Another Busy Day

First, a some news: Christina will be having surgery on Monday, October 11. She will be having a mastectomy, removing both breasts.She will be in surgery for about 2 hours, and will be in the hospital for at least 3 days.

Also, my Mom is flying out from Michigan to help us! She is coming in on Saturday, October 9 and will stay for 2 whole weeks. She's going to be a big help, and we're looking forward to seeing her.

We had a busy day today. We first met with Dr. Szumowski, the Oncologist that we asked to give a second opinion on our diagnosis and treatment options. He confirmed what Drs. Sawhney and Wynn had already stated, and helped clarify a few points. He explained that the (potential)existence of hormone receptors in the cancer cells will help determine the specific chemotherapy treatment that will be recommended. We are hoping to get those results in the next few days. We also need to know if there is any cancer in the lymph nodes, which the doctors will find out during surgery on Monday.

We also met our Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Watowic. Given that Christina won't be having re-constructive surgery until after chemo, I wasn't sure how immediately helpful this visit would be. However, this very compassionate doctor spent a lot of time with us, helping set our minds at ease about the whole treatment process, and giving us some specific guidance on managing our mental and emotional state through the duration.

So, the plan is like this: mastectomy, then chemotherapy, then hysterectomy, then breast reconstruction. We decided to break up the surgical procedures to reduce the chances of complications that would delay chemo, and to make her recovery a little easier. Chemo will start 3 weeks after surgery and will last 4-6 months, depending on the specific treatment choice.

Please keep Christina in your prayers as she goes through this surgery and recovery, and on into chemo. We love hearing from all of you, even if we don't get to return your calls right away. Thanks for everything!