Sharing the News

It certainly has been an unexpected busy break for us.  I left early on the Friday before Christmas for a biopsy which was ordered after another unusual finding on my mammogram,  confirmed by an MRI earlier this month.  This was my third in as many years-  the first two showed irregular, but benign cells.  Unfortunately,  we didn't fair as well this time.  

I have been diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, which is a slow growing form of breast cancer.  The good news is that this is a highly treatable form of cancer and we have caught it very early. My tumor is just over 1 cm and the preliminary pathology reports are optimistic.   The bad news is that this form of cancer has a good chance of forming elsewhere.  It has been a whirlwind of a week with lots to learn and lots of decisions to be made.  As you might imagine, Tony and I are proceeding in our usual pragmatic fashion. One thing is clear- God is with us and his Son is already by our sides, ready to walk this journey with us.  He has, and I trust will continue to provide all that we need to get through this.   

We have opted for a bilateral mastectomy which will significantly reduce my risks for the cancer to return and will virtually eliminate any need for radiation therapy.  My surgery has been scheduled for next Tuesday, January 3rd.   It will be an all day affair with a 6-8 hour surgery and a 3 to 5 day hospital stay.  Looks like I will then need to be home for an additional 4-6 weeks.  If all goes well, I am hoping to be back to work in time for February conference.

We are in the process of forming a team of specialists who will walk this first part of the journey with us.  This has proved to be a daunting task the week before Christmas with offices short staffed and shutting down for the holidays.  God is good, however, and we have been blessed to already have a relationship with a general surgeon that we like and trust and have found a plastic surgeon that seems a perfect match.  He has an outstanding reputation as a very skilled surgeon and we are confident in his expertise with the comnplicated microsurgery option that we have chosen.  I have already deemed his nurse, Donna, as my Christmas angel.  She somehow managed to get me in to see the doctor for an initial consultation within 24 hours of my diagnosis and within a few days managed to arrange for my surgery. 

We had our first appointment with an oncologist on Tuesday, but really won't have a specific treatment plan until after the surgery and pathology reports- especially on the lymph node(s) that will be removed.  For now we are holding onto the hope that no chemotherapy will be needed. 

Tony and the kids have been wonderful.  Amelia is home from college through the 9th so she can help out with managing the day to day needs of the family during the worst part of my recovery.  I am blessed to have family close by, both here in Austin and in San Antonio and an amazing extended family- both my church family at CEC and my LISD family.  

 At this point I ask only that you keep me and my family in your prayers and allow the Holy Spirit to continue the work he has started in each and every one of us.  I am very much at peace with what is happening and am grateful that the Lord has prepared me for this in so many ways and has assured us all that He will not abandon us in our time of need.  

I am new at this blogging thing -so please bare with us as we learn the best ways to communicate with our friends and family that continue to bless us each an every day.