5/28/24 – Our magical, wouldn’t trade for the world, trip to Italy meant stacked medical appointments upon return.  I called 5/28 Super Tuesday – oncologist appt, treatment #5, mammogram, another mammogram, ultrasound, another ultrasound, and finally a surgical consult. The scan results were not so super.  Slight improvement in the largest tumor, another shows no change.  But the biggest concern is what the surgeon calls “chunky” lymph nodes.  If responding to treatment, the nodes flatten out, which the radiologist doesn’t see happening.  Carbonne’s care team will discuss my “difficult” case in a multi-disciplinary conference next week and make a consensus recommendation.  They’ll likely suggest adding standard chemotherapy for 2-3 more treatment cycles to see if tumors and nodes can be reduced before surgery, which has been pushed back for now.   This was the first time complete mastectomy and nodal dissection has been discussed (at least that either of us remembered.)  Why?  Mainly because the largest, octopus-shaped tumor’s tentacles are so spread out.  

A bit of information overload, disappointment, and the feeling of one step forward, one back.  Inspirational quote of the week from my wise friend, Carrie.. “Maybe the piranhas have eaten all they can.  Now you have to kill the piranhas.”