Results of CAT-scan and other news
We now have the results of the CAT-scan and they are good! This means that the cancer has NOT spread to any internal organs.
(I can't believe it, but when we went for the CAT-scan we forgot to bring our cat! Fortunately they provided everything that we needed...)
Another development is that we have been accepted into the UCLA Multi-disciplinary program. This means that many doctors from different disciplines will be reviewing her case and meeting with us, all at once! That way, everyone can discuss their findings and compare notes in order to determine the best treatment for her situation. There will be a pathologist, radiologist, oncologist, oncological surgeon, psychologist, and others all in the same room at the same time, talking to us about what's going on. Plus, they will record it for us.
The surgery on June 13 is actually two surgeries at once. First is the mastectomy, followed by a "tram flap"
reconstruction. The reconstruction is performed by a plastic surgeon who will use tissue from Chris' abdomen to rebuild the breast. This is a very specialized procedure that most hospitals do not offer. Chris asked how many of these they have done... "Hundreds?". The answer was, "Thousands." The alternative was to wait until after all of the radiation and chemotherapy has been completed, and then doing the tram flap (one more surgery) or an implant.
Chris didn't want an implant because it would require two
more surgeries, plus they have to be replaced every 10 to 15
years. Waiting to do the flap procedure would result in a
"patchwork" look according to the surgeon.
She feels nervous, but positive about the surgery and we are
both certain that she is in the best hands possible. U.S.
News and World Report did a survey and ranked UCLA/Revlon
Breast Center as the top facility of its kind in the western
U.S.
Chris says, "On the roller coaster of life I have just been
moved to the front car!"
This update was posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 5:08:00 PM (USA Central Time)
