For the last several weeks since I found out I have breast cancer my husband and I have been seeking the Lord about our next step. We thank you so very much for your prayers during this time. David and I have decided that I will not be having surgery this week. We are not ones normally to refuse medical care, but we feel like that is where the Lord is leading us. God is doing some healing in me right now emotionally and I believe as I walk through this that the Lord will heal me physically as well. I am not against having surgery and if the Lord leads me that way I hope that I will be quick to listen. I am also on a nutritional diet that has been a path of physical healing for many people with cancer. However, we feel like our trust is not in the diet but that if we listen and obey the Lord to the best of our ability that we will not be put to shame but that good things will come.
I am not sure what is next medically. The last mammogram showed calcifications. The last MRI showed no sign of cancer. I was told that if we did another biopsy and it came back benign that it would not prove the cancer is gone. We have been told that the only way to prove that I am cancer free is by having a lumpectomy (which would leave me looking maimed because of the size they would remove) or by mastectomy. Our prayer is that God would not only heal the cancer but remove the calcifications as well so that future mammograms would be meaningful. We are also praying for emotional healing as I walk though some of the issues related to my mom's death from breast cancer (at the age of 46). Thank you very much for your prayers and your support during this time.
Love,
Megan
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sorry it has been a while. I feel like to post on here I need to have something to say, and there is not a lot of major activity right now. I have been spending a good amount of time doing research on nutrition and pH and also looking at possible doctors. I have also scheduled an appointment with the genetic counselors and am working on finding a good re constructionist. The problem is that the good plastic surgeons in our area do not take our insurance. This means that instead of spending $4800 on medical bills this year, we could easily be spending over $9000 as anything my insurance company writes off before payments will fall on our tab. The cost of reconstruction alone is $15,000 to $20,000. CRAZINESS!
On another note, I spent a good hour this afternoon talking with one of the nurses at the cancer care center. She had a copy of the report from my MRI and we spent some good time going over it and talking about the findings. Basically, they didn't see anything on the MRI. Normally, when someone has high grade DCIS like mine the area of cancer will light up when they use the contrast dye. Both breasts lit up equally with no areas of concern. The diagnostic reads breast cancer based upon mammogram and biopsy. So really, the Lord could have healed me or they could have taken out the only cancer there was during the biopsy (the area they sampled had the largest group of calcifications) and we wouldn't know until after the mastectomy is done and the pathology reports come back. This is making me think that if I do go towards surgery that I should opt to start with a lumpectomy instead (especially with the problems I am having with reconstruction). The problem is that they will recommend radiation with a lumpectomy and I really don't want to do that; and I could end up going into surgery more than once if the cancer is there and they don't get clean edges. But once a mastectomy is done, there is no going back.
We'll see....
Love,
Megan
On another note, I spent a good hour this afternoon talking with one of the nurses at the cancer care center. She had a copy of the report from my MRI and we spent some good time going over it and talking about the findings. Basically, they didn't see anything on the MRI. Normally, when someone has high grade DCIS like mine the area of cancer will light up when they use the contrast dye. Both breasts lit up equally with no areas of concern. The diagnostic reads breast cancer based upon mammogram and biopsy. So really, the Lord could have healed me or they could have taken out the only cancer there was during the biopsy (the area they sampled had the largest group of calcifications) and we wouldn't know until after the mastectomy is done and the pathology reports come back. This is making me think that if I do go towards surgery that I should opt to start with a lumpectomy instead (especially with the problems I am having with reconstruction). The problem is that they will recommend radiation with a lumpectomy and I really don't want to do that; and I could end up going into surgery more than once if the cancer is there and they don't get clean edges. But once a mastectomy is done, there is no going back.
We'll see....
Love,
Megan
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Decisions, Decisions
The last couple of days have been a little more stressful. We just want to make the right decision. For now, we have scheduled the surgery for January 28th. That sent off a chain reaction for me yesterday morning of scheduling appointments with the genetic counselors, a reconstructionist, and an oncologist.
I've been doing some research into possible alternative care and found an oncologist in Reno, NV James Forsythe. Not sure if anyone has heard of him. He is a liscensed oncologist and homeopath. Anyways, he pulls from both the side of nutrition/use of natural remedies and from western medicine to come up with a plan that best fits the patient. I really like this idea, and my insurance should cover any care I have with him. He treats a lot of people with stage 4 cancer and has gotten some great results. David's parents & sisters are in Reno, NV and seeing him would be an option for us.
Thats it for us right now. Hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for all of the prayers and support!
Megan
I've been doing some research into possible alternative care and found an oncologist in Reno, NV James Forsythe. Not sure if anyone has heard of him. He is a liscensed oncologist and homeopath. Anyways, he pulls from both the side of nutrition/use of natural remedies and from western medicine to come up with a plan that best fits the patient. I really like this idea, and my insurance should cover any care I have with him. He treats a lot of people with stage 4 cancer and has gotten some great results. David's parents & sisters are in Reno, NV and seeing him would be an option for us.
Thats it for us right now. Hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for all of the prayers and support!
Megan
Monday, January 4, 2010
MRI & Meeting with Surgeon
I had my first MRI this morning. Wow, are those things amazing! Its was kind of a neat experience. Nothing of consequence showed up on the MRI. That's GOOD!
Our meeting with the surgeon went really well. Dr. Livingston spent over an hour and a half with us explaining everything and answering questions. We were both really pleased with her. The DCIS that I have is spread out over about 4 cm. Because of the size of the area where cancer cells may exist, she recommended a mastectomy. However, because the cancer is not invasive (it is fully contained in the milk ducts and would have to genetically change in order to become invasive) she doesn't think I will need chemotherapy or radiation. YEAH! That's a biggie for me! She prefers not to do reconstruction at the time of the surgery (as she wants to get the pathology reports back and make sure I am cancer free before doing reconstruction). The mastectomy will require an overnight stay in the hospital, 1-2 weeks with "drains", and about 4 weeks recovery time. After mastectomy, the reoccurance rate of DCIS on that side is less than 1%. David and I decided to take a few days to pray about this option, if we decide to move forward I could go in for surgery as early as next week.
The other option that we have is a combination of prayer, inner healing, and nutrition. We talked to an amazing woman of God on Saturday who had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and given 6mos. to 2 years to live. She sought the Lord, received prayer & inner healing, and went on a strict diet. Within a year or two she was cancer free. That was 7 years ago. She's not the only one, there's a lot of testimonies from others who have followed the same route. Apparently disease such as cancer grows in an acidic environment but not an alkaline environment. The diet calls for you to eat the food that will create this type of enviroment in your body and boosts your immune system so that the body can fight off disease. I started this same diet Sunday (mostly vegetables, fruits, raw nuts, whole wheat, and LOTS of water). We are considering going this route and monitoring my cancer closely to see if it is healing and make sure it is not growing.
So, please pray for us over the next few days as we make these decisions. Pray that the Lord would speak really clearly to both David & I and that we would be in complete agreement.
Thank you!
Love,
Megan
Our meeting with the surgeon went really well. Dr. Livingston spent over an hour and a half with us explaining everything and answering questions. We were both really pleased with her. The DCIS that I have is spread out over about 4 cm. Because of the size of the area where cancer cells may exist, she recommended a mastectomy. However, because the cancer is not invasive (it is fully contained in the milk ducts and would have to genetically change in order to become invasive) she doesn't think I will need chemotherapy or radiation. YEAH! That's a biggie for me! She prefers not to do reconstruction at the time of the surgery (as she wants to get the pathology reports back and make sure I am cancer free before doing reconstruction). The mastectomy will require an overnight stay in the hospital, 1-2 weeks with "drains", and about 4 weeks recovery time. After mastectomy, the reoccurance rate of DCIS on that side is less than 1%. David and I decided to take a few days to pray about this option, if we decide to move forward I could go in for surgery as early as next week.
The other option that we have is a combination of prayer, inner healing, and nutrition. We talked to an amazing woman of God on Saturday who had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and given 6mos. to 2 years to live. She sought the Lord, received prayer & inner healing, and went on a strict diet. Within a year or two she was cancer free. That was 7 years ago. She's not the only one, there's a lot of testimonies from others who have followed the same route. Apparently disease such as cancer grows in an acidic environment but not an alkaline environment. The diet calls for you to eat the food that will create this type of enviroment in your body and boosts your immune system so that the body can fight off disease. I started this same diet Sunday (mostly vegetables, fruits, raw nuts, whole wheat, and LOTS of water). We are considering going this route and monitoring my cancer closely to see if it is healing and make sure it is not growing.
So, please pray for us over the next few days as we make these decisions. Pray that the Lord would speak really clearly to both David & I and that we would be in complete agreement.
Thank you!
Love,
Megan
Friday, January 1, 2010
MRI delayed
I went in this afternoon for my MRI and hit a hiccup. Apparently the contrasting agent they use is a poison which is fine for me but would be terrible if I was pregnant. Because of the timing of my cycle and when we found out there was a problem with my mammogram, I wasn't 1oo% sure that I wasn't pregnant. So, we ran a pregnancy test. An hour and a half later when we got the results of the test, they had moved on with other appointments. It was going to be atleast another hour before they could get me in. The additional wait just wasn't worth it. I rescheduled for Monday morning. So, I have an MRI at 9:15 and a meeting with the surgeon at 3:30. Feels like a lot of sending my son off to friends and family so that I can go to appointments. I am really thankful to have family and friends in town that can take him, but its still no fun. It breaks my heart becuase I like having him with me.
I noticed the other day that there is a large quarter sized lump right under the area where they did the biopsy. I noticed it the other day in the shower. Talked to some nurses and it should just be a blood clot and the body working on healing itself after the biopsy, but this morning it has started to ache in that area. I'll have to wait and see what happens with it today. Please pray that it's nothing.
I noticed the other day that there is a large quarter sized lump right under the area where they did the biopsy. I noticed it the other day in the shower. Talked to some nurses and it should just be a blood clot and the body working on healing itself after the biopsy, but this morning it has started to ache in that area. I'll have to wait and see what happens with it today. Please pray that it's nothing.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Getting things set up
Yesterday and today I have spent a good amount of time on the phone getting things set up. I have an MRI scheduled for Thursday (12/31) and we meet with the surgeon on Monday (1/4). Although they believe that the cancer is only on my left side, they want to make sure they see the full extent of the cancer before I go in for surgery. They want to know exactly how big the area is, they want to check out the other side, they want to look at the lymph nodes, they just want to be really precise so they don't miss anything.
I decided today that I would write a blog because I could tell this morning that my son is already done with mom being on the phone. He just wants to play with mom. Between talking with nurses, getting referals, coordinating care, and talking with family and friends, I've been on the phone more than I want to be these past few days. I figured that by creating a blog I could kind of journal my experience and also have a place where family and friends can see how we're doing and where those who are praying for us could go so that they know specific things to pray for. Please don't take this as a don't call me. I just think that there may be times when I am not as available because I want to focus in on my family.
Specific things to pray for:
1. Continued peace for my family and I.
2. That the MRI would give us a really clear picture and that there will be no spread of or invasive cancer.
3. Wisdom for us as we make decisions about my care
Thanks friends.
Megan
I decided today that I would write a blog because I could tell this morning that my son is already done with mom being on the phone. He just wants to play with mom. Between talking with nurses, getting referals, coordinating care, and talking with family and friends, I've been on the phone more than I want to be these past few days. I figured that by creating a blog I could kind of journal my experience and also have a place where family and friends can see how we're doing and where those who are praying for us could go so that they know specific things to pray for. Please don't take this as a don't call me. I just think that there may be times when I am not as available because I want to focus in on my family.
Specific things to pray for:
1. Continued peace for my family and I.
2. That the MRI would give us a really clear picture and that there will be no spread of or invasive cancer.
3. Wisdom for us as we make decisions about my care
Thanks friends.
Megan
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Thank the Lord we caught it early
Just two weeks ago we were a healthy family simply trying to add one more to the bunch. We started trying to get pregnant with a 2nd child 2 1/2 years ago. As I prayed over it this summer I just felt like the Lord told me I needed to take care of my body. I went in and got a root canal done that I had been putting off for about 5 years. The next month, I got pregnant. What a joy! Unfortunately, I had a miscarriage at 11 weeks. Through the prayers and the tears I felt like the Lord just kept saying "you need to take care of your body". And I knew that that meant going in for a mammogram.
My doctor had recommended that I have a mammogram a year ago but honestly, I didn't want to put $300 down the drain. I had no signs of breast cancer. I had my regular exams and the doctors felt no lumps. I thought I was just fine. After all, I just turned 32. My mom had breast cancer at 36 and this was the reason for the doctor recommending I be checked out. Well, after the miscarriage I had met the biggest part of my medical deductible and no longer had to pay $300 for the exam. So, I decided that now was the time to follow through on the mammogram. It was the only other thing I knew needed to be done to "take care of my body".
Half a week after the mammogram I got a call from the cancer center at St.Lukes. They had found an area of concern they wanted to look into more closely. I followed up the following week.
Basically, what the doctors had seen was small patches of calcifications. From my understanding, when a cell is not acting right our immune system goes in a kills the cell. The cell then shows up as a white spot on the mammogram. This is completely normal. However, when a mammogram shows a cluster of white spots on the mammogram they start to wonder what is going on with the cells in that area. The mammogram showed 3 to 4 small clusters of calcifications or "white spots" spread out over about a third to half my breast. As they walked me through the cancer screening center I kept hearing two things "this is why we do mammograms" and "if this is cancer you caught it very early".
A few days later I had a biopsy and on December 24th they told me I have breast cancer. I have an early form of cancer. They call it Ductal Carcinoma In Sinto or DCIS. As far as they can tell, the cancer is still in my milk ducts and it is not an invasive cancer. From my understanding at this point, I think DCIS is either before stage 1 cancer or a stage 1 cancer. Either way, it's early Thank God.
My doctor had recommended that I have a mammogram a year ago but honestly, I didn't want to put $300 down the drain. I had no signs of breast cancer. I had my regular exams and the doctors felt no lumps. I thought I was just fine. After all, I just turned 32. My mom had breast cancer at 36 and this was the reason for the doctor recommending I be checked out. Well, after the miscarriage I had met the biggest part of my medical deductible and no longer had to pay $300 for the exam. So, I decided that now was the time to follow through on the mammogram. It was the only other thing I knew needed to be done to "take care of my body".
Half a week after the mammogram I got a call from the cancer center at St.Lukes. They had found an area of concern they wanted to look into more closely. I followed up the following week.
Basically, what the doctors had seen was small patches of calcifications. From my understanding, when a cell is not acting right our immune system goes in a kills the cell. The cell then shows up as a white spot on the mammogram. This is completely normal. However, when a mammogram shows a cluster of white spots on the mammogram they start to wonder what is going on with the cells in that area. The mammogram showed 3 to 4 small clusters of calcifications or "white spots" spread out over about a third to half my breast. As they walked me through the cancer screening center I kept hearing two things "this is why we do mammograms" and "if this is cancer you caught it very early".
A few days later I had a biopsy and on December 24th they told me I have breast cancer. I have an early form of cancer. They call it Ductal Carcinoma In Sinto or DCIS. As far as they can tell, the cancer is still in my milk ducts and it is not an invasive cancer. From my understanding at this point, I think DCIS is either before stage 1 cancer or a stage 1 cancer. Either way, it's early Thank God.
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