My health (breast cancer) Journey, Part 3

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Decisions made with my Medical Team

if you missed the first two posts about my breast cancer journey you can find them here and here.

I hope that I can help anyone going through the initial stages of finding out you have breast cancer, or someone in your family, or circle so you can help them, or garner information for yourself.

As April closed, I knew it was time to get good recommendations for an Oncologist and Surgeon. I was given two really good recommendations by my GP – but ended up seeing an Oncologist who my mother knew very well and respected.

The Oncologist was based in Kingston and asked me right away if I had seen a surgeon. I did not know that this would be the first course of action. She acknowledged that it was a good thing that so far there was no more cancer seen in the tests I did, but I would need to talk to a “cancer specialist surgeon” about my options before she decided what to do in terms of treatment. She asked me to get a breast cancer gene blood test in the meantime. This would tell if I carried the gene for breast / ovarian cancer.

Meeting the Breast Cancer Surgeon in Kingston

I was recommended to see Dr. Mark Newnham in Kingston (Jamaica) who apparently was one if not the best Surgeon in Jamaica pertaining to breast cancer, vascular and even heart issues.

The driving back and forth took a lot out of us as it seemed we were in Kingston every week, sometimes twice per week. The day I went to see Dr. Newnham I also had a family lunch lined up to celebrate my cousin’s anniversary. I do not get to see my cousin a lot as he lived in Dubai for many years, but recently moved to the Bahamas where he has a vacation home, so he is now a lot closer. I thought it would be amazing to have a family lunch at a fabulous restaurant after seeing the surgeon, as I was quite frankly – nervous.

My mother, sister and I the day I went to Dr. Newhnam’s office to talk about the double mastectomy – I took the days in Kingston as days to relax and have lunch with family after my Doctor and Specialist appointments, to me this really kept my mental spirits up and something to look forward to.

As I walked into his office building I was put at immediate ease as everything was beautifully and meticulously done in terms of the ambiance and even the demeanor of the team at the front desk. My mother was with me as Chris was unable to get away from work that day. I will never forget walking into his office and feeling a sense of “what is he going to say” “what am I going to say” “where do we go from here….” So many questions in my head!

Captivated by his calm, genuine manner which immediately put me at ease…

When Dr. Newnham walked in, he had a sense of calm…and spoke in a gentle, easy way that immediately relaxed me and made me feel as if I was in great hands. He asked ME what I wanted out of this cancer treatment, and I immediately said “I want a double mastectomy” – he nodded his head and said I had three options – 1. Take out the lump alone, and hope the cancer does not come back there….a little risky….2. Do a mastectomy of the breast with the lump keep the other breast as is, and do a reconstructive surgery on that breast to try to get it to match the other one…risk, it could come back in the other breast + it is not going to look like the other one, for looks sake….3. Do a double mastectomy and then reconstruction…..risk, low for it come back in that area…..I looked at him – “reconstruction??” He said yes, I would highly recommend that for you. You are not considered old and have alot of your life to live, he said with a a little wink.

He examined me so he could ascertain the situation with the lump, and after ten seconds, he said okay you can sit back down. I was sort of caught off guard, wondering why it was such a short exam. He explained that it was 5 cm away from the exact center of the breast, and that he did not feel anything under my arm, which meant it was not likely it had spread but he would know more after the operation. He drew a diagram of my breast, from that ten second exam, which was quite detailed. I was mesmerized and knew this was the person who would save me from being in some kind of mental state that was not good. He gave me hope, smiled and looked straight into my eyes while talking. He even forgot my mother was sitting beside me. I felt his attention was on me, as he actually cared, and wanted me to feel that. I felt it!

He then recommended a plastic surgeon he worked alot with, who would be part of the operation, do do the reconstruction side of things….and that he would explain what that would entail.

Talking to Dr. Venugopal, my plastic surgeon about the reconstruction

As it turned out, I was unable to see Dr. Venugopal that day due to the family lunch, but we did talk on the phone for about one hour and half about the process. It seemed like there was a mass of details, risks, and things to know before I went ahead….but at the same time the option of having just a double mastectomy and walking away with that final look did not do anything to my mental state. It made me feel as if I would not be able to be in a bikini again, and knowing that I still wanted to compete on stage, I knew that the look of symmetry judges look for would not be there if I did not go for the reconstruction. Not just that, but I kept thinking how would I feel without anything there….nothing at all except skin? Could I live with that, how would it affect my mental health. That is what and why I decided to say yes, let us plan on it. He also sounded calm, informative and I felt another feeling of “this is my other surgeon, someone I already like but never met face to face…”

SEE MORE ON THE NEXT PAGE….

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Part Two – How 2023 is going, and a Pup named Josh!

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Hi Friends,

I wanted to publish part two to finish a post I did a week ago about a health setback I had this year, in April.

If you missed part one, you can read it here and the next post will be about the surgery I chose to have, my treatment, recovery and future plans.

Waiting for Biopsy Results

The time I waited for the biopsy results was way too long. Anything that has to be looked at in further detail in terms of test results at this level has to be sent to Miami as we do not have those facilities here in Jamaica. They can look at things up to a certain level, then the pathologists in Miami takeover. So that meant about a three week wait!

I tried to stay busy and positive, but despite my family being there for me above and beyond – and helping me mentally by checking in on me, as well as friends; it was hard not to think about what I saw on the ultrasound monitor. I kept busy anyway, going to work meetings, the gym, and meeting friends for lunch in Ocho Rios.

Trying to stay busy – I kept going to the Gym!

Discovering Josh in a Box!

One Saturday in April…when I was driving back from Ocho Rios to my home, I saw a man on the street holding up two of the most gorgeous puppies that I quickly recognized as Shihtsu-poodle mixes, my favorite type of dog – having three at home already. I was flabbergasted at the way he held them up into the traffic, and I heard a little voice in my head saying “Stop…Stop….” So I pumped the brakes and screeched to an immediate halt in front of him, which almost caused a serious accident behind me.

The Seller with the two puppies he had holding up in the noisy traffic that made me stop

I asked him why he was doing that to the puppies, that quite frankly looked frightened and were even whimpering. He said “I need to sell them, and look it must work, as you stopped!” – something told me to walk over to the truck beside him, and I saw a box. I walked over and peered in and there was another sweet puppy whimpering in the corner. I picked him up and realized he was missing an eye. I almost passed out. I felt that weak about it. I asked the seller why he had a puppy in a box that was clearly unhappy and missing an eye? He claimed he did not know that the puppy was missing an eye. At that immediate moment, I decided that the puppy would have a good home, I do not know how, where or why – just that the pull and connection to this puppy was very strong. I felt like I was supposed to be there at that time, and find the puppy.

Trying to pitch the puppies to my Boss to buy them!

I sent a message to my Boss who I know loves dogs, and sent her pictures of the two he was holding up. She immediately wrote back saying she would buy them to save them, but could not take them. We would find homes.

I reiterated to the seller that we would take the three of them, could he wait until Monday so I could sort out “where” we could keep them until homes were found? He agreed. I went home feeling happy that I could save some puppies from being dragged back to the side of the street to be sold.

That afternoon, I called him to see how things were going, and he boldly admitted that he had sold the two right after I left. I was so annoyed and upset. One thing though, he was unable to sell the one with the one eye. I reiterated again, that I would take him and could I come back and get him? He had already left and was making his way back to Kingston, where he lived. I was LIVID!!

To cut quite a long story short, I called him everyday until he sent the puppy back to me. I convinced Chris, that we had to take him, as I could not not think who else would. He was the cutest, sweetest little puppy, black and white markings and very loving. The day he was delivered to me in Ocho Rios, a week later, he could not stop licking my neck. It is as if he knew, his special “mummy” was here to save him from something not too nice. I felt it too! I also felt, it was a time to have a new puppy, a new life, and feel in the house while we were waiting for my next steps, results and what would take place after.

Finally getting Josh

The day I got Josh! He was and is such a loving little dog, and so grateful!

Naming the Puppy and WHY that name.

I decided right away to name the puppy JOSH. Why? Well I already had two with wine names, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio. More importantly; Joshua was an Old Testament hero who saved Jericho and had many challenges up against him. God led him there, and he won. I felt this puppy had so many challenges in his little life already, but he would win. And so would I.

I chose to use one of the guest rooms as the place he would get used to the house, and I moved in there with him as he would wake up a few times in the night and I did not want Chris to have to be awakened. Also due to Josh being vision impaired we could not just have him wondering around, and he was already getting on their other dog’s nerves as he kept walking into them.

As it turns out this little pup saved me around the time I was waiting for my results, and anxious about the future. I had him to focus on at the times that were scary to me, the night. The night is when I would lie in my bed and think about breast cancer, and what it could do. A life threatening disease to boot. I could not stop thinking about it until I got this puppy. The voice that day, I felt was a voice purposely put there to make me find this puppy. It was a plan, I knew it and felt it!

Biopsy Results…

As it turned out, the biopsy results were positive for “carcinoma in right breast” 1-2 CM was the stage of the lump (2 cm) and it was strongly advised I have an “immunohistchemistry” report done on the specimen of the biopsy so they could find out what the lump receptors were made of – very important information to then take to the oncologist to decide how the cancer is treated. That would take another three weeks!

I went to my GP who gave me a set of tests to do while we waited: an executive blood test, a bone scan (as he pointed out breast cancer likes to find itself in bones) yikes!, and a CT scan of my organs with radioactive fluid injected so they could see clear results….of course I ran and did the blood test, and then the CT scan…which I found daunting, but in the end it was not too bad once I relaxed and I had a great technician. It was an intravenous test, with alkaline flowing into the organs and a very strange feeling but not bad. The Bone Scan was a radioactive injection, then the actual scan about five hours after.

In the meantime the immunechemistry test results came back and pointed to Estrogen being the receptor in the lump in the breast. The Doctor explained that there was no reason he should not put me in estrogen blockers right away to stop the estrogen from flowing and setting in my ovaries, etc. So immediately I started taking that pill. I was then recommended to a Cancer specialist surgeon and Oncologist now that we had those results.

Other Test Results

The CT scan and Bone scans all came in normal thank God. And again, I had to not only thank God, but the fact that my time was not only focused on work, and home life, but now a brand new puppy who kept me up at night and I had no other choice but to focus on this little being who needed all my attention!

In the next post I will go over the surgery, treatment, and recovery as well as future plans.

It turns out, Josh was now saving me!

Love,

Neenie