7/17/08

This morning I went for a check up with my surgeon. He did an exam and he too was very pleased with the way the tumor is responding to the chemo. He took a good bit of time to sit down and explain things to me, which was so nice. He told me that most people think that the chemo shrinks the tumor smaller and smaller, but actually what happens is the size stays the same, but the chemo makes holes in it, making it harder to feel. Eventually this will probably make it nonpalpable, so he will continue to follow me throughout the chemo, until the surgery.

He was telling me I am still facing a mastectomy, because it was a 6 cm tumor. I guess there was research done on people who have had a lumpectomy (rather than the mastectomy) after they had received chemo to shrink their tumors and the margins ended up coming back cancerous in every case but one. He wouldn't feel comfortable doing anything less than the mastectomy with the size we are dealing with. I have kinda come to terms with this for now, so that is fine.


Although the progress the chemo is making doesn't change the treatment he said it is really good progress for my disease prognosis, so I am very happy! Now I just have to hope my liver function is back to normal so I can have chemo in the morning.