Surgery Over

I do not have many details yet, but Mom came through the surgery well, and the surgeon is pleased with the procedure.

Kym and Dad had not yet had a chance to see her at the time I spoke with them, but were told she was in a fair amount of pain and still waking up. The surgeon was amenable to her going home tonight, if she wanted to do so. I do not know what will be decided. He believes he will have the pathology results by Friday - it would be great if we don't have to wait through the weekend without some feedback.

If there are further developments this evening, I will write another post. Otherwise, this step seems to be behind us, thankfully.

Best,
Jennifer

The waiting continues.

Just a short note to let you know that the 12:30 surgery was moved to 1:30. It is now being projected for approximately 4:00 p.m. CST, so it has not yet started. Mom's been advised that the procedure will likely run 1.5 - 2 hours.

Hopefully, I'll have some news to share early this evening.

-Jennifer

And now, a note from Cindy...

Hi everyone! We're very thankful for the good report yesterday and to be getting on with the surgery tomorrow. We feel very confident in the doctors, and know we're completely secure in God's hands. Please pray for Ron's head congestion, continued peace, skill for the doctors, and ease in waking up from the anesthesia since I've had a "not so good" experience previously. (And that the doctors will get a good night's sleep tonight!) We love and appreciate you all. Thanks so much for caring.

Cindy

This Week's Plan

Encouraging news today: the lumpectomy is back on the calendar, scheduled for Wednesday. In short, they plan to remove more tissue than originally thought, to be conservative, but the worst of the newer spots appear to just be pre-cancerous, as opposed to the original spots - those considered to be carcinoma in situ. Of course we'd prefer not to be thinking about any of this, but are glad that the situation doesn't seem to have taken a turn for the worse. Mom is glad that the direction appeared clear and that she will be able to have the surgery done this week.

She is tentatively scheduled for 12:30, subject to the progress of the morning's other surgeries. As soon as I have news to share, I will post an update to this blog.

Naturally, they will test the tissue removed and the pathology results will help to determine whether lymph nodes also need to be taken, chemotherapy is indicated, further surgery recommended, etc. Hopefully, we'll have those results Friday or Monday.

Thanks again for all of your kind messages of encouragement and for your prayers.

-Jennifer

Message from Cindy....

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for all the prayers and messages of encouragement. We appreciate you all so much! We've had our moments of "high adrenaline rush" with all the waiting these past three weeks, but we really are doing very well. We have every reason to be optimistic about the outcome, with the cancer being caught at an early stage, and definitely know that God is in control. We trust in him. We're hoping to have all of the diagnostic information late this afternoon and be able to make some decisions about treatment soon. I'm all for getting this over with as quickly as possible!

"I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth!" - Psalm 34:1

(Cindy)

Another Week Down...

On Tuesday and Thursday, Mom had biopsies of three additional spots. The procedures went smoothly and she was advised that the results from the first were fairly promising, all things considered, and showed that the spot was only "pre-cancerous." They have an appointment with their current surgeon on Monday afternoon and will discuss the results of the last two biopsies, at that time. So, we do not yet know the full extent of the surgery that will need to be completed. If they are able to stick with the originally planned lumpectomy, it will be done on Wedesday. Otherwise, it may be necessary to delay it a bit longer, consult with another surgeon, discuss options, etc.

She is keeping her spirits up. Kristy is visiting them this weekend, which I am sure will be a cheerful distraction.

I will post another update after I learn the results of Monday's discussion with the surgeon.

Thanks, much.

Jennifer

MRI Results & the Next Few Days

We learned this afternoon that the results of the MRI done late last week indicate that some additional biopsies need to be done before Mom has surgery. Accordingly, the lumpectomy, which was tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed. This is disappointing, because Mom is anxious to get it over with. However, we certainly want to make sure they remove everything that is necessary. Hopefully, they will have the results of both biopsies by the end of this week or the beginning of next week, so that she may be placed on next Wednesday's surgery schedule (for whatever it is they end up deciding to remove).

The course of radiation will not begin until at least three weeks after the surgery.

Thanks for your kind words of encouragement and for your prayers.

-Jennifer

What we know so far...

As we begin this blog, here is what we know:

- April 10th: Cindy has a biospy done to investigate some calcifications in her breast.

- April 14th: Cindy is diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ.

- April 15th: An initial consult with the surgeon. The surgeon recommends a lumpectomy and 6 weeks of daily radiation. Due to some complications from the biospy, the surgery needs to be postponed for another week or so.

- April 17th/18th: Cindy goes through a series of tests (EKG, chest x-ray, blood work & MRI) to confirm the diagnosis and prep for surgery.

- April 21st: Pre-surgery appointment with her surgeon.

- April 23rd: Scheduled lumpectomy date.