Ch 5 – Other Difficulties

Original post 4/4/08

The appointment with the surgeon, Nov. 23rd, is about 3 hours long! We learn a lot & ask a lot of questions. The surgeon comments that it is backwards to learn that I have breast cancer by finding a malignant lymph node.

We ask if we can have genetic testing done to determine if my cancer is genetic, since my mother also had breast cancer. The nurse writes a letter & fills out the paperwork to start the process, but we are told that it can take 4-6 weeks to get the results. We are asked if the results will make any difference in the decision I will make about my surgery. Oh no, another fly in the ointment! This is my deciding factor between a single or bilateral mastectomy. From what I have read, my chances of developing cancer in the remaining breast are too high, if my cancer is genetic, & I will opt for a bilateral mastectomy. I silently cry out to God, “OK, God You are in control. You can get these results back to us sooner than 4-6 weeks.” We also want to know these results for our children & my siblings. It will be wonderful if it is not genetic & they can have the peace of mind in knowing that.

In learning that my cancer is estrogen receptor (ER) positive I know I have to call Dr. Pam & stop my hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This will create another health issue to deal with – more frequent & more severe migraine headaches. The very reason I remained on HRT for so long after my hysterectomy, in 1993, is because it helped to decrease the frequency & severity of my post-trauma migraine headaches. I was in an auto accident in 1989 & suffered from whiplash & a blow to the head. The result was 2 ruptured discs in my neck & post-trauma migraines. I only went through 10 doctors before I finally received help from Dr. Pam to help me with the migraines & an orthopedic surgeon who did an MRI & found the 2 ruptured discs in my neck. He removed the worst offender & fused the 2 vertebrae, which gave me relief from 4 years of terrible neck, back, shoulder & arm pain. For the migraines, I had previously been through every family of medicine known to treat them. Some did nothing, others I was allergic to, & some had side effects I could not tolerate. My best approach was to have medication to take when a migraine struck. Dr. Pam explained to me, prior to the hysterectomy, that it could cure my migraines or cause the frequency & severity to increase. Lucky me; I got the latter. The first 3 days home from the hospital, I was back to the E.R. twice for shots to treat the pain for these awful migraines. When we tried HRT, the frequency & severity of the migraines subsided. Therefore, it seemed reasonable to remain on it to keep the migraines under control. As you can see, I’m no stranger to pain or to health issues. I can assure you, they are fertile ground for learning to trust God.

Monday Nov. 26th we are anxiously awaiting a call from Lisa, who is expecting her 1st child. She is to have her 2nd ultra sound, to check all the vital information, as well as, to learn the sex of the baby. I have told her that I am sure it is a girl.

There are no classes at the college Monday, but Ed & I go to the college in the afternoon, because he has some things to do. When his cell phone rings we were so excited, but I see his face go from a smile to grave concern very quickly. He asks a lot of questions to try to get as much information as possible. I am trying to fill in the blanks as I hear Ed’s side of the conversation. As he hangs up, we embrace. I ask what is wrong. He tells me, while choking back tears, that it’s a girl, but the ultra sound indicates she may have a life-threatening birth defect. It hits us like a ton of bricks! Our heads were swirling with questions! We leave for home. Although we had planned on going out for dinner, we don’t have the appetite to do so, at this point. We need to get something to eat; so, we pick up a slice of pizza & fill the car with gas. When Ed gets back in the car, he asks me what I think we should do. I say I think we should go to the prayer chapel; he agrees. We drive directly there. We are so thankful that Christ Wesleyan has a prayer chapel that is open 24/7!

We kneel at the altar side-by-side, hand-in-hand & take turns praying aloud, together. Then we pray silently, alone. Oh, we shed lots of tears & go through lots of tissues. We sit & talk together a while. After that we sit & listen silently for God to speak to us. When we speak to each other again, we both say that we have a sense of peace that our granddaughter is going to be OK. Ed says that God also gave him peace that I am going to be OK, too. Praise God! He is so AWESOME!

When we get home we call Lisa & Dave to tell them about our experience at the prayer chapel & to ask if they want us to call any other family members. We also let them know that we called the prayer line at the church. Lisa says that she has a follow-up appointment at the University of Virginia (UVA) Dec. 6th, for another ultra sound, where they have more sensitive equipment & more highly trained technicians & doctors. We will be going to visit them the weekend of the 7th but will call for the results on the 6th. We will trust God for a positive report.