Cancer Support
Related: About this forumWell, it's stage three
breast cancer this time, and I'm going nuts again with the waiting. I finally got the biopsy, no surprises there, the radiologist pretty much told me it was bad, and now I need to have a PET scan to see if there's cancer elsewhere in my body before we can schedule surgery and plan any further treatment.
But to get a PET scan you have to have prior authorization from your insurance company, and that's taking forever. "But I have the Gold Medicare plan!" I yelled at my surgeon. Apparently not a factor.
I'm going to have a mastectomy (lumpectomy last time) without reconstruction. I am an old lady with floppy old lady breasts, and I just can't feature one floppy old lady breast and one pert teenage breast, so reconstruction is out. Plus I don't like the idea of implanted anything.
That's the only decision I've been able to make though, until I get this scan. I didn't know that I would not be able to have radiation (of the breast; if it's elsewhere, that's another story) a second time, and there's apparently a limit on how much more chemo I can have, too. Last time I had four doses; this time I may be able to have more, but that will depend on the oncologist, who of course I don't see until I have the fucking scan.
I think the thing that's scary to me is the fact that I had a clear mammogram in February, and this rather large mass showed up in early September. I feel a little invaded.
sinkingfeeling
(52,993 posts)samnsara
(18,282 posts)(((hugs)))
TEB
(13,689 posts)Hit me up if you need to chat friend
cyclonefence
(4,873 posts)I'm mostly pissed off about having to wait. Not scared--what happens, happens--but anxious to get the damn show on the road.
Tucker08087
(621 posts)My grandmother, aunt, and mom have been through this. Its not a fun process, but two of them are still here and my grandma would be 95. Sending you positive, healing energy and strength to fight. My son wears pink laces for football for breast cancer and posts this message to Instagram with a picture (which I dont know how to do) with this exact message that Ill pass on to you: Fight Like a Girl!
blm
(113,820 posts).
alfredo
(60,135 posts)How your immune system reacts to the Chemo will determine how many runs.
Be a happy warrior. Good luck.
SWBTATTReg
(24,094 posts)the waiting for the test results of scans, or just plain waiting, etc. are the worse part of this whole mess. I can't imagine that the insurance company would be a part of your problems, being that if the doctors more quickly find out what is going on within your body, that they can move more quickly into addressing the health issue(s) discovered during the PET scans, etc. I too have the 'gold' plan too. Scary.
Blessings and courage to you, my friend.
PennyK
(2,312 posts)That stuff can grow quickly!
Once you have the scan they'll know better how to deal with it.
A mastectomy isn't that bad. Just make sure your doctor monitors the area afterward (I had complications).
Please let us know what happens.
AwakeAtLast
(14,255 posts)I hope that surgery is successful for you! Do you have a good support system at home?
Solly Mack
(92,819 posts)Keep us posted. I hated the waiting.