Life trods along

So, here's the scoop.  I found skin changes and truly believed they were inflammatory breast cancer, which would a second cancer on the same breast.  After a truly emotionally charged week I saw the nurse at the surgeon's office in Boston yesterday.  First, though, I had an ultrasound.  The ultrasound revealed no fluid collections, only some skin thickening and the dimpling that was my concern in the first place.  They could not (would not) confirm or deny the possibility of IBC.  They suggested I speak with the NP that afternoon.  They did suggest that I might consider having a mammogram or MRI though, which left me just as unsettled as I was before I arrived for the ultrasound.  Luckily my friend, Trish, went to Boston with me.  Since there was lots of time before my appointment with the nurse we went to lunch, which is always very pleasant at DFCI.

Now, for the visit with the nurse.  She was amazingly wonderful.  I would expect nothing less from DFCI.  We were laughing right from the start.  She did the examination and poked and prodded and moved and bounced and pushed and... my breast all over the place.  Truly, I do not remember the last time they saw that much action!  In the end she did a skin biopsy (only because she could tell that this would be the only thing that would help me get some sleep that night) and reassured me that she expected negative results.  She was truly unimpressed by the whole concept but, out of the need to protect her license from a malpractice suit, she did say that she could not entirely rule out the possibility of IBC but she highly doubted it.  I did leave feeling better about the situation and made sure to put the prescription for antibiotics into the pharmacy so I could start first thing this morning. 

I am going to be on high alert.  I know this.  Every bump or change in my body will raise red flags and anxiety.  I have to try to remember to address each issue while trying to remember that the chemotherapy I had sent the fluids throughout my body to search out and kill any cancer cells that drifted from the original site.  They did not find any indication at surgery that this had happened, but one never knows and must be suspect.  I need to make changes in my lifestyle that will ensure complete recovery and nonrecurrence.  I will get to radiation eventually and that will be the insurance policy that I need mentally to breathe a little bit easier. 

Keeping the faith!  :~)
Kim