Some results are in...

Getting an 8am phone call from the cancer center when you’re expcecting to be told of your upcoming appointment is not surprising. When you answer and it’s the voice of your oncologist and she’s apologizing from the start it’s never good. My bone scan showed two areas suspicious for bone metastasis. One is in my mid back area on my seventh thoracic vertebra and the other is in my pelvis on my left inferior pubic ramus. I’d be lying if I said I heard anything else Dr Sheehan said after that. Well, actually processed anything she said. She is going to FIGHT my insurance now to get them to approve a PET scan. A PET can tell us whether these are actual bone spread or something else and there’s a good possibility that they can be an old injury or infection that took the radionuclide and showed ‘hot’.
Either way we did some lab work to check and see what my hormone levels are, as depending on them we can start a couple different drugs to help with bone mets in conjunction with my chemo. There are also other options. But regardless, if they are bone mets I will have some sort of lifetime treatment from here on out.

This news shook me to my core. Sucked all the air out of me and made me madder than I’ve ever been at the same time. I allowed myself a good, cathartic cry in the shower then decided that I’m still in this fight no matter what the news is. I read lots and lots of articles and got lots of really good info I’m taking to my oncologist. And info from good, reputable sources like the National Institute of Health and Mayo Clinic. There is lots of info regarding bony spread of breast cancer and we know it’s very likely, but we don’t know for sure that’s what it is yet so I’m not going to put the cart before the horse, but I’m definitely getting it hitched up. This whole recurrence smacked me in the face considering I’ve been ‘cancer free’ for almost seven years with no change in tunor marker this whole time. And if I hadn’t paid attention to my body and the changes happening with my arm numbness and tingling, who knows when we would have caught this. At this point, there is no recommendation for follow up serial imaging in post mastectomy, post treatment breast cancer patients. Read that sentence again. None. No scans at 3, 6, 9 or 12 months, no ultrasounds, no MRI recommendations. Zilch. And I’ll be damned if I’m letting anything else sneak up on me again like this damn cancer did. I don’t want to alarm all my fellow breast cancer sisters, but I sure as heck don’t want any of you in this boat either!

So, it is what it is.
I might have been knocked down with this news, but I’m not out.
Keep the prayers coming friends. Prayers that BCBS will approve the PET scan or I’m gonna start renting our Hailey’s room in the basement as a lovely Midwest B & B. There’s a bed and the other B stands for Booze not breakfast!

Love, hugs and prayers,
K

Ps-my port site looks good though. I can incorporate it into my Halloween costume!