a slow motion train wreck

Today we expected to get the results of the tests and understand our options for surgery and chemotherapy. That was not what happened.

The doctor immediately recommended a radical mastectomy because we didn't have biopsy results that would recommend a chemotherapy treatment. We thought he'd consider chemotherapy first, which can reduce the size of the tumor before surgery. However without the biopsy he wouldn't/couldn't follow that course of treatment right now.

The short story is that the doctor never ordered a biopsy of the tumor so that the lab could grow the cancer cells and determine Pace's chemotherapy options. Because the Breast MRI has reveled two suspect areas, we'll have to get a biopsy of the left breast before any surgery on one or both breasts anyways.

This development causes the schedule to slip by 2 to 4 weeks.

Due to this oversight and a bedside manner that leaves much to be desired, Pace has asked for a second opinion and I completely support her in her decision to see another doctor.

The good news is that the cancer seems confined to the breast right now, her bones, brain and blood are cancer free.