Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Monday  Morning  April, 18  2011   (seventh post in this series).

Pat and I have been aware of the process that Kelly (and Damon) have been going through in terms of what surgery option they will select.  We have waited for them to formally present their decision.  The following is their email post:


Hello Family and Friends!

It’s been a while since we wrote – we’ve been enjoying a bit of a lull between appointments.

We had a wonderful trip to Durango and Glenwood – nice family time to swim, read, play games, and spend time together.  It was a great time to escape from reality for a while.  Damon did work while we were gone so it wasn’t quite as relaxing for him, but it was fun for us all to be together.

While we were gone, we received word that my breast cancer gene test came back negative; this means that I don’t carry the gene for breast cancer.  What great news for all of the women in our family, especially Madison and Molly!

After taking in as much information as we could handle, we have decided to move forward with a double mastectomy.  There were numerous pieces of information that influenced our decision including:
·    I still have two spots that need to be biopsied.  By choosing mastectomy, we avoid the biopsies and the results that may or may not come with them.  Any of you who have had a biopsy will probably understand this decision.


·     If I were to do a lumpectomy, I would have to have 6 weeks of radiation and 5 years of Tamoxifen.  If I had radiation and the cancer came back, I would not be able to have reconstruction so this is my chance to do that.  Also, the side effects of Tamoxifen in women my age can include premature menopause and osteoporosis. 
·     The chances of the cancer returning with lumpectomy are somewhere between 8% and 20% in 10 years.  The chances are less than 1% in my lifetime with mastectomy.
·     I can spend the 6 weeks after surgery focusing on recovery rather than radiation.

We have ultimate confidence in the surgeon and plastic surgeon that we’ve chosen.  The initial surgery is scheduled for May 6th and that will include the mastectomies and the beginning stages of the reconstruction.  It’s amazing to me that all of this is done in one surgery. 

The surgery will also include a sentinel node biopsy.  We’ve been fascinated about this modern medicine procedure.  Rather than taking several nodes for biopsy, they will inject dye into my body about an hour before surgery and the dye will travel to the “hot” node which we understand is the node that the cancer would go to first if it was going to travel.  That way they remove just that one node rather than several.

The entire process will include three surgeries, the first major one, then two outpatient surgeries and should take somewhere between 8 and 10 months.   If the pathology remains as is, I won’t need radiation or chemotherapy and the remaining steps of the reconstruction will be all I have left after the initial surgery.  We will meet with an oncologist about two weeks after surgery to confirm the pathology results.

We’re all doing pretty well, trying to get things done before surgery.  Damon has spent the last three weeks traveling so he can be home for a couple months after surgery.  Madison seems to be holding up well, but has her occasional moments of anxiousness.  Molly seems to be showing the most signs of anxiety and we’ll start seeing a counselor this week to help with that.  I am focusing on maintaining a positive attitude and being thankful that this is the best case scenario when all things are considered. 

We will try to be in touch one more time before surgery to give you a bit more information as we get it.

We are so thankful that you are part of our support system!  We continue to be amazed at the people who have reached out to us!

Love,

Kelly and Damon

Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Friday Morning March, 25 2011 (sixth post in this series).

As would be pretty obvious, the family has been involved in detailed discussions about the diagnosis and recommendations for Kelly's situation. We have tried to be very careful to give only general statements so that Kelly and her family could deal with, and communicate, the details in a manner that they felt comfortable with.

Last night, Kelly and Damon wrote a very detailed public email discussing of the situation. I am posting that information below. As you can tell, they have some pretty significant decisions to make over the next few weeks. The good news is that they have options and that the decisions will be based on very thorough evaluations by the medical people they are working with.

We have said this from the very start, the situation is scary, but the disease was caught in the early stages.

Please ladies, make an appointment for your yearly mammograms!!!

Hello Everyone!

Happy Spring!

We had a great appointment at the University of Colorado Breast Center on Tuesday.  Over a period of about 4 hours, we met with a surgeon, an oncologist, a radiation oncologist, and a plastic surgeon.  The information that we received pretty closely matched the information we had received the previous week.  It was nice to feel like we’ve been receiving accurate information and the two options presented to us were basically the same.  It was really nice to have my sister Lisa there to take notes and provide a bit of a medical perspective (she is a clinical dietitian at University so she speaks the medical language that Damon and I don’t).

Again, it was very reassuring to hear the doctors say over and over again that this is not “invasive” cancer and that it could be so much worse.

The two options on the table now are:

1) Lumpectomy, 6 weeks of radiation, and 5 years of Tamoxifen (a preventive chemo pill that doesn’t have the same side effects of typical chemotherapy, but has its own side effects)

2) Mastectomy

We are still waiting on some important pieces of information to help make our decision.  Last Wednesday we started the process for the Breast Cancer (BRCA) Test. Because I have no family history of breast cancer, it will be surprising if these test results are positive, but we felt it was necessary to do the tests, both for the benefit of our girls as well as my sisters and my mom.  If that test would come back positive, that would mean that there was an 80% chance that I would have recurring breast cancer and the recommendation would be double mastectomy.  Those test results are expected sometime next week. 

In addition, I have two other spots that need to be biopsied.  We are holding off on those biopsies until we have the results of the BRCA test.  If the test came back positive, the biopsies would be unnecessary.  If we moved forward with the biopsies and one of the spots came back positive, the recommendation would again be a mastectomy.

So…we are looking at surgery, of some version, toward the end of April.  That gives us plenty of time to gather information and make the best decision.

At this point, we’re thankful to have a little break from appointments and procedures.  The girls are on Spring Break next week so we’re going to tag along with Damon on a business trip to Durango and Glenwood Springs.  It should be some nice time for the girls and I to relax.

Again, we want to say thank you to all of you who have reached out, pitched in, and shown support in so many ways!  I know Jamie has an incredible collection of quotes and I can’t wait to start reading them.  We feel SO fortunate to have such an incredible support system!!

We’ll continue to keep you posted as we learn more.

With love,

Kelly and Damon

Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Wednesday Morning March, 23 2011 (fifth post in this series).

Yesterday Kelly and Damon, along with Lisa met with the Breast Center team from University Hospital. Lisa is our oldest daughter, is a clinical dietician at University Hospital, and facilitated the review of Kelly's case.

I will briefly summarize the results of that meeting. Kelly plans to write a summary of that meeting, and when she does, I will post it here.

The team basically verified all of the details that Kelly has been given to date. They had reviewed all of the tests and confirmed the diagnostic results of each. They also agreed on the various treatment options that have been discussed by the first surgeon.

The oncologist was a lady almost exactly Kelly's age and she heads up a study of breast cancer in young women. It is possible that Kelly will become a part of that study.

Both opinions suggest that the results of a special test need to be a part of the decision process. This test is called a BRCA test. Information on this test is detailed at:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA

This test evaluates human genes that are related to some forms of breast cancer. A description of these genes is as follows:

“BRCA1  and BRCA2 are human genes that belong to a class of genes known as tumor suppressors. Mutation of these genes has been linked to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer “

The results of this test, if positive, could also suggest that Pat and our other daughters will need to have more detailed breast cancer screening. Both opinions suspect that the test will come back negative, but the results are still a significant factor in the evaluation process. The results of that test are expected in about 10 more days.

For sure, Kelly will have to have surgery. The extent of that surgery will be based on decisions by the doctors and Kelly. There is a very good chance that Kelly will not have to go through chemotherapy and we are very hopeful that is the case.

We will update you as we get more details.

Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Monday Morning March, 21 2011 (fourth post in this series).

This will be a fairly quick update. Kelly had some additional tests on Thursday. They suggested further tests, but Kelly is going to defer any additional tests until she and Damon meet with the University Hospital team tomorrow.

Kelly and Damon told the girls about the situation last Friday. They told the girls that they could ask questions at anytime. Madison and Molly seem to be handling the situation very well. We went to the movies yesterday with Kelly and her family and the girls seem to be their normal selves.

Kelly seems to be handling this situation very well. Lisa, our oldest daughter describes it best when she said “Kelly is handling it with dignity”. Kelly said that she was not angry, nor does she ask: “why me?”. Pat and I have said several times that if it was us, we would probably be on the floor screaming and crying. I am sure that she has some pretty tough private moments at times.

Tonight we will stay overnight at their house so that we can get the girls ready to go to their early morning swimming lessons and then take them to school on Tuesday.

We are very anxious to hear what the University Hospital team has to say. We will update you as we get that information.

Related to this situation is the tremendous outpouring from friends, family and even “remote” acquaintances. A huge number of our friends and family have contacted us with encouraging thoughts and prayers. Kelly and Damon are amazed with the tremendous response of folks. It really helps all of us keep going. Thank you all so much!!!

Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Friday Morning March, 18 2011 (third post in this series).

Last night (3/17/11), Kelly and Damon published an email to family and friends that summarizes the events to date. We though that we would share it with the readers of this blog:

Hello Family and Friends!

For some of you this is an update and for some of you this is new news.  We apologize if we haven’t been able to contact you personally, but this last week has been a busy one.

I had a routine mammogram on February 28^th which then led to a second mammogram and a biopsy.  Last Friday we found out that I have breast cancer, but feel VERY lucky that we caught this early. (Public Service Announcement – don’t forget to get your mammograms!!)

Although no one wants to receive that kind of news (especially on a Friday afternoon when you have all weekend to stew), the news that we have received most recently is mostly good.  I have had a number of tests and procedures since the initial diagnosis and we’re still in the process of collecting information.

We met with a surgeon yesterday and were very pleased with her.  Her bedside manner was outstanding and she offered us a lot of understandable information and a couple of options.  It was great to hear her say that this is Stage 0, that  I’m not going to die from this and that it is highly unlikely that I will need chemo.

Next week we have an amazing opportunity to meet with a team of doctors to get second opinions.  It will be great to get that information to help us make decisions.

My family, both immediate, and extended, have been amazing!  Damon and the girls are holding up well – we feel so lucky to have the family that we do.  We are trying to provide the information to the girls in small amounts and in understandable ways.

For those of you who have already reached out to us, we want to thank you!  Although we haven’t been able to reply to each of you individually, we greatly appreciate knowing that you’re thinking of and praying for us.

One thing I’d love to do right now is collect positive and inspirational quotes.  I have always loved quotes and carried a few of them around with me.  This seems like a great time to collect some new quotes as we prepare for the next steps of this journey.  A good friend of mine has offered to compile these quotes for me.  If you have any that you’d like to contribute, please e-mail them to Jamie at j.s.blevins@comcast.net .

We’ll do our best to keep you informed as we gather more information and make our decisions.

With love,

Kelly and Damon

Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Breast Cancer, The Journey Continued

Thursday Afternoon March, 17 2011 (second post in this series).

Yesterday Kelly and Damon went to the surgeon recommended by her doctor. They were very impressed with her approach to the situation. Based on the tests done to date, she (the surgeon) believes that the tumor was caught in the early stages. There is some concern that there might be more spots and Kelly is having some additional tests today. Based on those tests, there will be a decision as to whether another biopsy is required.

The surgeon indicated that some level of surgery will be required. The best option would be a lumpectomy. Unless they detect a spread of the cancer, she does not believe that chemotherapy will be required.

So, the first opinion suggests that the early detection offers Kelly some options.

One of the contributions to the overall trauma of the situation is the fact that Damon's mom died of breast cancer. She died about 5 weeks before her first granddaughter (Madison) was born. She was a jewel of a person and we all miss her very much.

I have posted a photo of Kelly and her family. From left to right: Madison (7), Kelly, Damon, and Molly (5).

Breast Cancer, The Journey

Breast Cancer, The Journey

Wednesday Morning March, 16 2011 (First post in this series).

Those that are familiar with our blog know that it was created to document our travels. For the foreseeable future, our travels are on hold and we will change the format of this blog. As you read this blog, the reason for this format change will become obvious.

On Friday (3/11/11), our 42 year old daughter, Kelly, was diagnosed with breast cancer!!! She is healthy, eats properly, exercises regularly, is not overweight, has never smoked, etc. We do not have a family history of cancer.

In late February she had her yearly mammogram. The results suggested that a second mammogram was needed. Both tests revealed a growth that needed to be biopsied. On Thursday (3/10/11) she had the biopsy. The next day we got the bad news.

Before I start the documentation of this journey, I need to discuss something that has been very troubling to me. About a year ago, the medical community suggested new guidelines for scheduling these tests. The preliminary recommendation suggested that women under the age of 50, with no family history of cancer, did not need to schedule a mammogram. That was very troubling to me at the time, as Pat and I have three daughters under the age of 50.

Fortunately, the National Cancer Institute still recommends 40 years as the base age for scheduled mammograms:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/detection/mammograms

I need to say this loud and clear: ladies please schedule your yearly mammograms NOW!!!

Now back to our situation. We are very strong family (three daughters, three wonderful SILs, and eight great grandkids). We will all support Kelly, her husband, and their two precious daughters (5 and 7) as they proceed through this journey.

We are fortunate that Lisa, our oldest daughter, is a clinical dietitian at University Hospital here in Denver and she has arranged for Kelly's case to be reviewed by the well regarded team at the Breast Center.

As I write this today, we really do not have a lot of details on Kelly's condition. Since last Friday, she has had several additional tests and is scheduled for a few more. These include MRIs, another mammogram (post biopsy), ultrasound, etc. The preliminary indication is that the cancer was detected early and we have confidence that her journey will be successful.

Today she is scheduled to see a surgeon that was recommended by her doctor. She will use the recommendation of this surgeon as one of at least two opinions.

I will try to update the story of this journey as time permits. For the new readers, I always recommend that you sign up for the email notification link on this blog. That way you will be notified when I do post.

We have been contacted by a huge number of friends and acquaintances who have been so supportive and kind. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.