Good News

Yesterday was my most recent doctor visit. Needless to say, I was quite apprehensive as this was when I was to find out if I needed chemo. The good news is my number is 16 which the doctor proclaimed is quite low and chemo won't do much for me. Boy was I happy. I'll now be taking Femara for at least 5 years and have frequent follow up visits and tests. But that's it!

It's truly unbelievable that from the time I had surgery until my treatment was finished was 12 days. Of course I'm still healing and have the maintenance drug, but I sure got lucky.

This will likely be my last posting. If I continue it will be more on a monthly basis just for major events, like the birth of our first granddaughter.

Thanks to all who have followed my story and given me so much encouragement.

Just an update

I saw my surgeon Dr. Tsuei last Thursday. He said I'm healing fine and to come back in six months. Two down.

Someone from Dr Rubin's office called and informed me I am not eligible to participate in the study. It is only for women who have not yet had any treatment. Since I've already had radiation it makes me ineligible. However, that doesn't really change anything regarding the results of the Oncotype test.

Yesterday I went for more tests. Surprise, Surprise. This time I had to drink two bottles of stuff, one at 6:30am and the other at 7:30am. Something to do with the contrast CT scan. Once I got there they also put in an IV and shot something in my vein. She said it would be really warm to hot and I would feel like I had wet myself. She was right. When that was over I had another injection for the full body bone scan. I had to wait 2 1/2 hours for it to go through my system so I left and ran some errands.

That's about it for now. I think I'll take my neighbor up on her offer to visit at her beach house for a couple of days as I have another open week coming up. Then on the 9th of July I'm meeting my mom in Chicago for a week long Illinois trip to celebrate her 80th birthday.

My next doctor appointment is on July 7th when I'll find out the results of the latest round of tests. I'll post again after I have that meeting. Let's all hope for good news.

Round two

Let's see, I went 12 days without seeing a doctor or having a test. That is the longest physician free period I've had since my first mammogram on April 2. Wow, it seemed like such a long time. I guess because most weeks I had more than one appointment of some sort. For someone that's rarely been sick it has been pretty overwhelming.

Last week I had a followup with the radiologist. I don't have to see him again until December. One down.

Tomorrow I see the surgeon again. This will be my second followup with him. Hopefully he will be finished with me or at least a six month followup.

Today was with the medical oncologist. Dr. Peter Rubin. Got some good information from this meeting, like the results of the pathology test. Old school would be I could take the maintenance drug Tamoxifen or Femara for five years and be done. However, there is a new test targeted for people with my type of breast cancer... early-stage, estrogen receptor-positive and lymph node-negative. The test will look at my tumor and based on the activity of 21 different genes determine the likelihood of recurrence for me specifically. I don't know, but it seems like a real no brainer to me to find out if I would benefit from chemo.

My decision is whether to participate in the trial study or not. It works like this. You have the test and are given a Recurrence Score (1-100) that falls into one of three groups. 10 or less, hormonal therapy only, 26 or greater hormonal therapy and chemo. The mid group of 11-25 is where the trial comes in. As the doctor explained this group is kind of a crap shoot. The benefit of chemo hasn't been determined yet, or just where is the point that chemo will help. If you're in this group it's 50/50 whether you'll get chemo or not. I'm leaning toward being in the trial even if it means I might have to go through the chemo. It's the only way science can advance, to have participants and the sooner they can get results the more people that can be helped in the future. I'll just hope that I fall in the 10 or less or draw the no chemo card!

First Followup

Today was the first of my followup doctor appointments. According to Dr. Tsuei I am healing well. When I asked if I had any restrictions on activities he looked at me kinda funny. Pretty much he said if it bothers me to use my right arm, then switch to the left. I see him again in three weeks.

The last week has been uneventful. Thankfully so. I have begun walking again and I definitely can tell when I have been using my right side too much. The right breast is tender like if you have something rough that's been rubbing against your skin. I'm not sure if it's from the surgery or the radiation. Tsuei said we'd call it the radiation and laughed.

So, I'm good to go. Winding down this little adventure. Probably won't post again for a couple of weeks.

Again, thanks for all the support I've received from everyone.

No more tube!

Yesterday was my last radiation treatment. While I was still on the table Dr. Manning came in and pulled the balloon out. Then he showed it to me. I just realized what it looked like. Some of you may remember the old make your own balloon kits. A small tube, about half the size of drinking straw that you gobbed some stuff on the end. Then you'd slowly blow though the tube to form a balloon.? Pretty low tech, but I remember them as a kid. Well, that's what the device looked like. Then he inflated it to show me the size it had been inside my breast. It just kept getting bigger and bigger!! When he finished it was about the size of a golf ball. I was shocked. I thought it would be much smaller.

So, I'm finished with radiation! Unfortunately my celebration ideas were dashed as I have to wait another 24 hours to shower. To give the incision where the balloon came out time to seal up. And I tried sleeping on my right side, still a little sore.

I didn't realize how exhausted I had become. Last night I slept better than I have for a while. Well, probably since I stopped taking the Percocet. I'm so happy to be done with the treatment portion. Now my body can direct it's energy into healing. It will be nice to get back to normal. I don't hurt, just have discomfort. And of course my energy level isn't quite where it was before, not that I was a real ball of fire before anyway.

It seems weird to be able to say I am now cancer free. I still have several doctor appointments, follow up surgery, follow up radiation and a new one the medical oncologist. But anything at this point is preventative. Modern medicine is such a miracle.

Hump Day

I have now completed 6 of the 10 radiation treatments and must say that milestone is quite exciting to me. Over halfway finished with the radiation! Yahoo! I will celebrate in two ways. First I will take my first shower in almost two weeks. I have a feeling that's going to be quite refreshing. And second I will sleep on my right side. No tube hanging out!

For anyone wondering about my shout out to Ken. He is my brother in law who is battling cancer. When I hear his story it makes me so grateful that everything has gone so easily for me. He is also part of the reason I have been able to keep my spirits up. Compared to him my bout has been easy. As I have told him, He has the Big C. I just got the little c. Anyway, some students did a piece on him if you'd like to check it out. http://simla.colostate.edu/~omjim/ken_devault/index.html

I'm definately winding down this adventure. Will probably not make another post until Friday after the tubes have been removed. Can't wait.

2 down, 8 to go

First of all, I want to say, Ken I know you are jealous. This is your good week and you only have to go to the hospital once. I however; get to go to the Cancer Center twice a day all week!

I started the radiation treatment today. The whole process seems to take about an hour. It appears they will do a CT scan every time to make sure the delivery system is still in the correct position. Then of course there is the obligatory waiting period while the scan is checked. Mornings I will have my dressing changed, afternoons they will send me on my way. Seems pretty easy.

I can tell when the actual treatment starts and ends as there is a slight vibration in my breast where the balloon is placed. Other than that there is no sensation. The length of time is about 2 songs long. Maybe 2 1/2. I noticed a little prickling feeling this morning after the treatment, but nothing too bad. I'm anticipating it will get worse as more and more radiation is pumped in there. We'll see.

I got the okay today to start walking again. Not too vigorously, but it will be nice to get out and stretch my legs a bit. I'm afraid serious hiking in Yosemite is out at this point, but just being able to make the trip is good enough for me.

No Doctor Appointment

Wow, the only day this week without a doctors appointment of some sort! To celebrate I went to Walmart for some pet food and Great Clips to have my hair washed. The first time I've gone somewhere by myself this week. I feel good, but don't want to push it. I'd rather take it easy than experience a setback.

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours in the radiologist's office. Had a couple of CT scans and at least 3 xrays. I sorta lost count after a while. They were working on perfectly positioning the radiation delivery device. Now I have a tube sticking out the side of my right breast and LOTS of bandaging to hold it in place. A friend of mine asked, "you know what's wrong with this country don't you?" Answer---Too much boob tube!

Next week I have appointments at 7:40 and 1:50 every day. After the second treatment on Friday they will remove the balloon and tube and my radiation therapy will be finished! That will give me one week of pure healing and then off for California.

I'm so happy everything has gone so well for me. I'm almost to the point of feeling survivor guilt. I mean, if you've got to have cancer this is the way to go. I'm sure this was a wake up call and will change my life. I'm not quite sure how just yet, but I bet it will become apparent. Another friend of mine wrote to me today....If God brings you to it-He will bring you through it.... I like that. I think it can be applied to many aspects of our lives.

Good News

Got the pathology report back today. Negative in the lymph node, negative in the surrounding tissue. Doesn't get much better than that.

My temporary device has been replaced with the real thing. A $2000 balloon. Tomorrow I see the radiologist for "simulation", I think that's to get all the settings right for the radiation and I will start treatment either Friday or Monday. Will be finished by next Friday!

Wow, what a trip this has been. Not over yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

THANK YOU

I want to express my appreciation for the prayers, thoughts, cards, emails and calls that I have received. The outpouring of care, concern and support for Brownie and myself has been overwhelming. Thank you for helping us during this difficult time.

Surgery Day

Well, where do I begin?

First of all, the last time I had surgery was back in the early 70's to have my wisdom teeth removed. I had no idea what to expect yesterday. Or how I would react to the anesthesia. Especially given I'm a good deal older now.

What I should have known, given my recent experiences with the health care system was that I would sit around and wait. My surgery was scheduled for 1:30 and I had to be at the hospital at noon. In part because I was to receive an injection (more about that later) 30-60 minutes prior to the surgery. By 12:45 I had changed into a smock, someone had asked a few questions, banded me, and taken my vitals. This was a total of about 7 minutes worth of activity. So we sat and sat and sat. Finally, shortly after 1:00 the nurse came in to describe what would be happening. She was quite a trip. Real talkative and somewhat spacey. By now it was getting to be a quarter after one and people kept coming up asking her if I was ready, they wanted me in the operating room.

She finally got everything straight and off we go. Brownie trailing behind with my clothes. No escape for me! The orderly pushing me was real sweet. Once we reached the surgery doors he told Brownie to hug me before rolling me into the room.

Suddenly there was a flurry of activity. Dr. Tsuei was there and marked the spot where he was going to cut and talked with me a little. Someone placed some leg massagers on me to keep the blood moving. Seems like a bunch of other stuff was going on, but I can't remember it all.

Then I got THE injections close to the nipple. Some type of radioactive material with a blue dye. These were the injections that were supposed to happen 30 minutes before surgery. Well, I had been warned. What I didn't know was that there would be 4 of them and each one hurt worse. Now admittedly it was only for a few seconds at a time and deep breaths helped. But geez, by the time they got to the last one I was ready to be finished with that! It kinda felt like some had taken some needle nosed pliers and and pinched real hard. I suggested to Dr Tsuei and the woman administering the shots they should have them to see what it's like. She laughed, but I think Dr Tsuei is a bigger pain baby than me! He pretty much said he didn't plan on having any surgery.

Next the anesthesiologist and her side kick (Bob-his is about the only name I can remember) showed up again. While she asked me the same questions I'd already answered a few times that day he put the catheter in for the IV. He was so good I hardly felt it at all. I even complimented him.

I remember being wheeled into the OR. It was cold in there. I could see the clock and it was getting close to 2:00. Then I moved myself from the gurney to the operating table. Hmm, that's about the last thing I remember. They must have started my IV and I was out. No counting backward or anything.

When I woke up I was in the recovery room and the clock read 4:20. I indicated the pain level was about an 8 so I started getting medicated. Once we got it down to a 4 I just layed there in a daze for quite a while. I felt like I had overimbided, but in a somewhat pleasant way. No nausea I just kinda wasn't sure if I could get up and walk. After a while the nurse offered me some ice chips which I was glad to get. Two hours passed before I was moved to short stay where I could dress and leave. I was pretty sure by now Brownie was getting worried as we were way behind the schedule that had been laid out. But I was okay, just laying there. No one seemed in much of a hurry to get rid of me.

We were finally reunited around 6:30. I was glad to know the surgery part was over.

We stopped and got my pain meds on the way home. Later that night the pharmacist stopped by to check on his patient.

So I spent the evening pretty much vegging out. Tired, sleepy, but awake. Brownie's been great, trying to anticipate my needs and make sure I don't want for anything.

Today I go see Dr Manning (the radiologist) for the next step in seeing if I can have the Mammosite. He'll do a CT scan to see if the temporary device is filling the cavity completely and if it is far enough from the rib.

That brings me up to date here. Hope all is coherent as the Percocet while keeping the pain at bay has kept me slightly lightheaded.

Let's hope for more good news today.

Home

Surgery is over and I'm recuperating at home. Initial result shows no lymph node involvement. That is VERY good news. But won't know for sure until pathology report comes back in a day or two.

More tomorrow regarding today's experience.

Glad to have made it safely off the operating table!

Happy Mother's Day!

We finally made it to Asheville.


As we were on the way to the hospital for my preops the radiologist's office called to tell me they had scheduled a MRI for 5:45 that same day. So much for arriving in Asheville late afternoon.

Now the MRI was a real experience! The technician told me it would be noisy. There's an understatement. So I just took little adventures while lying there. Let's see, there were the tugboats in New York harbor, airboats in the Everglades, a speed boat on the lake and the foghorn at San Francisco Bay overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Finally at 7:25 we hit the road.


We had an enjoyable couple of days. Asheville is very dog friendly so we could take the boys with us almost everywhere. Parks, restaurants, bars and just walking around. Today the Biltmore Estate was having a special for Mother's Day and Mothers got in free. We've been wanting to see the gardens and walk some of the trails for a while and the dogs were welcome everywhere but inside the buildings. So it was perfect for us. Getting onto the grounds was something else. It seems everybody and his mother decided to go today!




Once we got home Ben and Mary came over for a visit. Mary made me this great fruit bouquet. I liked it so much I decided to share a picture with everyone. Pretty good for her first time.



I will admit I've had some anxious moments this weekend. It never occurred to me that since I've not had surgery I don't know how my body will react to the anesthesia. That I could die on the operating table and would not have told my family how much I love them. Fortunately those feelings passed. I'll be around to annoy the snot out of people for years to come. I think it also helped that Dr Manning called today and said the MRI looked good, no additional problems.


This is my last day of having cancer! This time tomorrow the tumor will have been cut out and I will only have treatment remaining. That's certainly something to look forward to.

What I'm not looking forward to right now is no food or drink after midnight. Guess I'll survive.

Wish me luck and thanks for the prayers.

Still on Track

The meeting with the radiologist (Dr. Manning) was quite informative. He gave me a name for the tumor, Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Estrogen Receptor Positive, Herp..something 2. Clinical Stage I. Once I have surgery it will become a Surgery Stage something. So far, so good.

He gave me a timeline and the steps that will occur. I'm one of those people that wants to know what is going to happen when, so that was good information for me. The problem is, if things don't go as I have expected I tend to get a little upset. Yesterday was one of those days when it appeared the surgery wasn't going to happen on Monday. Fortunately they were able to work out all the schedules and I'm still on, just at a slightly later time in the day.

Today I have my preops and then we're off to Asheville for the weekend. We had to postpone our trip to Atlanta (actually Newnan) so this was our alternative. I think it will help to take my mind off what's ahead. No sense obsessing and I'm afraid I may be reaching that point. We're even taking the dogs with us, so that should be interesting.

Good weekend to all.

Waiting and waiting

Here is a picture of my cancer. So, if you ever have a mammogram and there is a bright while spot like this, it's not good news.

Today I'm going to see a Radiation Oncologist. He's going to be another one of my doctors. The purpose of today's visit is to determine if the tumor is too close to the ribcage for the Mammosite. He is one of a handful of doctors in the area that perform that type of treatment. If that doesn't work out then he will do the standard radiation.

Now, getting this appointment was no easy feat. Since I was given my films to hand deliver I assumed there was some urgency. As it turns out the woman who was working on setting up the appointment went home sick Monday after she had first contacted the Oncologist office. Of course they didn't tell me that when I called on Monday afternoon. Then she didn't come in on Tuesday. I found that out when I called Tuesday morning to check on status. So I talked to someone else at the nurses station. I explained the situation, blah, blah, blah. When I hadn't heard back in a few hours (really, how long does it take to make an appointment for someone?) I called again. Well, there was no record of my earlier conversation with someone. So I explained myself again, including the part about having the films, etc. etc. Finally, around 4:30 I got a call back with an appointment time and she asked if I had the films, because they couldn't find them. People don't listen to you. They hear only the part they happen to think is important at the time.

After today, I think I only have one more appointment before surgery on Monday. It's been a real learning experience so far. Not only in breast cancer, but navigating the health care system. And I know I've got a ways to go on that one.

Surgeon visit

We're finally moving forward to a surgery date. I saw my surgeon Dr. Tsuei today and learned a couple of things about my tumor I didn't know before. It is larger than I thought. Approximately 3/4 inch. Also, it is deep in the breast. That has it's pluses and minuses. I'm hoping for the Mammosite radiation and the surgery site needs to be not too close to the skin, but not too close to the ribs either. To avoid burning either one.

Sometime soon, I will be seeing another doctor. This one is a Radiation Oncologist, one of two in Greensboro that does Mammosite. He is going to review my films and see if he thinks I'll be a possible candidate. We won't know for absolute sure until surgery and the Sentinal lymph node has been tested. I have my films to take with me when I see him. Wish I had one of those bright screens so I could take a picture of one to post on the blog. I'll try to figure something out.

Something I was curious about was how the surgeon knew where the tumor was. I just figured the tissue looked different. Nope, it's by feel. He said if you actually see the tumor you've cut into it and that's bad news. Such delicate work, think I might start having more respect for these guys.

Here's something else that's pretty cool. They used to just go in and basically scoop out all the lymph nodes. Well, through research it was discovered that wasn't necessary and sometimes caused more problems. So now they go after the Sentinal node first, if it's cancer free they stop. The nodes have a heirarchy and once you find one that hasn't been affected you can stop. In order to locate this node they first shoot you up (in the breast) with some radioactive stuff followed by blue dye. Then he uses a tool like a Geiger counter to find the radiation. Where it's the strongest is the Sentinal node. That's how he knows where to cut, and then the node itself has turned blue so he can spot it. Yikes! The materials say you pee green for a couple of days afterwards.

Surgery is scheduled for Monday May 11. I'm so excited! (that was irony) Then they will cut out the cancer and the hard part begins. The therapy. I'll deal with that when the time comes.

I'm still smiling. Frowning or complaining is not going to make the situation any better. I want that when the doctor goes to work on me he's going to think, this woman has a positive attitude and expects (there's that whole expectation thing again) the best outcome here and I'm going to give it to her. What more could I ask for?

NO CANCER!!!

In the mean time I only have a week left to go around and try to elicit sympathy for having ... "the cancer"... deep breath, sigh. I think you have to watch Grey's Anatomy to get the last sentence.

More Musing

I am grateful that I have a cancer you can cut out and throw away. For me the whole process should be relatively uneventful, more a disruption to my daily routine and travel plans. I certainly can't complain knowing what my brother in law Ken is going through. He is such a trooper. Weeks in the hospital, the surgeries, drainings, blood clots, you name it. Then finally a correct diagnosis. He makes me realize I have no reason to complain or be concerned about my treatment.

Expectations are another thing that keeps me positive. I fully expect to have my surgery, whatever treatment will be necessary and then I'll just move on. Sometimes you have expectations that are just a given. Sometimes those expectations are exceeded.

For example, I expected my son would go to college. Never thought twice about it, that was just the way it was going to be. Now, I didn't expect he would go for eight years and end up Dr Ben Brown. He is a wonderful young man who married a wonderful young woman. They have far exceeded any expectations I could have had for them. They are young adults of superior character and I don't tell them that often enough.

Most likely this will be my last posting until after my doctor appointment on Monday. Everyone have a safe and happy weekend.

Musing

Everyone keeps telling me what a great attitude I have about this. I have two things to say to that.

One, I've always said I'm too mean to get sick. Obviously, I've softened lately or this damned thing wouldn't have wormed its way into my life.

Two, one in eight women are now diagnosed with Breast Cancer. The older you get, the greater your chances. So if I'm the first woman you know with the diagnosis, get used to it, I likely won't be the last. And here's my experience so far... the people I know who have had breast cancer, my grandma (survivor over 20 years), Mary O'Connor (survivor over 15 years), Laura Craven (survivor over 6 years), Becki Walker(Callahan)'s mom (survivor at least 10 years), Callie O'Conner (new survivor), Ann (my husband's cleaning lady) (finishing treatment). I'm sure I'll hear of more as time progresses. But in my circle EVERYONE is a SURVIVOR. There is no reason I should expect less from myself.

I am very fortunate. My husband has made it possible for me to retire early. I don't have to worry about scheduling doctor appointments or treatments. I don't have to worry about how we will pay for the treatment. If I need him to cancel a golf game to come somewhere with me he will. This removes the stress of having to deal with a disease. He is a good man and I love him for it.

Here's another thing, as my son says, when something happens to our family we just deal with it. That's what we're doing now.

More tomorrow.

The Next Step

I have an appointment with a surgeon on Monday, May 4. At that time I'll be able to schedule the surgery. Probably 2-4 weeks later. I'm opting for sooner rather than later.

What I do know at this time is it will be a lumpectomy, followed by radiation. Chemo will be necessary if it has entered a lymph node or is a certain type of cancer, estrogen retaining of a certain size.

The radiation is 5 times a week for 5 weeks. I guess possibly longer. Those of you that have been there will know better than I do. There is a type of radiation called Mammosite. It can only be used if the area removed is small (less than the size of a walnut) and no lymph nodes are involved. This involves a radioactive seed and is done twice a day for 5 days. That's what I'm hoping for.

Here's something I've learned. Sometimes a mastectomy is chosen because the patient can't take time from work for the daily radiation. If you have the mastectomy then radiation isn't needed. The radiation is to kill any strays that possibly weren't removed by the surgery, with a mastectomy, they're gone. Of course, in the case of multiple or large tumors there really isn't an option.

I had hoped to have already had the surgery by now so the healing process would be started, unfortunately getting a diagnosis wasn't cooperating. We have a trip scheduled to Yosemite for the first week of June and I really don't want to have to cancel it. I've been assured I most likely won't have to miss it. Guess we'll find out later.

That about covers everything I know so far.

Thanks so much for all your emails and support. As most of you know, my religious beliefs are not exactly conventional. Let there be no doubt however, I firmly believe in the power of prayer. I also believe God only gives you what you can handle. My prayer is to give me and my family the strength to see this through while remaining upbeat.

Detection

While vacationing in New Orleans to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary my ever vigilant husband (Brownie) discovered a lump in my right breast. No big deal, something like more than 80% of lumps are noncancerous. I did however, have a mammogram the Thursday following our return home.

Then the testing began. I have spent more time in doctors offices in the last 4 weeks than the last 4 years! Waiting, waiting. Some of which because I was fortunate enough to go with my son and daughter in law to two of their ultrasounds. Thereby getting to see my granddaughter in utero. Quite exciting stuff.

After the first mammogram I got the phone call to come back for some additional tests on Tuesday. This time they did a magnified mammogram of the area and an ultrasound. The ultrasound was to determine the density of the lump. This was to rule out it being a cyst. No such luck, so I was scheduled to come back the following Tuesday.

This time I had a BSGI-Breast Specific Gamma Imaging test and an ultrasound guided core biopsy. The BSGI basically identifies "hot" spots that could be cancerous and don't show up on other tests. Mine showed only the one lump. Since the lump is so small it was difficult for the doctor to get a good biopsy. But she took three samples.

The following day Brownie and I went back to get the results and discuss treatment options. Not gonna happen. The biopsy was negative and the surgeon wouldn't operate until he knew for sure if it was malignant. So, I had another type of biopsy. Fine needle aspiration. The old fashioned kind that doesn't give them a lot of information regarding the type of cancer but will detect a malignancy.

Well, that one came back negative also. But my doctor is persistant. She's sure it's cancer so we schedule another type of biopsy. This one's a little harder on the patient, but she'll definately be able to get a good sample. She was right. Or maybe all the jabbing, poking and squashing was finally getting to me and my poor old black, blue, green, yellow with red puncture marks boob. The following day (which was last Wednesday) she called to let me know this time she got right in the center of the tumor and it was positive for breast cancer.

Needless to say, that dashed my hopes of it being a benign tumor. But I am glad she was persistant so now we can proceed with treatment. The tumor is very small, the doctor was quite complimentary regarding Brownie's ability to feel it, wondered if he'd like to come work in her office. Ha Ha

Reality

I.. have .. breast.. cancer.

Wow! Four words I never thought would come from me.

I'm new to this blogging business. Some of you are experienced, please forgive my learning curve.

In the weeks to come I'll keep you updated on my progress. Hopefully, I'll also in some way educate you regarding breast cancer. It's all new to me too!

Fact number one. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women. Right behind skin cancer. So, you know those great tans we all love? ... forget 'em. Pale skin is healthy. But, hey, give me the baby oil and iodine! Bring back any memories??

The good news is (for me at least) early detection. I have no intention of leaving this earth any time soon and so far my diagnosis supports that feeling.

Subsequent blogs will include how I discovered the problem (not sure I like the word cancer) and how it will be dealt with. If you want to continue, you know where to find me, if not, that's okay too.