THE BATTLE PLAN (Continued from 'The Network'

Whew! I'm sorry I left you hanging for so long. After I had fallen down the stairs, I had to walk on a walker for a month and my knees still hurt. I got derailed with all that interruption of my life and got stuck in a dark hole of depression for a while. Maybe I'm back on track now and can finish my story.

The Bible tells us, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." (John 8:32) This is sooooo true! Once I knew the truth ('I have cancer', 'the insurance is paying', and 'the network has my back'), I was relieved. I had been stuck in a quandary for a year. Now, I know the truth and I'm free to fight back.

The surgeon said we didn't have to be in an extreme hurry (as in next week), but we should get this done within a month to six weeks. He wanted me to have time to consider my options thoroughly and be comfortable with the process, but to get it all taken care of before it takes me out. He said the tumor had probably been growing for years, and that one more month wouldn't make a significant difference.

After the exam, the doctor said in so many kind words, that he would recommend a full mastectomy, as the lump was large, the breast was small, and there wouldn't be much left anyway. This is what I was expecting. I was ready for it.

So, the hunt was on. The doctor ordered a volley of tests to see if cancer could be detected anywhere else in my body. We did two CT scans, Bone scan, Blood tests, and ex-rays. All the tests came back negative, which is really positive, if you know what I mean. There was no cancer found anywhere else, but the CT scan showed that I had big cysts on my ovaries. Therefore, the doctors were recommending a complete hysterectomy following the mastectomy.

Well! This was NEEWWS to me. At age 54, I was still having my periods as regular as clockwork and having no pain or problems with it, except I had named the monthly experience "Niagara Falls" for a reason. (In my mind, I had also linked the idea of still having my periods to longevity of life.) I told the gynecologist that I couldn't believe this! I had friends who were bleeding to death, and they couldn't get a hysterectomy. I told him I was bringing all my bleeding friends to him. He just sat there with an amused look on his face and listened till I finished talking. Then he asked me if I wanted any more babies. (Are you kidding? At age 54?!) Of course, I said no, and he said since I was finished with this equipment, let's remove it, mainly because the breast cancer was feeding on the estrogen from the ovaries. After mulling it over for a few days, I could see the good sense in it. In fact, it might save my life.

So, at this point, the plan sounded like this: Mastectomy within a month. After six weeks to recoup, a hysterectomy. After six more weeks to recoup again, 8 rounds of chemotherapy, followed by 30 radiation treatments, and 5 years of Arimidex, an estrogen blocker. (The idea is, if there is any cancer cell lurking around, looking for a place to take root, it will starve to death for lack of estrogen.) Wow! This physical tune-up was quickly turning into a major overhaul! I could see it was gonna be a loooong year. TO BE CONTINUED . . . .