Time to visit the the Boob Surgeon
Some things one just can’t prepare for. This is NOT one of those things. I have a ton of questions, and I need answers!
Well, I’m already here .. may as well take a picture right?
📸 Theo Parker (The hubs)
It’s December 23. Theo and I walk into a big office with an impressive waiting area, and are immediately greeted by the receptionist. “Hello Mrs. Parker, Dr T will see you in a minute. Would you like some tea or coffee?” They call us back and ask me to stand on this machine that measures your water weight. It’s one of many baseline measurements that I would have taken over the next few weeks. I later discover that lymphodema is a serious condition resulting from removal of lymph nodes. This is sometimes necessary when performing various types of breast surgery. We move to the doctor’s office and await the doctor. (This is when I got that photo in) In walks the teeniest, tiniest woman that I’ve ever seen. She’s so freaking cute that I just can’t help it. I blurt our … You are so freaking teeny! How cute are you?!!! The whole office erupts in laughter. (Well, except Theo. He’s a dude. He doesn’t get it. Lol) Over the next two hours, Dr. T reviews my pathology report line by line before giving us a thorough breast anatomy lesson and finally moving on to options for surgery. While she clearly explains the risks, she also makes it plainly clear that no one can make the decision to have a lumpectomy, mastectomy, or double mastectomy but me. She talks about my triple negative diagnosis and it’s relation to black women and the urgent need to move quickly. She also gives us a brief overview of chemotherapy (prior to the detailed discussion that we will soon have with the Oncologist). Once she’s done, I pull out my notebook of 5 full sheets of questions, and mark off the ones that she has already addressed. (Ughh yes, this is my life that we are detailing with here. Ain’t gonna be a bunch of head nodding going on in my appointments!) We spend another 20 minutes going over various questions. She gives me a prescription for anti-anxiety medication to be used for the MRI. She describes this as one of the most uncomfortable MRIs that you could have. And she wasn’t lying (more on this later).
Before we finish up, Dr T tells me that she would be on vacation the following week (sleeping). She knows that I would have a second opinion over the next week, and she advises me to call her mobile number if I have any questions on anything that we hear there. I leave the office feeling more knowledgeable about my condition and options. And I wasn’t rushed through my appointment (even though It took double the scheduled time).
This is the second appointment that I’ve had since my diagnosis. Christmas Eve is tomorrow and I have two appointments after Christmas I am officially declaring December 24 and 25 Cancer free days. There will be no talk of the C-word on these days.
