So sorry to make you worry!!!
I was waiting until I got the results of my MRI (to check other breast and lymph node involvement) before I updated. Otherwise, I didn't have anything new happening...this is going sooooo slowly!!!
I got those results this morning. The nurse said the MRI showed a recurrence of breast cancer. DUH! I told her we already knew that! So then I explained to the nurse why Dr. ordered an MRI in the first place.
It looks like the other breast is okay and the report doesn't say anything about lymph nodes, so the nurse thinks that's a good thing. BUT my doctor isn't in until NEXT WEEK!! So I won't know that with 100% certainty until then. But it sounds promising. First good news in weeks!
Now, I'm pretty sure there won't be surgery for me next week since she won't be around to schedule it, but maybe her girls do that for her anyway. Who knows?! I'm hoping it will be the next week because I need to get this cancer OUT OF ME!!!!!!!!
I just want to start healing, ya know?! She's probably going to remove lymph nodes anyway, so I'm not sure why she needed an MRI for that. Anyhoo.....
I'll take all the good news I can get right now!
(BTW, my little 6 year old boy is finally doing well in school! We started him on Namenda (he's an asperger's child) and it seems to be doing wonders for him! YAY!!!!)
Jonahsmom....thanks for the update. I hadn't posted on this thread but I had read it and had been thinking of you. I just lost a friend to that awful disease (not breast...bone cancer).
Stay strong and keep us posted please. I'm so glad the new meds are working well for your son!
Jodie
I'm so glad to hear that. I was thinking about you yesterday when I realized it had been so long since you posted, and I was afraid the news was bad and you were busy with that. I'm glad to hear that the lymph nodes are not involved-great news! I hope the rest of the treatment goes smoothly!
So, my surgery (bilateral mastectomy with tram flap reconstruction) is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 7. Because the recovery is tough for this one I probably won't be able to do any cakes for a WHILE. Kind of bums me out - hopefully I don't forget what I'm doing! I know I'll be off of work (at my "real" job) for all of December and possibly all of January! YIKES!!!!! But my boss, who is AWESOME, said that work should be the last of my concerns at this time. I've read horror stories of people losing their jobs because of all this - he said there is no reason to worry about that. They like having me around. That itself is a HUGE relief!!! I've had a rough year (with my autistic son, my hysterectomy, and now this cancer recurrence). He said that all the guys have been really impressed with how I've handled myself this year. Said it is really "remarkable." He said I'm strong and will get through this...I laughed because by that time he had me crying.
I know there are other people that are also going through this on CC. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. (not even my evil former sister-in-law!) 
I hope all the other CCers that are going through this, and other hard times, are doing as well as possible.
Thanks again for "listening" to me. I really am staying positive - I know it doesn't always sound like it, but I'm not a blubbering blubber all the time. I'm still very happy and know that this too will pass in one way or another.
Definitely gonna have to make a "bye-bye boobies" cake!!! If I know how the guys would react (3 very good attorneys!) I would take it to work....hmmm....if you have any ideas that would get the point across in a tasteful way - throw them my way!!!
Sorry you have to go through it, but at least it sounds like you have a great support network around you. Good luck with your operation, and fingers crossed next year will be a much better year for you healthwise.
Are you having reconstruction surgery done? If you are then I would not do a Bye, Bye Boobies cake, but rather a Hello New Boobies cake! I am sure the guys would not react badly to a tasteful lingerie cake or something along those lines.
Well - before I had cancer the first time, I was itty bitty. So I had reconstruction done after the lumpectomy because it made a huge difference in the two. I had implant reconstruction because I decided to take advantage of the situation. Vanity got the better of me. And I suppose I was naive in thinking that we had conquered my very aggressive cancer the first time. We threw chemo, radiation and a year of herceptin treatments at it. I changed my lifestyle to include more exercise, better foods, etc.
It still wasn't enough. So, this time I'm opting to reconstruct using my own tissue. Since there's a lot of follow up with implants (chance for rupture, contracture, having to replace them later, etc) I decided not to do implant recon this time and just go back to being itty bitty (surgeon said my small amount of belly fat will probably create boobs about the size I had before this all started).
So, it kind of is a bye-bye boobies this time. My husband actually had a pretty cute idea. A fbct of a character, that looks like me as much as possible, in a pink super hero costume and some cancer bad guy - of course with me winning! That would be totally appropriate for work and I think would make them all smile. It made me smile when he thought of it....such a good guy I have!!!! Honestly, the guys would probably giggle like school girls if I brought an actual boob cake in....they're pretty funny that way. But I don't have the guts!
I love the idea for your cake, you should definitively go for that! I am impressed that you can make boobs with belly fat, what a fabulous idea. I have enough belly fat to make DD's, so if you need some extra let me know!
Hey my cake support buddies...
I just got back from the hospital. I had surgery on Monday. It was supposed to be mastectomy with immediate recon with tram flap. Before I went in, the plastic surgeon told me he wanted to delay the tram and tie off some vessels (that's the jist of it I think!) so the blood supply would be better. So, I had the mastectomy as planned and have another incision across my abdomen so he could tie off the vessels. That surgery alone was 6 hrs long and the next one will be 8-10 hrs from what doc says. The breast surgeon said everything went very well and that she got great margins around the cancer.
My tram flap surgery is.....on......CHRISTMAS EVE! Yep, it sucks, but Jonah's actually pretty excited that Santa told us he was coming early just for Jonah so we could have Christmas together. I'm pretty certain I'll be in the hospital a good week after that surgery. Hopefully I won't be there to ring in 2011!!! I won't know about final pathology from the mastectomy until next week. That'll tell me more about any chemo or anything I might have to do as well.
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers you've sent up for me!
Oh no-Christmas Eve? You poor thing! I hope everything goes smoothly and well for you, and that you are feeling OK. 
Glad to hear that the first surgery went well. Sorry to hear you have to go back in on Christmas eve of all days, but at least you are getting things done without any delay. Hope everyone around you is able to make a nice holiday for you regardless where you are. My fingers are firmly crossed for you!
Just wanted to let you guys know some GOOD news that I received today!!!! 
Final pathology came back on my boob tissue!! DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) intermediate to high grade. In situ means that we caught it before it became invasive this time!!!! YAY!!!!!! It has the same stats (strongly HER2+), but since I was having my mammograms regularly like a good little cancer survivor, we caught it before it had a chance to spread anywhere else this time! That means no additional lymph node surgery and a chance that I won't have to do chemo or herceptin again...still could I suppose if my onc recommends it...but I'll take this small victory!!!!!!!!
I suppose there is a chance that it could've spread somewhere else in my body...but that will be one of the first questions I ask my onc when I get the chance. You know, pet scans and what not! But I am super, SUPER happy!!!!!!!!!
Thanks again for all the prayers!
Thank you sadsmile! It is such a HUGE relief to know that we caught it before it became invasive. I'm holding out such hope now that the next surgery will be the end of it!!!!!! I can't imagine he'll make me go through chemo and all again when it wasn't invasive this time. BUT since I haven't talked to him, I couldn't tell you for sure. But it is encouraging. I'm doing as much of a happy dance as I can with frankenstein boobs and an abdominal incision!
Where is the emoticon for a super duper happy dance!!!
I just got the official call from my oncologist that I don't have to do chemo or herceptin this time around because we caught the recurrence so early!
IT IS DEFINITELY NOT POSSIBLE TO BE HAPPIER THAN I AM RIGHT NOW!!!
Now with all the fundraising stuff we have going on, we will hopefully be able to cover our portion of the two surgeries (3 if you count the hysterectomy from July we're still paying on!) and move on with our lives!
We're are so ecstatic in this house!!!! As my hubby told my mom, I would gladly have gone through 3 or 4 more surgeries as opposed to one dose of chemo again...so this is AWESOME!!!!! I've been whining so much - thought I'd share another bit of good news!!!!
I'm still having surgery on the 24th, but not the surgery that we had planned initially (tram flap).
Long story short (I'll try!)...at the time of my mastectomy the breast surgeon and plastic surgeon opted to leave my implants in. They were behind the muscle and could easily be left in place while still removing all of my breast tissue. After surgery, they both told Nate, mom and I that cosmetically I looked awesome and that I may actually opt to just leave things the way they are for now and not do the tram.
I fully intended to continue with the tram when I went to see the P.S. today. I explained to him why I felt sticking with just my natural tissue at this time would be the best option. No implant follow up due to contracture or having to swap them out, etc. He completely agreed. BUT, he also wanted to give me all the facts regarding the tram that I might not have been aware of. The major one being that he wasn't sure I would be entirely happy with the results of the tram.
He went on to explain, that at 32, he didn't think I would be entirely thrilled with the tram flap for the reason that at any time, soon after surgery to sometime in the future, I would end up with an obvious bulge in the middle of my stomach from where muscle was removed. He said he would do either surgery, as they both have their benefits and drawbacks, and that he would let me make that decision.
After talking to him about alternate options for a while, I opted to just leave the implants. In the future, when I inevitably will need to replace the implants it will be a quick and simple surgery as long as I don't have any other implant complications. That will likely happen in 8 yrs or more. We have a while to work out the details of that, plus since it goes along with my reconstruction, insurance will have to cover a portion of it just like any other surgery. It will be an in/out kind of thing with quick and easy recovery. In the event that I DO develop complications like contracture or leaking, etc., we will complete the tram surgery at that time (but only if it is a complication that will not allow us to simply replace the implant). He has already done the prep work for the tram by clipping off blood vessels to encourage more to grow, so my body will be ready when and if we have to go that route. As he said, why fix it if it's not broke? After having my staples removed today, I already feel a ton better. Still sore in the abdomen some and I have sore, whacky boobs...but that'll be fixed pretty soon!!!!
So, my surgery on Christmas Eve will be to place skin grafts where my nipples should've been. TMI? Sorry!!!!! This is an outpatient surgery (unless there are complications...which none of us foresee!) so I will be able to come home on Christmas Eve and be with my family for Christmas!!!!
This also means that I will have a much shorter recovery time and will be able to go back to work most likely after the 1st of the year!!! Should I really be excited to go back to work?! I think I'm more excited that DECORATING CAKES ISN'T AS FAR IN THE FUTURE! Yahoo!!! 
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