Consultation

Inspirational song: A Little Good News (Anne Murray)

I met my surgeon today. She went over all of the pathology, gave me a rundown of what my treatment will be, and gave me all the space for questions I could possibly want. Suddenly I am feeling confident that this is really going to be okay. It's never going to be fun. But it absolutely will be okay.

I woke up before sunrise this morning, and reached over for my notebook on the bedside table. I never had written out all of my questions, so I did that as soon as I was certain that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again without them. I filled up two handwritten pages, double spaced, front and back. I then made sure that I'd completed my medical questionnaire that I'd been given, completing the medications list and a few checkmarks I'd missed.

The staff at the breast surgeon's office were every bit as wonderful as you would want them to be. They were supportive and friendly and they inspired confidence in their expertise. I knew I was in good hands. There was an advocate who came in and introduced herself while I waited for my turn with the surgeon, and she went over the services they offer, and she volunteered to take notes during my consultation, so that I didn't have to divide my attention.

The surgeon managed to be both self-assured and approachable. She seems perfect. I trust her but I don't fear her, nor am I put off by her. We went inch by inch through my entire pathology and treatment plan. All along the way I got good news, like this is officially considered Stage One, as I had hoped. I qualify for a lumpectomy rather than needing a radical mastectomy (or at least they believe now, before an MRI). Unless something hidden comes back in the MRI or surgical pathology, I will most likely only need radiation, not chemotherapy. And they assured me that reconstruction will be a covered benefit.

I'm still not happy about the whole situation, but the biggest fears are quashed.