Return of The Big "C" - Episode 3

When you're cruisin' down a highway of denial, the scenery can be pretty darn beautiful. The sky is blue. The trees are full and green. The speed limit sign says, "Take it easy...you're in NO hurry. But no one will bother you if you're a little heavy on the gas pedal." The road stretches before you and looks mighty long and inviting. You could drive it forever. Until suddenly...the gas light comes on, a storm cloud fills up the sunny sky, and you realize you just ran over a skunk.

Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. She found a lump in her breast, went to get a mammogram and lo and behold, there it was. A lumpectomy, radiation and chemo and it was gone. Less than a year later, it was back again. And this time it had metastasized to her skull and spine. Stage 4 cancer. Prognosis....not good. There was some hinting around that Mom needed to take some vacations and wrap it up. But then a great thing happened. A thing called Herceptin. It was a pretty new drug therapy that they started her on and, amazingly, it worked! Along with some intense radiation to the back of her skull (which for a while left her with a FINE looking bald spot!) the cancer went away....again. Mom would go every 3 months for a PET scan that would look for spots of cancer and every 3 months the scans came back clear! So then we were left with NED. We loved NED. No Evidence of Disease. NED was our friend. I got REAL cozy with NED. Mom kept trying to prepare me that with a recurrence like she had (meaning one that came back only less than a year after first being diagnosed and one that had metastasized) that it was very likely the cancer would come back. And every time she would tell me that...I would get FURIOUS. NO...it is NOT going to come back. "Life is a highway...I'm gonna ride it all night long!"

So, this past Tuesday, Mom went for her PET scan. Normally when she calls in the afternoon to get the results, the nurse puts her on hold and goes to get them. This time, the nurse told her they didn't have them yet and that they would call her tomorrow. Five minutes later, her phone rings. It was the doctor. They had found 4 spots on the scan in her left breast. She needed to come in ASAP for a mammogram and a biopsy. (I smell a skunk.) Wednesday, Mom went in and had NINE mammograms on her left breast and a needle biopsy. But it was basically just a formality. (Does anyone hear that dinging? I think my gas light's on.) Friday, she got the call. The lab results were in. Return of the big "C", and I don't mean the carnival's in town. (Ohhh...here comes the rain.)

Here is where we stand. Mom goes and sees the doc again on Wednesday. She will most likely have a double masectomy and chemo. The doc wants to take her case in front of the tumor board (which is basically like getting a whole bunch of second opinions all at once) because of her history. So, we will see what he has to say.

All I really want to say is that at any point we can be driving along and get side-swiped. You can live your life braced for it and cowering, or you can enjoy the scenery along the way. Either way, sometimes you're going to hit a skunk or run out of gas or hit a rain shower. You just have to learn to hold your nose, bring a gas can and turn on your windshield wipers.

We're gonna fight it. And we're gonna kick it's ass.

Love to all as always!

~*MareBear*~