Feeling Blue

Mel here! Yesterday and today have been rough days for Deidre.I will post details of today's doctor's appointment, tomorrow. In the meantime, please pray that her tomorrow is a brighter day!

Well, it's about time!

Three Days Worth!   

Thursday, May 22
It's been 18 days since I sat in my surgical oncologist's office to received the news that I would need a mastectomy.  It's been 11 days since the Tumor Board returned with a second opinion supporting the surgical decision. It has also been 11 days since I was told that, although I am a candidate for immediate breast reconstruction, my surgical oncologist and plastic surgeon were affiliated with different hospitals, so I would have to begin breast reconstruction at a future date. Nine days ago, I successfully switched doctors and am currently a patient of UCSD Moores Cancer Center. Today, I have an appointment/consultation with my new surgical oncologist. I'm pretty excited!

Friday, May 23

Wow, what a day. UCSD Moores Cancer Center is amazing! They have a living garden, cancer resource library, cancer education workshops, nutrition, cooking, and fitness classes... and an amazing staff of nurses, resource coordinators, case workers, case managers, therapists... the list goes on and on!

Dr. Blair is my general surgeon/surgical oncologist. She examined me and looked over my charts. Here are some things she said (to the best of my recollection):

1.The tumor feels bigger than 2 cm (1 inch); feels more like 4 or 5 cm. 

2.Thinks the original diagnosis is not completely accurate... concerned that may have
   invasive cancer.

3. More fact finding is needed: 

          a. I had cbc and comprehensive metabolic panel blood work drawn today

          b. MRI & mammogram needs to be scheduled with UCSD imaging

          c. Another biopsy

4. Once the type of cancer has been determined, we can decide what type of surgery:

          a. If the cancer is highly aggressive/invasive, we want to get the cancer out, so a
              mastectomy will be in order. If the cancer or tumor is at least 2 cm away from
              the nipple, a nipple and/or skin sparing mastectomy may be performed.

          b. If the cancer is aggressive, but responds to chemo to shrink it, then that will
              allow for a lumpectomy and breast reduction. 

My next appointment with Dr. Blair will probably be the third week of June. She will have had the opportunity to review my blood work, MRI, and mammogram. 

TODAY! Saturday, May 24

Hello! Mel here. I just finished talking to Deidre this morning. She is so grateful for all the love and support everyone is showing her. (a special thanks from me to our sweet Bonnie for taking Dee to her appointment this week and being such an amazing advocate and note taker for her!) Deidre is looking forward to her Life Group tomorrow. They are doing a community outreach and she is super-excited to help serve the homeless! 

Have a happy Saturday and please take a moment to pray for Deidre! 

I have peace and joy and love and hope

As I have been reading through all of the wonderful and encouraging comments being left on my Facebook page, fundraising page, and blog, I came upon a comment containing a declaration of sorts written by an anonymous author:

"What Cancer Cannot Do"

Cancer is so limited... 

It cannot cripple love 

It cannot shatter hope 

It cannot corrode faith 

It cannot destroy peace 

It cannot kill friendship 

It cannot suppress memories 

It cannot silence courage 

It cannot invade the soul 

It cannot steal eternal life 

It cannot conquer the spirit 

- Author Unknown 

It reminds me of a passage in the bible: 

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

I am not a victim of my circumstance. My circumstance will not rob me of my joy. I am not afraid. I have peace and joy and love and hope! Can I get an "Amen"?

Amen, Deidre

Deidre, do not let your heart be troubled...

Saturday evening, Deidre was telling me how nights have been pretty rough on her, mentally. As a result, she hasn't been sleeping and has become extremely tired and exhausted during the days.

Most of us can relate to our minds not being able to turn off during stressful times, when all we want to do is sleep. I told Dee that I absolutely know how that feels. And that, that is the time I have my best and longest prayers/conversations with God. Whatever is weighing heavily on my mind and preventing me from my 8 hours of much-needed slumber, is most likely the exact same things that I should be "giving to God" and trusting Him to take care of. 

Sunday morning came and my church sang "Your Love Never Fails". One line in particular stood out to me and is what gave me the idea for today's post. "There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning." This fact has given me comfort many times and through many trials in my life. 

Today, please specifically pray for Deidre to cast her anxieties on her Father and to get back into a good, healthy sleeping pattern.

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7 

I am blessed!

Thank you, everyone. I am truly humbled by the outpouring of prayers, support, and generosity. I am blessed!

~ Galations 5:13 - Serve one another humbly in love

If you know her, you adore and love her.

If you don't know her, stick around and you'll soon want to!

                

 I am her "sister" and long-time bestie, Melane.

This is me.

(the 4-leaf clover on my cheek is
completely random & irrelevant)

Deidre has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. 

I am creating this blog for many reasons...to help Deidre's loved ones keep updated on this new journey and to prevent her from having to retell the same info over & over...to help organize her thoughts... and to help her stay connected with you...

Deidre and I will both be updating this blog. (she is a better story-teller than I am) Our goal is for one of us to write daily. Hence the name, "Your Daily Dose of Deidre"! 

What can YOU do? Oh, I'm so glad you asked! 
Pray for Deidre. Pray for healing, comfort, peace, and her continued sense of humor. Pray for her doctors. Pray for her living and financial situation. Praying is so easy and so effective! I have an idea...Come back to "Your Daily Dose of Deidre" everyday and pray for Dee after each visit to her blog! 

Those of you lucky ones that live near Deidre (I do miss me some San Diego! Remind me why I moved away? sorry~A.D.D. kickin' in)  You awesome Southern Cali folk can offer to go shopping for Deidre or cook her a meal, accompany her to appointments, deliver her cheerful treats...or come up with your own way to help our Dee.

We can also all help Deidre in her pocketbook. There is gonna come a time when she is unable to work and bring home the bacon. (mmm...bacon) If you are able to support Deidre financially, click on this link below (ANY amount is appreciated)!

To bring everyone up to speed, the following is Deidre's timeline of her diagnosis up to this point (in her own words):

March 17, 2014 - Felt a lump in my right breast. Confident that it's just a cyst. Made an appointment. 

March 24, 2014 - Examination by nurse practitioner. Referred to a radiologist. Waited for MediCal to approve referral. Referral approved. The medical professional was notified. Waited for medical professional to call me to make appointment. Appointment made. Waiting.

April 4, 2014 - Mammogram and ultrasound findings: 2 x 2.5 mass "highly suggestive of malignancy" LOOKS LIKE CANCEROUS TUMOR. Referred to pathologist. Waited for MediCal to approve referral. Referral approved. The medical professional was notified. Waited for medical professional to call me to make appointment. Appointment made. Waiting.

April 18, 2014 - Biopsy of mass. Waiting for results.

April 24, 2014 - Appointment with nurse practitioner - Biopsy results revealed "High-grade comedo ductal in situ (high-grade DCIS)," STAGE 0, grade 3 cancerous tumor. It's non-invasive, but aggressive and fast growing. Referred to surgical oncologist. Waited for MediCal to approve referral. Referral approved. The medical professional was notified. Waited for medical professional to call me to make appointment. Appointment made. Waiting. 

May 5, 2014 - Consultation with surgical oncologist. I'm expecting to get information about a lumpectomy, lymph node biopsy, and possible radiation therapy. WRONG. The tumor is non-invasive, but according to the mammography report one month earlier, the rest of the breast tissue show signs of extensive DCIS, therefore a unilateral mastectomy is in order. I'm also a candidate for immediate breast reconstruction. Once the mastectomy and lymph nodes are biopsied, the pathologist can determine if the cancer has metastasized. That outcome will determine my treatment options. I asked for a second opinion. My concerns are presented to the "Tumor Board" or multidisciplinary opinion.

May 12, 2014 - Tumor Board meets. 

May 14, 2014 - Appointment to review second opinion. Surgical oncologist in surgeries all day. Appointment canceled. Also told that the UCSD plastic surgeons are the only surgeons accepting my medical insurance. My surgical oncologist is from Scripps so, my reconstructive surgery would NOT be immediate. I would have to wait until I healed from the mastectomy before being cut open again for the next surgery. I CRIED. Called my insurance rep to request a surgical oncologist and plastic surgeon from UCSD. Called UCSD medical center to request a medical number as a new patient. Called my insurance rep back with info. Insurance rep found a surgical oncologist who accepts my insurance. If... no... WHEN my medical case is picked up by UCSD, I will have to start the process all over again starting with the surgical oncologist consultation. Waiting for MediCal to approve referral. Waiting for the medical professional to be notified. Waiting for medical professional to call me to make appointment. Waiting.  

May 15, 2014 _ Get a call about the Tumor Board opinion. YES, to a unilateral mastectomy. Strongly encouraged to be tested for BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes. The outcome may determine if a bilateral mastectomy would be best. I need a referral for that. Then the referral will need to be approved. Then a medical professional will need to call me to make an appointment. Then I'll need to wait for days or weeks for the results, which I will probably have to make an appointment just to hear the results.  

Okay, well there you have it!

Please come back tomorrow for

Your Daily Dose of Deidre!

(don't forget it is time for you to pray for Deidre now)

Thank you! :)