Plan of Treatment

 3/1/2022

From Health Online "Left breast Savi or wire localized lumpectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy, possible axillary lymph node dissection with Catherine M Baker, DO"

In other words, on March 14th, I will have a lumpectomy and some nodes will be biopsied while in the operating room. Blue dye will be put in me, and it goes to the tumors. That's amazing but it does. Dr. Baker and Elliott and I had a lengthy discussion about my radiation treatment. Since I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sjogren's Syndrome, Dr. Baker thought partial radiation might be the best treatment. 

Dr. K., the radiologist talked with me at length even about forgoing radiation. In a 10-year study the control group that did not receive radiation had a 10% chance of recurrence. The radiation group had a 2% reoccurrence. I am going with partial radiation and will have to be off one of my autoimmune drugs for five weeks as well as any vitamins I take. 

After my sugary I will see Dr. K. to determine if I should have radiation in four or five or six weeks. 

When I'm done with that, I will meet with the medical oncologist who will most likely put me on an aromatase inhibiter, which is a hormone blocker. It is our hormones that make the cancer come back. 

The website www.rtanswers.org will show me what radiation looks like. After surgery I will have a trial run with radiation. I feel very good about my team. It sounds like a long time because there is waiting time from healing to radiation. 

I write this not just to keep people who want to know informed but also because I can keep a journal that I can read (unlike Elliott's chicken scratch).

So many doctors!! Got a call from my medical oncologist I mentioned above. I will have an online appointment. Got a call from my rheumatologist. The radiologist, Dr k. , called him to make sure it was ok for me to go off the hydrocortisone and he told me it was fine.