Wish the news was better...

 My visit with the Oncologist was yesterday.  I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say, but it was still upsetting.  Going through chemo was the hardest thing I did 8 years ago, and I did not EVER want to go through it again. But of course, the doctor said it was necessary this time too.  I will have to do 4 rounds of Adriamycin (Red Devil) and then 12 rounds of Taxol.

Since my last update, the pathology has come back and I have found out that my cancer is stage 3. This is mostly due to the lymph node activity.  With all the prior tests I received, the cancer was only seen in one lymph node. A biopsy of that node was done and a marker was put in to mark that particular node for surgery. Therefore, going into surgery we only suspected cancer to be in one lymph node.  It's my understanding that you can't just surgically remove one lymph node; they are in clusters and the entire cluster of nodes must be removed.  Pathology reported that 18 lymph nodes were in the cluster that was removed during surgery and 7 of the 18 were cancerous! SEVEN, not one.  Of course, this was shocking to everyone, including the doctor. I also found out today, that the tumor itself measured 1.3 cm and he said that all the cancerous lymph nodes measured larger than that. It's a pretty serious thing once cancer gets into your lymph nodes, especially that many.  So, that is why chemo has been recommended. Chemo will start in 4-5 weeks after I heal from surgery and last several months.  Then, I will go through radiation.

Chemo is a pretty terrible thing, something I would never wish on anyone.  I am not looking forward to it, but I'm hoping that with advancements over the last 8 years, my journey will not be quite as rough this time around. Prayers for peace of mind, healing and bravery are appreciated right now.