Many of your have asked us to keep you informed the about Jeanie’s breast cancer, so that you can pray specifically for her. And, as our supporters, we want to be very open with you as well. Today, eight days after my wife’s mastectomy, we were scheduled to return to the surgeon for our first follow up visit. We just returned from our visit to the surgeon and were given an update as to what they found during the surgery and in the biopsy reports.
The information we received was not as good as we had hoped. Apparently Jeanie’s tumor was growing very rapidly, or had escaped detection for longer than was thought. When she went in for the mammogram and needle biopsy they measured her tumor at 2 to 2.5 centimeters. When we visited the oncologist she measured it at 5 centimeters. When they surgically removed the tumor it measured 8 centimeters. That means it was at a stage more advanced than the earlier prognosis. We were very disappointed to hear that news as it meant the cancer was more serious than originally thought and that further treatment would almost certainly be necessary.
But there was some good news as well. They do feel they got it all and that the size of the tumor meant that the mastectomy was the right decision. One lymph node was totally clean and the other had only a few cancerous cells in it. The numbers were so few the surgeon said they considered that to be the same as a negative report as the cells had not begun to form a tumor or grow in a structured manner. However the very large size of the tumor means there is a high risk that it would return in the site of the mastectomy because of the risk that some cells might have escaped.
So because of this the surgeon felt Jeanie would probably need radiation at very least and maybe chemo as well. She sent us to the office of the oncologist to schedule an appointment. Tuesday we will have our appointment with the oncologist so we can discuss the treatment plan that the tumor board will develop and recommend. So at very least the treatment will continue in some form for some time into the future. Then since Jeanie did not get the drain out, we will need to go back to the surgeon again next Thursday as well to see if they can remove the drain at that time.
So thank you for your prayers and expressions of concern over this past month and obviously we still covet your continued prayers as we face this significant health concern.