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We met with Dr. Thomson today in Radiology. Very Tall Man! He has a special hydraulic chair that Connie got in and went for a ride up to his neck of the woods. This chair helps alleviate back problems for him.
Dr. Thomson is kind and gentle, and told us lots of things we were unsure of, explained a few things a couple of times and was very patient. Once he came in to visit us, he was there for almost 50 minutes.
Connie is, once again, in a grey area. She could have it, or she couldn't. To keep a long story short, she has two major determining factors that are the only things playing against her. 1. She has 1 out of 18 lymph nodes that are cancerous. 2. She has a 2mm measure of margin, which means that between what appeared to be cancer and what good tissue was actually cut out, the difference was 2mm. Studies show that 5mm of margin is optimal.
According to a couple of different studies (Canada & Switzerland, I think), if you had both of those things against you, it was always adventageous to have radiated the area, along with Chemo, for the best results of living cancer free after that. If Connie was 80 yrs old, no, we wouldn't be doing that. However, with many years ahead of her, he (and the council of breast surgeons that meet on Thur mornings) leans towards having it done with a huge disclaimer that it may not be entirely necessary. If it was his wife...he'd do it.
Connie is feeling very well today, didn't scream over bumps, and was ok walking clear across the big parking lot rather than dropping her at the door.
I had the same dilemna. I chose radiation....why not do everything in your power to keep cancer from returning? After chemo, radiation was nothing, except now I have a few tattoos :)
ReplyDeleteConnie, you know where I stand....I want you around for a long time! You both are strong and can fight this...but fight it with all your powers.
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