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Such a blessing to find a surgeon that listens and explains well.
(5)
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Alva, Glad you found a surgeon who you can trust. Wishing you all the best. (((hugs))).
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I'm so glad that you are not only comfortable with your doctor but with the choice that has been made to have the lumpectomy.
I've been lifting you up in prayer daily and will continue to do so.
God's got this and you!
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Great news, Alva!!
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Great news Alva to have such a clear well reasoned approach to this particular spot of bother. Wishing you all the best.
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Alva,

I’m glad that you are comfortable with your doctor.

Waiting in limbo is unnerving to say the least. It must be a relief to have a plan in place.

Sending a bazillion hugs your way and I will certainly keep you in my thoughts.

Wishing you the very best.
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Alva... Big (((hugs))). You embody my Life Goals. If I could communicate in writing with half the eloquence and wit that you do, I'd be so proud of myself. :)

I wish I could face such unsettling, scary circumstances with a clear head and fully accept and be at peace with my choice. Such resilience is outside my personal neurology's capabilities, I think. :)

I love that you manage to keep your humor here, even though I'm sure you're shaken. I admire you.

I will be following your journey into battle with this thing and cheering you on. You're strong; "the alien" has no chance against you. 💗💗💗
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Sounds like a great common sense doctor who also looks at each patient individually to come up with the best options . You are in good hands.
Sleep well tonight .
(7)
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Alva so glad things went well today with the doctor. She sounds really good and really listened to you and gave you pros and cons for both options. All doctors should be like this. Your decision to have the lumpectomy rather than full removal is a good one.
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Like Golden I wholeheartedly second your choice Alva. The surgeon sounds like a keeper for sure. I had a similar experience with a breast surgeon recently, tough in my case they were quite sure my little tumor was benign. I opted for lumpectomy rather than just leaving it be, and the surgeon was fully supportive and thought that was a good decision. (Though I still don't understand why lumpectomy nowadays is called "excisional biopsy.") We'll all be thinking of you on the 21st with all our fingers and toes crossed.
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((((Alva)))))So, so glad you have a surgeon that you trust and who gives you those options. She sounds great. Personally, I think her advice is excellent as is your choice. Makes total sense to me, but more importantly to you.

Prayers for all to go very well for you now, Feb 21 and onwards.
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OK kids.
UPDATE ....As promised.
Appt with surgeon today, who looks beautiful and about 14 years old, but who had a runny nose due "not to covid" but to her little one in school, so cannot be TOOOOOO young........................
But IS too smart, because pretty much she left this all in my hands.
Which made me instantly trust her.

All my choice.
She said she would do whatever I wanted.
She would do a mastectomy and at 81 with my second probable cancer I more than qualified for prophylactic removal of the breast.
OR
She would do HER recommendation.
Tumor is isolated with no suspicious activity around it.
I am an active 81 year old.
She would removal of the tumor with wide margins, taking no lymph nodes (since I have already refused radiation or chemo and no nodes would preserve my gardening arms in good condition).
She would recommend mammograms yearly after and if another tumor shows up she would remove the breast (but she sees no reason one should since this one took 35 years to show again somewhere if it is even the same histology.)

She recommended (free) genetic testing since this is my second tumor, likely malignant, and I have grandson who may have girl children who wish to know (my own daughters being already tested and heading to 60s fast are negative for any genetic components, but they can skip a generation or two, so doing it for the great grandkids.)

The reasons for no mastectomy pretty clear. Deeper anesthesia, having to be off ASA blood thinning longer, longer recovery, more likelihood of seromas complications with age, complications of anesthesia and on and on and on. And said "You had a mastectomy. You KNOW what recovery is; you had a lumpectomy excision, and you know the ease of it compared".

Then left it to me. Take all the time I like.

Which of course was the charm.
I trusted her.
Lumpectomy with wide margins to be done Feb 21st and you can bet I will be here around then asking you hold me in your hearts that day. It is pretty much a given this is "the alien". Not a good histology expected by anyone. But this is getting it removed, and having a few more years, at 81, to bother the heck out of all of you HERE.


In this stuff, kids, we go with our gut.
It's all we have. We place our bets and we spin the wheel. I am comfortable in this. That's the best you get.
Thanks for all your good wishes. Keep me in your thoughts. Wish for me the outcome I DESERVE. Ha ha. I am VERY comfortable with that one.
Thanks you all for all your good wishes to me, because they mean so much at this time. They honestly do.
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Like you, AlvaDeer, I'm still on this list years after my late brother's passing ended my need for caregiver advice. You'll be in my thoughts this week. Next week is my own test for potentially "reawakened" myeloma (Frankenstein plasma cells). These days I think often of Gilda Radner's Roseanne Rosannadanna. It just goes to show, it's always something.
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AlvaDeer, I'm so sorry to learn of your health issue. I wish you the very best of medical advice leading to the very best chance of surviving not only for your own sake but so that you can post many more times on AgingCare. I always look forward to your posts and have learned a lot from you. That is a blessing to me as I care for my beloved husband in what will be my last caregiving journey in this lifetime.

Please keep us updated. You'll be in my thoughts, my friend.
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Good luck Alva. I would do exactly the same. Know this though: You have already made the world such a better place for so many. May you do this for another 20 years.
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You are a beautiful light on the AC forum. I’ve enjoyed interacting with you. Blessings on your journey…
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Prayers for all with or facing the possibility of cancer.

Alva, before I forget to share this, you are the only person besides my mother , that I know has read .Kristin Lavransdatter. It was on the bookshelves as I grew up but in the original Norwegian so I couldn't read it. I got into Bertrand Russell's "A History of Western Philosophy" and other tomes but not Sigrid Undset's works.

Loved "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time".

Breathe deep, stick to your guns and take care. ((((((hugs))))))
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Alva my husbands grandmother was the same way when her cancer came back. She refused chemo and all treatments and lived until she was 90 years old. So 10 plus years from when they said she had cancer again. It can and does happen.

I agree that not getting chemo and other treatments after a certain age should be the rule not the exception. Unfortunately sometimes it's hard to let go of life and people want to keep trying to beat the grim reaper even if it makes them miserable in the process. I think Bob Dole was 97 and he had stage 4 lung cancer and said he was going to undergo chemo. That lasted I think a month for him before he stopped the treatment that he said was too brutal for him to continue and accepted that yes he was going to die.

My moms friends husband had lung cancer and he got treatment and they said we can stop now or try and shrink the tumor some more because it wasn't 100% gone. He opted for more treatment and the tumor shrank but it was in a spot that caused his lung to collapse as the tumor shrank (if I am remembering correctly) and he died shortly after from the collapsed lung not the actual cancer. If he had stopped treatment instead of continuing he might have still been alive - who knows. It seems in this world are chances are 50/50 with anything.
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Alva, I sort-of know a young man (his mom and I met on a Disney forum years ago and became FB friends, it is her son) who played the role of Christopher in a community theater version of "The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time." He is neuro-divergent himself, so playing this role was perfect for him. Parents who advocate for their children can make a huge difference in their lives. After he had a life-changing seizure somewhere around five years old, doctors said he'd never communicate and never be able to relate. Mom homeschooled him, discovered his talents, enrolled him in singing classes first, then in theater, and he blossomed. He is now eighteen, has his own IMDb page and is a disability advocate. His role as Christopher was pivotal for him, so many more doors were opened to him as a result of that community theater production. Just had to tell you that since you mentioned the book.
(2)
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AlvaDeer,
So sorry to hear you are having to deal with this. I think you are right about not doing the needle biopsy for the reasons you describe. I had a similar situation and choice with a kidney. My doc was against the biopsy because of the risk of “seeding.” With your history why risk that - it is a very legitimate concern. I hope your insurance company supports your needs and considers that not being proactive could cost them more. They don’t need to know what covered treatment you will or will not pursue. Maybe the $ consideration will make them see it your way. Anyway, I always enjoy your posts and answers. Best wishes.
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Bummed to hear this- Alvadeer. My thoughts are with you hoping that you get your desired outcome. I work in healthcare and part of my job is dealing with insurance/payor denials. Daily battles with Kaiser and others is my bread and butter. Sometimes we win. Hopefully kindness will prevail in your case. Keep us posted.
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Thoughts to Alva & Barb's daughter that any news is the good news type.
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Keep us posted, Alva.

You’re an inspiration for the rest of us how to do 80.

Hugs from Florida!
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Perhaps, Chris. But it's such a LOVELY expression.
The book I read was by the guy who did the book with the autistic protagonist, The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time. Mark Haddon. THAT book was masterful, and A Spot of Bother was fun. A family story. Or story of a family.
As to me, at 81 I had better look at most things as a spot of bother, because they pile in one after another, with varying degrees of bother. Hee hee.
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Imo, it's a whole lot more than a spot of bother and/or a minor inconvenience when biopsies are being taken for cancer, no matter how strong we women are or think we are.

Alva, my thoughts are with you next Thurs (and every day) as you wade thru the muck and the mire of the KP system. I'm right there with ya, sister.

Barb, prayers sent that your daughter's biopsy comes back soon and that it's negative.
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Barb, good luck. As you will know, and she will know, most are benign. These days they pretty much know when they do ultrasound (and or MRI) what they are looking at and how worried they are. Most results are benign.
Newbiewife, yes, most excisional bx in the case of the breast means removal of the entire mass, tho in some cases they may not, so good to get cleared up just what their plans are ahead of time. For me I am wishing entire breast went as if positive (and it sure looks so) then will have to go BACK again for mastectomy. At 81 won't be doing radiations and for lumpectomy they always do. Won't be doing chemo again either at my age. Pretty much will just lay the cards out on the table and give it best game. I went through cancer once. So I am pretty clear there are worse things to "go of". Congrats on your negative outcome for sure!
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Barb,

Hoping that your daughter’s results of her biopsy will be benign.
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Alva, I recently had a small (benign) tumor removed, intraductal papilloma, and the term they used was excisional biopsy even though they took it out entirely. Beforehand when I saw the paperwork that said what procedure I was getting I questioned the surgeon and she said it was the term used nowadays for lumpectomies, where the entire growth is removed but not the entire breast. I find it very confusing to use the word "biopsy" in this context!
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Much good luck, Alva.

My 41 yo daughter had a core biopsy Monday, awaiting the results.
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@MeDolly:
That's why I posted it as "a spot of bother". An expression out of the UK I have always loved it.
There's even a book titled "A Spot of Bother" by one of my favorite Bristish authors.

UPDATE meanwhile.
Appointment for January 25th with surgeon to discuss excisional biopsy.
Our stumbling block or point of argument and travail will likely be that I want the WHOLE TUMOR (quite small) removed. Not carved into like a slice of turkey meat and left to seed itself while they convince themselves it is malignant and they will/can remove the breast.

Seems a bit like the simon-says game to me. But that's how it's done in the Kaiser system. And that's where I am at the moment.
Meanwhile taking a week off from thinking overmuch about this.
(3)
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