Let's get this started...

Hey everyone, guess I don't need to introduce myself.  If you are reading this you already know me but you may not already know why I am starting this Blog.  I am starting it because last week I got some news that no one wants to get.  I have breast cancer, yup and it really stinks!  I am just starting my journey into finding out all of the details but I have already been so overwhelmed (in a good sort of way) by everyone's support, love, prayers and interest that I thought starting a blog to keep everyone updated is probably my best bet.  When I got "the phone call" I was told that my biopsy showed grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma about 1.2cm.  Ugh, really?  I am the one who helps and supports other people...this is NOT supposed to be ME!!!  Please take this in the right way, I love you all and can't do this without all of your love and prayers but phone calls and texts are very hard for me right now.  I love and much prefer emails or now even comments on this blog! I am trying to continue to work for as long as I can, it is a fabulous distraction and we need me to produce income during the times that I feel up to it along this journey.  That means I am either at work or at home resting so the phone is not much of a friend to me right now. (Most of you also know that I am not much of a phone chatter even when I am not sick!)

First opinion...

Today was my first appointment with a surgeon.  It was our first chance to have someone go over what all this technical mumbo jumbo on the lab report meant.  It was with Dr Anne Wallace at UCSD.  Before I go on though I must first thank my guardian angel and friend Chris Kane.  I have been accepted with open arms into his family at UCSD and I will be eternally grateful for this!  

Joe and I went to Dr. Wallace's office where we got to meet her awesome team consisting of Vince and Debbie as well as Dr. Wallace.  I will cut straight to the chase here because this post is to fill you all in with what we learned today.  Here we go:

• So far we know that I tested negative with estrogen and progesterone driven receptors.  There is one more test to come in and if it also negative it means that I have triple negative invasive breast cancer.  Not the best case scenario but not a death sentence. It just means finding the right medicine is a bit trickier and I would probably start chemo before having surgery to see what works best on my tumor.
• LOTS OF TESTS!! It all starts tomorrow morning.  I have another diagnostic mammogram tomorrow morning then I see the oncologist Dr Parker. Then this Friday I get to starve practically all day for a CT scan of my abdomen, pelvis and chest followed by a MRI bilateral breast contrast image.
• Then the following Monday I have an ultrasound and if that wasn't enough I will get a call tomorrow to schedule a PET?CT scan of my whole body.  I guess my lower back ache scares them a little and we need to make sure that it hasn't gone anywhere else!
• Oh yeah, also had some blood work done today as well and might I say that the technician did the best job EVER!!!  Wow, it was the fastest easiest blood draw I have ever had and he was funny on top of it all. ;o)

I will be getting a second opinion by seeing Scripps Dr Kurtzhals on Wednesday morning and since Joe will be out of town my friend/buddy Lucia will be coming along to hold my hand.  I am already pretty sure I want to continue with Dr Wallace but I know that it is always a good idea to get a second opinion and I have heard wonderful things about her.  

I guess that is about it for now.  I promise to make this page prettier when I figure it all out but for now I wanted to get the info out as quickly as I can since so many of you are waiting to hear about what happened today.

On a Spiritual Note...

I have decided to look for as many blessings along the way that I can.  We are surrounded by them each and every day and so often look right past them in our busy lives.  Even before I got this diagnosis God was already doing so much work in me and I could feel it.  He has been showing me the work He wants me to do to help others and I have really been working on "stopping and smelling the roses" along the way.  I will certainly write much more about all of this and share some things that I have already witnessed but in the need to get this medical info out ASAP I will keep this brief for now.  I am first so thankful for my loving family.  To have Joe by my side with all of this is so comforting.  Then there are my 3 wonderful, strong, incredible kids.  Truly the best kids in the world and I will argue that out with anyone that wants to! ;o)  I am so glad that they have the strong bond between them all that because that will certainly help them get through all of this.  So glad they have each other to lean on.

I have had the wonderful experience of being blessed 2 times this week already.  First by Fr Anthony at OLMC on Wednesday.  I was a blubbering lost soul that day and he brought me into the church and anointed me and prayed with me. Then my precious Fr Jacob came to visit me at our home.  I have missed him so much and it was so incredible to get to spend some time with him.  He had Danielle, Kendall and Joe join him in praying over with me before he left and it was an incredibly special moment...he even mentioned Cameron by name so he was kind of there too!  ;o)

Signing off for now

This is the end of my first blog post.  I promise to make it prettier as soon as I figure it all out but this is it for now.  I am trying to not blast this all over Facebook so if you want to leave messages maybe do it privately.  Please feel free to invite anyone that knows me to follow this blog.  I am not being secretive AT ALL with this.  I feel like the more people I have praying for me or sending good thoughts my way the better.  I love you all and thank you for joining me as I step into this very unfamiliar territory.  Breathe Beth , breathe!!!