When You've Gone as Far as You Can Go, You're Halfway There

The Dutchman told me today that I'm his second patient ever to undergo three lumpectomies;  less sweater meat and I would have had a mastectomy on round two.  I'm suspicious that he's simply warm for my form, but I'll give him the benefit of the clinical doubt.

Today's consult is brought to you by the letter E and the number 4.  E is for equivocal.  I might be finished surgery, or I might be back for a fourth round.  Not "shit" exactly, but certainly "crap".  The latest pathology report showed that the third excision uncovered more DCIS:  two focal areas a centimetre apart in the tissue adjacent to the last surgery site.  But in the section between that location and my chest wall, there were only normal cells.  So, the question is whether to move me along to radiation, or perform a lopatitoffame.

With the information I have -- an MRI that shows no further invasive cancer, a clean section behind the latest DCIS discovery, still only stage one cancer, and the knowledge that a regular screening mammogram is a solid early warning device -- and without professional advice to the contrary, I'll roll the dice and keep my rack a while longer.  But The Dutchman's by-the-book (just one of the many things I love about him), so it's back to the Tumor Board we go.  If his peers don't feel strongly that there are benefits to the mastectomy option, then I'm done with the knife;  if they do, the decision is ultimately mine to make.  Either way, I'll hear from the man after their May 13 meeting.

In the meantime, with The Dutchman's approval, I've confirmed my next appointment with The Burn.  On May 7, I'll undergo a CT scan and meet with her and the radiation team to map out my plan.  If I need to detour for another surgery before we get started on treatment, so be it.  But if not, I'll be more than ready to bust out the sun cream.  I'm sure I saw SPF 400 at Shoppers...