I slept ok, but as soon as I woke up, I was plagued by nerves. Today was one of the most nerve wracking days I can remember. I broke out in hives early on in the day because I was so nervous. I tried to calm myself by watching TV, didn’t work. Taking a bath, didn’t work. Petting the cats and dogs, didn’t work. Finally, it was time to leave the house for the appointment with the Surgeon, Dr. Sclaeffer, at 3:45pm. Could you make a later appointment?! When the nurse, Sarah, checked my blood pressure, it was 140/90 which is the highest I have ever had to my knowledge. I am usually a steady 115/70 kind of gal. She graciously did not report my pulse out loud, but I knew it was high because it was in the high 90’s earlier in the day when I checked it myself. Who knew cancer could cause rapid heart rate and increased blood pressure?!
The doctor did a short but thorough physical exam, and went over the mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy results while Andy diligently took notes like the medical scribe we were seriously thinking about hiring. We learned that my tumor was about 3cm in size, and did not appear to have spread to my lymph nodes or other breast. I was scheduled for an MRI to confirm this, and the surgeon warned that MRIs typically find a lot more than mammograms/ultrasounds, but I was hopeful it was all in one spot. It was also confirmed that no matter what medical condition I get, it is a rare or weird one. Apparently, my tumor is positive for progesterone receptor hormones but not estrogen, which almost never happens. Linda thought it was a mistake so they arranged to have it double checked to make sure. I am also negative for the HER2 receptor, thankfully. The surgeon said chemotherapy would likely be the first course of action because with my type of tumor and the aggressiveness, it is often best to treat first with chemo and do surgery later. I am scheduled with an oncologist, Dr. Daniel Anderson, on Monday to talk about treatment options. More waiting...