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May 2020 did not start out like any other. I was looking forward to spring, a possible road trip with Bill and the opportunity to take our Rad Power Bikes to explore the Ohio to Erie bike trail. Little did we know that a virus was about to overtake the world. The first clue as to just how much our lives were going to change was when the Midterm Election scheduled for March 17th was cancelled by Governor DeWine the night before. Within a couple of days, the Covid19 virus was classified as a pandemic and it was about to take over the country. Ohio instituted a Stay at Home order. Since Bill and I both fell in the “high risk” category, due to both age and health history, we were careful to stay at home as much as possible. Outings included going to the grocery store about once a week and an occasional trip to Lowes or Home Depot.
We were proud of ourselves. We took advantage of our forced quarantine and systematically started doing all of the long-term projects we had put off. Cupboards were cleaned, clothes sorted, attic unloaded, workshop, basement and garage cleaned out and organized. We upgraded the insulation in the attic, replaced our dying furnace and air conditioner and waterproofed and installed a sump pump in our garage.
All was going great until -- I felt a lump in my right breast. I have breasts with dense tissue and when I was young had a few benign cysts removed. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at about the age of 54 and eventually died from it (although blessedly lived for 17 years with the aid of radiation and chemotherapy). My sister was diagnosed a couple of years ago with a very early breast cancer and has a good prognosis post-lumpectomy. As we are a "cancer family" my siblings and I are very vigilant about early detection.
So I really wasn't very surprised when the lump was identified as a mucinous carcinoma, a rather uncommon cancer that often has a good prognosis depending on type. Since May 5th, I've had to have several followup appointments in preparation for surgery. This is my May calendar for doctor appointments, including one routine dental appointment and one followup to cataract surgery.
| Date | Procedure | Location |
| 5-5-2020 | Mammogram and ultrasound | Christ |
| 5-8-2020 | Covid19 Test | Christ |
| 5-11-2020 | Lump biopsy | Christ |
| 5-14-2020 | Routine dental checkup | Byerly |
| 5-18-2020 | Meet with Dr. Manders - surgeon | Christ Montgomery |
| 5-21-2020 | MRI | Christ Montgomery |
| 5-26-2020 | Surgery Pre-Certification - Dr. Dillon | Mercy Eastgate |
| 5-27-2020 | Second biopsy based on MRI | Christ Montgomery |
| 5-28-2020 | Followup from cataract surgery | CEI |
| 5-28-2020 | Surgery Pre-Certification - Dr. Saha | Middletown Cardio |
So it's Friday afternoon, May 29th. Yesterday my cardiologist, Dr. Saha would not certify me for surgery without a more recent Echocardiogram and Stress Test. It had been three years. They did an EKG in the office and everything was fine. I spent about 45 minutes on the phone setting up three additional appointments for next week: 1) another Covid19 test on Monday (because the results are only good for seven days), 2) an Echocardiogram at University Hospital for Wednesday at 7:30 and 3) a Stress Test at U.C. West Chester for Thursday at 9:30. I already had an appointment with Dr. McCluskey at Christ Hospital for Wednesday at 9:30 to discuss radiation options.
Yesterday, I totally "lost" it at my cardiologist's office. I had to drive to Middletown for an appointment because all of their satellite offices are closed during the pandemic. They messed up so many things, including not letting my doctor know the purpose of the visit. The pressure finally got to me. I truly displayed my "Jones" heritage by "Jonesing" it as Tom would say. Up until then, I think I had really handled the stress well, but I guess everyone has a breaking point -- and this was mine.
The second biopsy results are not yet complete. The nurse told me that the pathologist had asked for a review of the results by other pathologists. The good news is that the one lymph node they worried about was fine and the papilloma is not cancerous. However, they may want to remove it as a precaution, because they can "turn." Hopefully, I'll get a final opinion from my surgeon on Monday and still only require a lumpectomy.
To quote Mr. Rogers, "It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood." Temperatures should reach the mid-seventies with blue skies and low humidity. Bill and I hope to ride our bikes. The world, on the other hand, is still chaotic. Covid19 is still a big issue with the country slowly reopening. People differ on what precautions still need to be taken. Add to this that an African-American man died in Minneapolis while handcuffed and in police custody. A policeman placed his knee on the man's neck while he slowly suffocated. This has led to nationwide protests and, unfortunately, rioting in several cities.
I am adding this to my somewhat dormant blog so that my grandsons may at some future date follow along the path I am undertaking. I'm sure there will be ups and downs. I've always found it therapeutic to write, and just the process of writing this has helped me calm down and get a grip. Love to all of my friends and family.
Kath
May 30, 2020
Photo Credit: breast-cancerjourney.com
