My OBGYN had gotten me a consult the very next morning with one of the very best surgeons in our area. I was very nervous. I knew this mean surgery and I could think of nothing I wanted more than to get the cancer out of me, but I could not even imagine what was going to happen to me. I knew one thing for certain, I wanted it out and I did not care if it meant they took everything along with it.
My surgeon was someone my husband knew from his youth. He was kind, insightful and was able to explain everything to us in a way we clearly understood our options. It was determined that I needed a lumpectomy with a sentinel node biopsy. This would remove the tumor from my breast and check the lymph system to see if the cancer had spread. I told him I wanted to go ahead and get the surgery done as soon as possible so we scheduled it for the following Tuesday. That would give me time to get all of my tests done before the surgery. I also told him, with Bill present so he knew how I felt about everything, that if we got in there and the margins were not clean, I preferred he take as much as necessary to save my life.
One of the most important things I learned at that surgery consult was that I liked my surgeon. I felt confident about the things he told me. I felt confident I would get good care. That seemed to help take a load off my mind. The other thing that helped was the speed with which we were attacking the cancer. We were not waiting around for it to do more damage – and that was good.
