Izzy (and Mama) Eat: The Gourmand Goes To College...

Tales of Empty Nest and College Boy Eats.. The Next Chapter

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Here Today....

Gone tomorrow..


And oh how I wish it weren't so.  Yet I know that I did all I could to prevent this surgery.  Unlike Angelina Jolie, I did not and could not bring myself to choose a prophylactic surgery.  My choice was surveillance, in the hopes that if cancer were found, it would be found early.

Despite the encouragement of my breast surgeon and others,  never did I wish to undergo a surgery while my breasts were healthy.  Even though I am BRCA +1 and a high-risk patient,  my breasts are near and dear to me and I couldn't conceive of removing them without evidence of cancer.   Instead I opted for surveillance and I underwent any and all necessary procedures to assure that nothing would slip by unnoticed. In the past 3 years I have undergone three invasive procedures,  regular 6 month MRIs,  ultrasounds and yearly mammograms.   

These last two months have been a whirlwind of ups and downs, starting in May when an abnormality showed up on my breast MRI and a biopsy showed evidence of cancer.  After two months of conflicting diagnoses, visits to four breast surgeons and a lumpectomy two weeks ago, my cancer diagnosis has finally been confirmed. Now I no longer have a choice.

And so it is that on Tuesday, July 23, 2013, I will undergo bilateral (hopefully) nipple-sparing mastectomy with reconstruction.  It is my intent to share my journey here, in the hopes of helping others faced with similar decisions.