Tests and Appointments

During my Monday meeting with Dr. Mikkelson, I was set up to have a gammet of tests run. It was also determined that I would need to have a port put in because ever since I had mono in the fifth grade, I've had shit for veins. Evidently, they are very small and very close to the surface. Lucky me. I guess it is just another reason that a person needs to drink 8 glasses of water a day! I never do, and that probably has something to do with my toothpick veins.

Anywho, my first test was scheduled for Wednesday morning. My husband had to work so I was with my parents most of the day. I was lucky enough to wake up with a horrendous headache (which I had been getting for a couple weeks leading up to this, making us think that the tumor maybe spread to my brain) that morning and was super tired as my first appointment was at 6:30 a.m. I seriously wonder if they think a test will be easier earlier in the morning because they are hoping the patient will just fall asleep. No such luck.

The first appointment I had was a Breast MRI. I honestly think that this test was invented by the Taliban. Only they could be so cruel as to devise a test like this. I have added a picture of what a breast MRI consists of. Although the picture doesn't look to bad, it was absolutely horrible. You first have to have an IV put in so they can inject you with some dye during the test. Then you have to lay on your stomach on an incline with your boobs literally hanging through this metal contraption. The tech then gets to push, pull and bounce your breast into the exact position needed. Once you are lying on the incline with a super cold metal bar hitting you right in the rib that is underneath your breasts, you are told to pick a direction you want your head to lay, put your arms above your head and not to move. They then had the gall to put me into a tube no bigger than a tube of toothpaste for 45 minutes!! Seriously, can't they come up with some other way to get these results??? That was the worst test I have ever gone through in my entire life. I would have rather had both breasts removed at that point and have them do an autopsy on them.

Once I was able to come out of the tube, I raised myself up and said to the technician, "God that test sucked." She then told me that if only I had smaller boobs the test wouldn't have lasted nearly as long. Gee, thanks.

Once that test was done, the tech told me that I was going directly to my next test, so she would just keep the IV in. Again, gee thanks. My next test was the one we were all nervous about. This test was a CAT/PET scan. It would tell us if my cancer had spread anywhere else in my body. Now the best part about this test, is that they put you in a dark room for about 30 minutes while the nuclear medicine they pump you full of takes effect. Can you say nap time? Once your 30 minutes is up, you go into the testing room, lay on a slap that takes you through a big circle and that is it. I would have 5,000 more of those tests if I didn't think the nuclear medicine would kill me!

Finally, the last appointment of the day was with my new Oncologist. Morgan left work to go to this appointment with me as well as my parents. I showed up, and got put into a room with my family while the doctor's nurse Kandace asked a bunch of questions. Kandace is absolutely fantastic. She is young and you can just tell she likes to have a good time. She is definitely a source of sunshine in that place that makes you feel completely at home and welcome.

After meeting with her and talking about my Oncologist's tendency to mumble (my mom and he get along very well) Dr. Domke came in. He talked to us a bit telling us all of the facts that we needed to know. You can tell he is a very smart man as far as knowing exactly what he is talking about, but Kandace is definitely the personality. Dr. Domke then took me to another room where he evaluated my breast and based on some blood results he got bad, he said that I am estrogen positive with a big thumbs up. Unfortunately, I have absolutely NO CLUE what that means, but I'm guessing the thumbs up was a good indication as to it being positive!