wife's voice and I got caught up in her emotions and I let them carry me away.
In the clear!
Good news. My lymph nodes look clear...no spreading of cancer cells. That means that after the long road of recovery after surgery, this will be over and will soon become only a speed bump in my life. Yeah! Thanks for the prayers!
Changed name and may change look
We know how many people read this blog, 'Noah's blog' because when we go a long time without posts people will inform us of our lack of effort :) . Jenna has wanted to keep you guys informed of her stuff here, as well as on the phone, and the all reliable grapevine. She's said she doesn't want to take over Noah's blog so Magga set up a Care Page for her at carepages.com but after showing it to her she decided she didn't want to do that either.
Armed with this information I have made an executive decision to give people 1 place where they can check on both (and the occasional news from Sweet Papa's corner of life). I now present to you the newly christened Sullivan Family blog. You may come here to get news of Lil'bit as well as his sweet Momma. I may change the look/theme but I'll wait for approval from the boss lady. No reason to make too many executive decisions in 1 day and overstep my authority :)
Armed with this information I have made an executive decision to give people 1 place where they can check on both (and the occasional news from Sweet Papa's corner of life). I now present to you the newly christened Sullivan Family blog. You may come here to get news of Lil'bit as well as his sweet Momma. I may change the look/theme but I'll wait for approval from the boss lady. No reason to make too many executive decisions in 1 day and overstep my authority :)
In recovery
Jenna's in Stage 1 recovery for 30-45 minutes now. I was taken to a consultation area with Dr. Cross. He said everything went fine. They took 2 out of the left and 1 out of the right but I've told it both ways now and confused myself so that may be backwards. He said the dye count in both sides was over 20,000 which means they correctly identified these as the sentinel nodes. They'll be biopsied and we'll know 100% if any cancer cells have spread from her breasts. Keep praying until Monday when we get the results.
Back in surgery
Jenna's back in the operating room for her sentinel node removal. They'll be sent to pathology and we'll know something probably Monday. I got to go back with her into the pre-op area where ordered chaos would be the best description. Dr. Cross (the oncological surgeon) came by and talked to us briefly to make sure we didn't have any questions. Of course Jenna and I have read everything about this surgery so we're pretty informed.
The most comical part was when I was taken back to pre-op to be at her side until she was taken to surgery and Jenna informed me they did a pregnancy test. Dr. Cross warned us several weeks ago that Jenna cannot get pregnant during this time because it will severely limit her treatment options and she's not allowed to take birth control now. More than that, Noah has really been doing a great audition to be an only child. Needless to say, we've been very careful. But for some strange, bizzare reason while we were waiting for the results I was as nervous as I've ever been in my life. All I could say was, "We're not pregnant, we can't be pregnant, dear God please don't be pregnant, for the love of all that's holy tell me your not pregnant!!!" This continued for about 10 minutes before a nurse came in and said she was starting Jenna's antibiotic. Jenna asked "That means I'm not pregnant right?" She said "That's right." The nurse must not have understood what I had been going through because I was expected someone to come in and say "Congratulations, you're not pregnant!" or "We regret to inform you..." But to come in so blase´ she obviously hasn't been on the other side of that curtain before.
I'll let you guys know when Jenna's out of surgery and is doing well.
The most comical part was when I was taken back to pre-op to be at her side until she was taken to surgery and Jenna informed me they did a pregnancy test. Dr. Cross warned us several weeks ago that Jenna cannot get pregnant during this time because it will severely limit her treatment options and she's not allowed to take birth control now. More than that, Noah has really been doing a great audition to be an only child. Needless to say, we've been very careful. But for some strange, bizzare reason while we were waiting for the results I was as nervous as I've ever been in my life. All I could say was, "We're not pregnant, we can't be pregnant, dear God please don't be pregnant, for the love of all that's holy tell me your not pregnant!!!" This continued for about 10 minutes before a nurse came in and said she was starting Jenna's antibiotic. Jenna asked "That means I'm not pregnant right?" She said "That's right." The nurse must not have understood what I had been going through because I was expected someone to come in and say "Congratulations, you're not pregnant!" or "We regret to inform you..." But to come in so blase´ she obviously hasn't been on the other side of that curtain before.
I'll let you guys know when Jenna's out of surgery and is doing well.
Normalcy
With all the things going on right now I thought a couple of posts here would put me back to a sense of normalcy. This weekend Noah had a lot of socializing. Friday night we went to some friends' house and watched Noah play with about 7 other kids. He interacted some but about 5 of the kids are 2 and under so they pretty much all did their own thing. He found a swing and then the night was over. The only thing Noah doesn't like about swinging is when you have to stop.
On Saturday, Noah's buddy Hayden had his 1st birthday party. It's always fun to see a 1 yr. old smear cake everywhere. They had a little kiddy pool in the back yard for the kids to play in. Most of the kids splashed in the water. They'd get distracted every now and then and then wander off exploring the Green's huge (7 acre) yard. Well not our sweet little ADHD Noah. We had to keep a man on him at all times, because he just wanted to walk around. To where you might ask? Wherever we told him not to go I respond. They have a steep embankment about 30-40 feet from the pool and its another 30 feet or so to some woods. Noah thought he was Daniel Boone or something because he tried to walk to the woods about 20 straight times. I'd let him get all the way to the woods (hoping his curiousity had been satisfied) then I'd pick him up and return him to the pool. When his feet touched the ground they pivoted and took off as fast as they could go to the woods. Once our friend Misti followed him around to the front of the house. She thought he was just looking and then would return, but not our little explorer. He set off across a 2 acre pasture. He did sleep good that night but it's comical to watch him go like that.
Maybe we shouldn't let him watch Dora anymore. He's taking the Explorer part much too seriously.
On Saturday, Noah's buddy Hayden had his 1st birthday party. It's always fun to see a 1 yr. old smear cake everywhere. They had a little kiddy pool in the back yard for the kids to play in. Most of the kids splashed in the water. They'd get distracted every now and then and then wander off exploring the Green's huge (7 acre) yard. Well not our sweet little ADHD Noah. We had to keep a man on him at all times, because he just wanted to walk around. To where you might ask? Wherever we told him not to go I respond. They have a steep embankment about 30-40 feet from the pool and its another 30 feet or so to some woods. Noah thought he was Daniel Boone or something because he tried to walk to the woods about 20 straight times. I'd let him get all the way to the woods (hoping his curiousity had been satisfied) then I'd pick him up and return him to the pool. When his feet touched the ground they pivoted and took off as fast as they could go to the woods. Once our friend Misti followed him around to the front of the house. She thought he was just looking and then would return, but not our little explorer. He set off across a 2 acre pasture. He did sleep good that night but it's comical to watch him go like that.
Maybe we shouldn't let him watch Dora anymore. He's taking the Explorer part much too seriously.
Finally, a date...
Well, after jumping through multiple hoops at various doctors, having several holes poked in me, and lots of reading, I have made a decision to have a bilateral mastectomy. The cancer in my left breast is about 5 cm., which is too big to do an efficient lumpectomy and is sort of risky in that they still may not get all the cells. I had a spot in my right breast that turned out to be benign, but don't really ever want to have to think about this coming back or one day having to go back and have an "alignment". I am going to get the mastectomy and reconstruction during the same surgery. It is a long surgery (about 10 hours) and there was a wait for operating room time. The first date they could get me on is August 15. The surgery will be at Willow Creek. I am having an outpatient surgery on July 20 for a sentinel node biopsy where they will cut under both arms to make double sure that my cancer has not drained into my nodes. If that is true and the final pathology of what is cut out shows it was not invasive, then I may not have to have any therapy following. There will be a consult with an oncologist, however, when this is all complete.
I have gotten more cards and phone calls than I would have ever imagined. I am so thankful for my support network.
Just to be fair to Noah's page...He is so cute!! He is learning this summer and was quite proud of himself today when he conquered climbing onto the couch all my himself. I left the room for a mintue. When I came back, he was sitting on the couch like the cat who ate the canary. He was able to step on the dog beds though to give him an extra boost! He has also had fun learning to stomp in all these rain puddles. He even fell is some and jumped right back up. It is really funny how there is such an inate difference between the genders. My few friends who do have baby girls, those children are so dainty. Noah can run circles around them. : )
Love to all!
I have gotten more cards and phone calls than I would have ever imagined. I am so thankful for my support network.
Just to be fair to Noah's page...He is so cute!! He is learning this summer and was quite proud of himself today when he conquered climbing onto the couch all my himself. I left the room for a mintue. When I came back, he was sitting on the couch like the cat who ate the canary. He was able to step on the dog beds though to give him an extra boost! He has also had fun learning to stomp in all these rain puddles. He even fell is some and jumped right back up. It is really funny how there is such an inate difference between the genders. My few friends who do have baby girls, those children are so dainty. Noah can run circles around them. : )
Love to all!
Update
Hey. I hate to take over my son's blog, but in the end, I guess, if Noah were older he would want our loved ones to know how his dear momma is doing. I went for a breast MRI yesterday. The news was mostly good. At this time, the radiologist did not see any evidence of this having spread to my lymphnodes. I will still have a small, bilateral biopsy though on my lymphnodes under my arm to double check. Also, my cancer shows that it has remained confined within the cell and has not yet infiltrated. It is rated as high grade, which means it is a fast grower. They also found a very small "something" in my right breast that they could not see on the mammogram or the ultrasound. So, now we are pushing some things back a few days and I am having another core needle biopsy aided by the MRI on Monday at 1. This should help me make a more informed decision about how to proceed with my treatment. Chad and I also went for a consulation at the platic surgeon's office today and left feeling very positive about our options.
Thanks so much again for all the well wishes, cards, and phone calls. Much love to you all. We Sullivans' are holding up just fine and are darn lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends and family!!
Thanks so much again for all the well wishes, cards, and phone calls. Much love to you all. We Sullivans' are holding up just fine and are darn lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends and family!!
Here's the scoop on Noah's Momma...
I know many people read this site occasionaly and are interested in my well being. So here it is...We are getting armed and ready for battle! I have been diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, aka, DCIS, which means that I have an early stage of cancer which is confined at this time to my milk ducts. I am so very thankful to the nurse practitioner who did not blow me off when she thought the knot in my breast was nothing, but referred me for a mammogram anyway. She was right about the knot, but it lead the radiologist to find this cancer. Chad and I visited with the breast surgeon today. I am getting blood work, a chest x-ray, breast MRI, genetic testing, and having a consultation with a plastic surgeon. That will all happen by next Wednesday. The results of those tests will help to determine the course of treatment. Without going into all the details, Dr. Cross, the breast cancer surgeon, says he believes if all comes back good, this could be completely treatable with surgery and no radiation or chemo. A sample of my lymphnodes will also be taken prior to surgery to ensure this has stayed in my ducts. So, right now we are in a holding pattern running to all sorts of doctors to get these tests done. As soon, as I know more about what type of surgery the doctor suggests and we elect, I will let you know.
I want to thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts, and phone calls. I am trying to return calls, but am not getting around to it as quickly as I would like. Please also pray for my family who are also doing their best to remain positive and keep their heads up for my benefit! I almost think it is easier to swallow when it is you in the situation and not someone you love dearly.
I want to thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts, and phone calls. I am trying to return calls, but am not getting around to it as quickly as I would like. Please also pray for my family who are also doing their best to remain positive and keep their heads up for my benefit! I almost think it is easier to swallow when it is you in the situation and not someone you love dearly.
Keep praying
We need everyone's prayers just a little bit longer. We finally had the biopsy this afternoon (I make it sound like we both have 1/2 inch holes in our breast). Jenna did fine and is feeling good. The valium they gave her before the procedure may have something to do with that:)
All joking aside, the results should be in tomorrow or Wednesday. Jenna will be notified over the phone what the results are. If it is cancer they will tell us the type and give us the date of our followup. The followup will be with a team of a surgeon, oncologist, radiation oncologist, and our radiologist. Hopefully their preparing us for the worst will be for naught and the area will be benign. If it is benign, she'll have to come back in 6 months for another mammogram to watch the area since it could develop into cancer at some point in the future. After they told us this, I'd like to know why they don't just remove it now but my brain wasn't on while the nurse spoke.
I promise to let everyone know as soon as we are told in the next few days. If you could just pray for Jenna to have peace while we wait it would be much appreciated.
All joking aside, the results should be in tomorrow or Wednesday. Jenna will be notified over the phone what the results are. If it is cancer they will tell us the type and give us the date of our followup. The followup will be with a team of a surgeon, oncologist, radiation oncologist, and our radiologist. Hopefully their preparing us for the worst will be for naught and the area will be benign. If it is benign, she'll have to come back in 6 months for another mammogram to watch the area since it could develop into cancer at some point in the future. After they told us this, I'd like to know why they don't just remove it now but my brain wasn't on while the nurse spoke.
I promise to let everyone know as soon as we are told in the next few days. If you could just pray for Jenna to have peace while we wait it would be much appreciated.
