Playing the waiting game

To answer everyone's question: What's the final result of the doctor appointments? When do I have surgery? What does this all mean? 

There is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the 5th lump I have is benign. Four out of the five lumps are cancer-free. YAY!  The bad news is that I still don't have results from the BRCA gene testing. I won't have those results until the end of this week at the earliest. I have to postpone my surgery until we get the results. This stinks because I have to keep juggling my work schedule, and change my plans with friends and family all time. 

The waiting game is driving me crazy. Plus having to shift my hormone injections and doctors appointments around due to the wait is not helping either. But I'm very lucky to have such a crack medical team to support me and work with me.  You can just picture the medical team coming together in their capes and flying to my rescue. :)

The fertility doctor and her team are amazing. They even helped me get Fertile Hope to help cover the cost of my fertility drugs and surgery. Fertile Hope (click to see their page) is part of LIVESTRONG. They provide financial assistance and support to cancer patients who are at risk for infertility. I'm very lucky that I got approved for some financial support. Every little bit helps. (Contact me if you want to know about the doctor.) I cannot put into words how much their help has made this process easier to deal with.

It's quite strange though to have to inject myself with hormones every day, then run to the doctor's office each morning to check my blood work and find out if my "oven" is at the right temperature and settings, so to speak. My boyfriend constantly makes me laugh because he gets to stick it to me whenever he administers the injections. It makes the soreness after the injections less painful. Tonight was the second night that I did my own injections. There is something surreal about having tract marks on your stomach. Hopefully the heal up before I get into a swimsuit. 

Going back to breast cancer, I've been reading up more and more on cancer. My surgeon recommended it. I was told to look up "Dr. Love's breast book." As much as it sounds like a the name of a bad porn movie, that is the actual title of the book. Dr. Love wrote an incredible book that breaks down how to understand the steps in breast cancer treatment and breakdown the medical lingo in terms anyone can read. It's a very big book, but a great go to reference, at a very reasonable price. (Amazon has it for only $9.00!)  I highly recommend it if you have friends or family that go through the breast cancer journey.

The other book I've been browsing through is a great collection of books my sister gave me, with another fun title: Crazy, Sexy Cancer. They helped my sister get through thyroid cancer. The books are basically "how to" guides on surviving any and all types of cancer. They cover nutrition, spirituality, support and how to work with family and friends through the process. I have enjoyed her approach on what it is like to be young, deal with cancer, and try to find the humor in it all. 

Part of why I'm doing this blog is to share resources with friends and family, if interested in a good read. The books are great to read if you are know someone that has cancer, or if you want to just know more about the subject.  Happy Reading!

And stay tuned... more big news to follow.