a little bit of history...

for those of you who haven't heard the whole story, here's a recap.  during a ROUTINE yearly exam/mammogram, an area of abnormality was discovered in my mom's right breast. comparison with the mammogram from just 12 months before confirmed that this was new. the doctor immediately did an ultrasound and confirmed an "area of concern." she was scheduled for a needle biopsy the next week. the pathology report came back devastating- ductal carcinoma. once the cancer diagnosis was made, she was scheduled for an MRI and PET scan which she completed on tuesday of this week. then, the phone call thursday night.... areas of hyperactivity in the right upper lobe of her lung and hyperactivity in the mediastinal lymph nodes. we've gone from thinking that its an isolated breast cancer that was caught early to the need for pulmonary biopsy. i don't think any of us were prepared to hear that. we have an appointment on monday afternoon in new orleans with the interventional radiologist. based on the area/areas that they want to biopsy and where the masses are located, the decision will be made for CT needle guided biopsy or a pulmonologist doing a broncoscopy to obtain the cells. once the pathology is back, we'll all head to baton rouge to meet with vince (my heme/onc friend that mom wants to take care of her) to discuss treatment options/plans. i met vince at the starbucks in new orleans about 6 years ago while studying for nursing school. vince was chief resident at charity hospital and studying for his boards. we struck up a conversation about medicine over iced coffees and became fast friends. after katrina, vince went on to do his fellowship in hematology/oncology at m.d. anderson in houston and i moved to austin. since completing his fellowship, vince moved to baton rouge and accepted a job closer to his family. we've stayed in touch over the years and he was one of the first people i called. i am so lucky and blessed to have him in my life. keep your fingers crossed
g