Surgery is scheduled for January 3rd, 2013. I will be home resting for 6 weeks.
I've elected to have a lumpectomy. This is a breast conserving procedure. The lump and a surrounding amount of good tissue (margin) is removed. The goal is to remove all of the cancer but conserve as much good tissue as possible.
There will also be a sentinel node biopsy of the lymph nodes. A dye is injected into the lump and then they track which lymph nodes it drains to. Those are the first nodes to biopsy. If they are clear of cancer cells, that is all that happens with the lymph nodes. If there are cancer cells, then they will biopsy the axillary nodes to check for further spreading.
Additionally, I have decided to have a hysterectomy (uterus removal) and an oophorectomy (ovary removal). I have a history of ovarian cysts that are very painful and there wouldn't be anything my doctors could do about these while I am going through treatment. Stopping them from developing was done by taking oral birth control. But the pill contains estrogen, so I have had to stop taking them. Removing the ovaries eliminates the primary source of estrogen in my body thus reducing the availability of food for any cancer cells bouncing around.
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Jennifer,
I pray every day for an easy recovery from surgery, knowledgeable doctors and a complete cure. Thanks for sharing your story and this page. Stay strong and know that so many people are in your corner and are pulling for you! God Bless!
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