The Waiting

Anyone who has experienced cancer knows that the waiting is the hardest.  Waiting for news, waiting for surgery, waiting for chemo.  It's the unknown that can be so hard.  Who knows how your body will react, without the complete picture, who knows who to call.  Waiting is hard.

I called, emailed, and researched as much as I could.  I was connected with women who breastfed and who didn't breastfeed.  I got the names of surgeons, I learned a whole new vocabulary.

I set up two appointments with surgeons.  Figuring I would appreciate two points of views on things and knowing that this might be a unique situation.  I also learned that a Sentinel Node Biopsy (SNB) might be a good thing to have done.

It took a week to see the surgeons, and after settling on the second one, another five weeks to the surgery.  He would perform a radial incision (to best preserve my lactating breast), attempt to get a minimum of a one centimeter of clean margin (outside the cancer), and perform a Sentinel Node Biopsy.  When I also requested to remain conscious for the surgery, he sounded willing if my anesthesiologist friend was also willing and able.