Dec 11, 2015: Marilyn and I, Gary, went to our scheduled doctor's appointment for a yearly check up. Marilyn shared with the doctor that she had felt a lump in one of her breasts. The doctor suggested getting an appointment for a mammogram. We went to another site in Auburn and walked in. Because we have to travel from Packwood to Auburn for appointments, they got her in right away. So thankful. The mammogram showed something. Her doctor suggested she get an appointment for an ultrasound and a biopsy.
Dec 21, 2015: We drove to Covington, Washington today for an appointment for Marilyn to get an ultrasound test and a biopsy of the mass. These results went back to her doctor at the Auburn Hospital and he told her that the biopsy tested positive for breast cancer. He set Marilyn up with a list of surgeons and oncologists and she picked them out and made appointments for a visit with each.
Jan 21, 2016: We left Packwood for Marilyn's 10:30 am scheduled dental appointment in Randle, Wa., 18 miles for home. At 2 pm she was scheduled for an appointment with her surgeon in Tacoma and at 4 pm an appointment with the oncologist in Auburn. The surgeon was very informative and told us what she needed to get ready for surgery and why. We asked her about a trip we where planning in October to go to Haiti and she informed us that it was not advised. The battle ahead fighting breast cancer would not be over in time for that to happen. And the oncologist shared that he had been doing this for 40 years. Others had told us that he was good doctor. We liked them both.
Jan 29, 2016, Friday: Up early for a 8:30 am Pet/Scan in Puyallup, Wa. 12:30pm, scheduled for a Echo Cardiogram at Good Sam's, also in Puyallup and a third appointment in the same area for an Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI. My understanding: PET Scan, they put a dye in your veins and it circulates through out the body. Cancer cells divide quicker than normal cells in the body. The dye shows up more in areas where the cells are dividing quicker. Helps the doctors to locate the cancer cells. The Echo C. is a test that looks at the heart. Chemo treatments are very hard on the heart and they need to make sure the heart is in good shape before they start the treatments. MRI: a form of medical imaging that measures the response of the atomic nuclei of body tissues to high-frequency radio waves when placed in a strong magnetic field, and that produce images of the internal organs. These tests help the surgeon prepare for surgery.
Feb 1, 2016, Monday: Drove to the Auburn Hospital for a 9 am appointment to have a Portacath (Port) placed under her skin, just below the collar bone on the left side. The port allows for one location to draw blood for testing and to allow the chemo into her body. It saves her veins from being punctured over and over again. This is good.
Feb 3, 2016, Wednesday: Dr Cho called with information. Seems the PET/Scam showed spots in the groin area that were concerning. She asked for Marilyn to schedule another ultrasound and biopsies of the groin area and the lymph nodes on the right side of her body.
Feb 4, 2016, Thursday: Today we drove to Auburn for a talk with the oncologist and to learn about chemo treatments.
Feb 9, 2016, Tuesday: Back to Covington for a 1:30 pm appointment in Covington's Multi Care Center for an ultrasound and 2 biopsies. A couple days later we learned that the groin area turned up negative for cancer but the lymph nodes confirmed what our surgeon and oncologist already suspected. Showed positive for cancer.
Feb 19, 2016, Monday: Drove to Auburn for Marilyn's first chemo treatment. First blood testing had to be done and them chemo started. The room was clean and bright. The nurses were great. All went well. Blood test results, pre-medication and chemo treatment started at 9 am and we were out at 12:30 pm. She was given a gift quilt from the Covington Quilting Guild and was told that she could pick out a wig from a store in Puyallup. She would need to set up an appointment and then she would have one on one time with a person. She could try on as many wigs as she likes. Nice. I think I may go with her. Do they have them for men? FYI, It's 106 miles from our house in Packwood to the Chemo building across from the Emergency Entrance to the Auburn Hospital. Now blood testing every week and 3 more chemo treatments 3 weeks apart. Then we switch to chemo every week for 12 weeks. So that adds up to 16 treatments over a 24 week period. After that surgery. She will have a mastectomy and lymph nodes removed on the right side.
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