And the verdict is...

Good news! The MRI showed nothing abnormal on the right breast. Big sigh of relief!

The left side showed nothing other than the original site. Second big sigh of relief!

So that's one big hurdle finished and finally some news going in a positive direction. The team meeting included a radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, general surgeon, oncology nurse, and plastic surgeon. Each came in individually, studied my case, examined me, and talked about me as it related to their specialty. No decisions were made.

I got the feeling that they feel positive about my outcome, so for the first time I feel very positive. They all seemed to agree that since the MRI was so good and the tumor small, it is unlikely that it is in the nodes, although they admit they cannot say that for sure until the biopsy. They also do not know the staging, the agressiveness of the tumor, or the hormone/receptor markers because those tests were not performed in the original biopsy. Those things will be done after the next surgery, so we'll know more then.

So I still have the same two choices I've always had: lumpectomy with six weeks of daily radiation or mastectomy with no radiation. Chemo is a possibility after either surgery if some other currently unknown factors come into play following whichever surgery I decide to do. The team was to meet together and discuss my case this afternoon, then send a report to my surgeon. I now have a meeting with him in his office next Tuesday morning to discuss everything again with him and to make the final decision.

Last night I was positive I wanted a mastectomy with no reconstruction, at least not until after January when I could get it done and paid for in Florida. This morning I was leaning to the lumpectomy with radiation, and no reconstruction would be required. The long term survival rates are identical for both procedures, so it seems silly to go through a bigger surgery and many more surgeries for reconstruction if the lumpectomy and radiation are all that is needed for the same outcome. I didn't want to do the radiation at first, but I'm starting to believe it won't be so bad after all.

I also got lots of pamphlets and reading material today, so I'll keep reading about it and thinking about it until next Tuesday when some decision will have to be made.

Afterwards, Mark and I took my car to Jiffy Lube and then to lunch at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants with three of my former co-workers. I love those girls, so it was a lot of fun to eat and schmooze and just have fun for a few hours. Now I'm exhausted and about to take a nap!