Pictures from my last day of treatment

Sign near entrance to St John's Cancer Care


Shelly, always cheerful and welcoming

LeeAnn preparing the treatment room

LeeAnn & I after the last treatment







The waiting room - where I never spent much time

Recovery

My skin is healing so quickly - what a miracle. The process has been helped along lately by some wonderful cream my sister Cindy sent me. It looks like mint green mud, has a delicate smell and is specifically formulated for skin burned by radiation.
Paste in this link for more info
http://elara-skin-care.com/radiation_burn_skin_care.html
It will take awhile to rid myself of the fatigue, especially since I often operated in a semi-exhasted state even before the treatments began. But if every night were like Monday, I know I would recover in no time.
What was so special about Monday night? We spent it at the Ann Bean Mansion in Stillwater, courtesy of our friend Chris. We were the only guests that night so it was especially quiet and peaceful. The hostess, Erin, is calm and charming and the house is beautiful and comfortable. We both slept like rocks and spent our waking hours reading and walking around Stillwater. Highly recommended: http://www.annbeanmansion.com/

0! Blast off!

Such sweet relief to be done! I surprised myself by getting a little choked up as I walked into the clinic for my last treatment. A combination of happiness and fatigue and recollection and thankfulness, I suppose. Certainly, I have no reason to be sad.
Thanks to all of you who have walked with me and prayed for me and supported me in so many ways. I will always be grateful for that.
You may want keep checking in on this blog from time to time. I've got a couple additional postings planned including pictures of the Cancer Care Center and staff and the results of my follow up appointment with the oconlogist in June. May also post an 'ode to Timothy', a fond remembrance of our 1997 Ford Escort. He almost, but not quite, carried me to and from all 33 treatments and provided reliable transportation for me and my boys for over 10 years.

1!

Don't be surprised if you see the flash of fireworks and hear the beat of marching bands emanating from St. John's Cancer Care Center in Maplewood around ten to 4 this afternoon. That's when I plan to start celebrating the end of my radiation treatments and the beginning of my cancerfree future.
After I left the clinic yesterday, I felt very upbeat and fooled myself into thinking I was back to normal again. I charged around doing a bunch of errands (including browsing the lot at our local Ford dealership in search of a replacment for my car which died on Monday) then hit the wall hard and didn't have the energy to make the taco salad I had planned for supper. So we snacked instead. I helped Abe finish up a poster on Australian animals, looked for cars on Car Soup with Mose and hit the hay around 9:30 pm. Up at 3 (waaaaaay too early) but feeling pretty good and very ready to face this wonderful day.

2

Had my discharge meeting with Dr. Kim yesterday. I'll have a follow up appointment with her in 4 weeks. She looked at my skin and said that it was about as expected and would heal quickly. It's healing already - the stinging and sensitivity lessens from day to day.

3

Same as usual except one day closer to being done!

4 more

The set up for the new treatment fields and related pictures took an hour on Friday, but my next four treatments should go very quickly since there are just two fields.
After 3 days of no radiation, the worst patches have improved a lot and my skin is looking more blotchy as new paler skin replaces the old burned stuff.

5 left

Skin resembles burned blistered strawberries in places. Sounds awful. Looks awful. Feels awful once in awhile, but is ok most of the time.
Along with the lotion I've been using since day one, I am now treating the worst patches with gel sheets. These are very soothing and definitely improve the condition of the skin. The only problem is that they adhere readily to clothing so they're hard to keep in place. This morning I found one lodged in the sleeve of my pyjamas. But I think it migrated there only after it had done it's healing work on my skin.
Today I'll have the first 'booster' treatment. It will be a longer session than normal because it will involve a series of pictures along with the first time set up of the new treatment field. Thankfully, these last treatments will concentrate on an area of skin that is in pretty good shape. But they will take their toll.

6 to go

Same status as yesterday :) Sleeping a bit better lately. My sister Lorrainse asked about this since the timestamps on some of the recent posts were quite early in the morning. Turns out the timezone setting on the blog was wrong and the posts were stamped with a time one hour earlier than they were actually made. I've corrected this to ensure truth-in-blogging.

7 more treatments

Very worn out in the evening. Skin resembles strawberries. But still doing all right.

Eight is great

My skin will be mighty happy when the assault is over.

Nine is fine

The countdown continues and my condition remains the same - a little worn out but feeling fine. My skin is protesting the rough treatments it's been receiving more anre more every day so it will be good to have a weekend break. Thanks be to God for his love and faithfulness and to my family and friends for their continued prayers.

10 to the 10th

Not 10 billion (10 ¹⁰⁾ , but the number of treatments remaining between now and May 10th - the date I finish up.

Only 11 treatments left

No change - still feeling fine. Wish I were sleeping better.

12 more

...7 of which will be standard treatments. The remaining 5 will be 'booster shots' directed at the site of the lumpectomy. Still feeling fine. Skin is bothering a bit more every day but still not too troublesome.

13 to go

13 more treatments and then I'm done; skin looks badly sunburned and itches some but no pain; feeling fine.

Count down

14 treatments to go; feeling fine

Halfway done

Yesterday, I received my 17th treatment of 33 which means I am halfway done. Praise God! And praise God that I'm not troubled by any side effects. My skin gets a little pinker every day but that's about it.

Prayer quilt pictures

My main support team

Cancer buddies - Aunt Joyce & me

Carrying one another's burden

I have found this blog to be a good outlet for me, helping me to face up to my breast cancer diagnosis and providing a way to share my story with people who care about me.

But it has been troubling, too, in that it is so me-centered - all about me and what I think and what I'm doing and how I'm doing and on and on.

I'd like to change the focus today by asking for prayer for two people who are facing much harder battles than mine.

First, my Aunt Joyce. Aunt Joyce is a tough, funny and very gracious lady who is fighting ovarian cancer for the second time, while continuning to care for Uncle Bob who is an invalid. She is undergoing chemo and is finding it hard to give the care needed. Pray that she would continue to be strong and of good courage.

Second, a man I work with named Mark Masterson. His son Conor was killed in Afghanistan. Here is a link to an article containing more information:

http://www.twincities.com/minnesota/ci_5628215

Mark is a very loving father and a kind and considerate co-worker. My heart is just aching for him. Pray that he would sense God's presence and find peace as he faces this terrible loss.

Thank you, dear blog readers. My family and I are continuallyblessed by your prayers.

Easter

On this Resurrection Day, with a heightened awareness of the vulnerable shell that houses my immortal soul, my outlook is best summed up in the words of the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 1 (emphasis mine):

Q. What is your only comfort
in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own,
but belong—
body and soul,
in life and in death—
to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven:
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.

Prayer quilt

Three well-known angels (Cindy, Dee and Rachel) got together recently to make me a prayer quilt. Tuesday night, two of them stopped by to give it to me. I had no idea what they were up to and I've seldom been so surprised and so moved.

It's a beautiful quilt pieced of bold floral patterns interspersed with reassuring verses about God's love. On the back, many friends from our church (Baldwin Christian Reformed) and the church Dan grew up in (Gethsemane Lutheran) have added their kind words and prayers.

I hope to post a picture of my beautiful prayer quilt here soon.

Radiation routine

Four days into this and it's already starting to feel routine.
I pack up and tear myself away from my desk just shy of 1/2 hour before my appointment. Climb in my car and drive from the south end of Maplewood to the north end up White Bear Avenue.
Score a good parking spot in the permit parking section close to the clinic door. Walk in, greet the receptionist, find a seat in the waiting room.
Within minutes, the technician fetches me and I shut myself up in a dressing room. Strip to the waist, wipe off any remnants of deodorant from under my left arm, slip on a gown on, open to the back, followed by a robe.
Walk a few steps to the treatment room. Remove the robe, lay down on the treatment table, take my arms out of the gown and wrap my hands around the plastic bars that are just behind my head, resting my arms on wing boards.
The technician puts a blue wedge under my knees and places my feet in a foam block. She checks and adjusts the position of my arms and chin, then starts positioning the radiation 'camera'. Key to this is lining up the red cross-hatch projected by the camera with the purple plus signs in the middle of my sternum and on each side of my rib cage.
Measure, gently prod, gently nudge, measure, check the sheet, double check. We chat a little but not much. I figure she's got a lot on her mind.
When everything is set, the treatments proceed with more shifting and positioning and measuring and double checking in between. My nose usually starts itching about halfway through, but I can't scratch it.
Lying on the table isn't hard work but I am always glad when it's over and I can bring my arms back down, scratch my nose and lift my head off the hard plastic form it's been cradled in.
Off the table, put the robe back on, say 'see you tomorrow' to the technician, head for the changing room where I slather lotion all over the treated area, discard the gowns, put my clothes back on and head out the door, bidding farewell to the receptionist. Climb in my car and head east to home and family.

1 down, 32 to go

I now have one radiation treatment under my belt. They say the first one is the hardest. I was on my back on a table with my arms over my head for over an hour while the oncologist, technician and physicist lined up all the devices and took pictures. Because my left breast is being treated, extra precautions are required to protect the heart from radiation and the radiation is 'applied' from 3 angles rather than the usual two.
It was no picnic and I was so thankful when it was over but there was no pain except for the cramping in my shoulders which went away as soon as I could move again.
Dr. Kim said that she would explain more about the procedure in one of our upcoming appointments, which is good because I have a lot of questions and want to learn more.
If you're curious like me and want to find out more right now, there's some good info here: http://www.breastcancer.org/tre_rad_idx.html
I should be in and out of the treatment room today in less than 20 minutes.

Finding peace after disgruntlement

I have seen the hand of God working throughout my breast cancer experience, from my inexplicable decision to schedule a mammogram after avoiding them for four years, to the radiologist knowing the lumps were to be taken seriously, to the fine surgery performed by Dr. Kim and the care I received at the hospital and ongoing in the love and support of so many people, near and far. I also see His hand in my decision to leave the clinic last Tuesday, though that requires a bit more explanation.

I wasn’t ready to begin treatments that day. I was still questioning, still hanging on to the last shreds of resistance and denial. Physically and emotionally I was very low. Additionally, I had always had in my mind that I didn’t want to decide on anything before seeing my GP at the Baldwin Clinic but I wasn’t scheduled to see her until Wednesday, which meant I wasn’t prepared mentally, either.

I am thankful God works through us and leads us even at times when we are not being saintly. I am convinced that by walking out of the clinic, I was following God’s leading, though at the time I was too disgruntled to recognize it.

But it all made sense the next day when I found the peace I had been looking for after talking to Dr. Nash. It was such a relief to review the options with a professional who had no personal stake in what kind of treatment I pursued and to get objective and compassionate answers to some nagging questions.

I now see that it would have been a mistake to stay that day and it would be a mistake not to go back. So, I am going back. But this time, I am ready.

Reverse chronology (updated)

10 May 2007
Last radiation treatment (#33).
26 Mar 2007
First radiation treatment scheduled for noon.
21 Mar 2007
Consult with GP - Dr. Nash at Baldwin Clinic. We had a frank discussion of all the options and possibilities and I left convinced that going ahead with radiation was the right choice for me.
20 Mar 2007
Unsuccessful attempt at first radiation treatment.
16 Mar 2007
Second visit to Healtheast Cancer Care. Pre-radiation teaching (mainly about proper care of skin), CT Sim so Dr. J. Kim and the radiation physicist can design the treatment.
12 Mar 2007
Initial appointments at Healtheast Cancer Care, St, John's
2 Mar 2007
Appointment with Dr. Bergman
27 Feb 2007
2nd follow up with Dr. A. Kim; surgical drain removed
26 Feb 2007
Discussed the pathology report with Dr. Nash
23 Feb 2007
Dr. A. Kim called with the cancer diagnosis
22 Feb 2007
1st post-surgery follow up with Dr. A. Kim
20 Feb 2007
lumpectomy
29 Jan 2007
initial meeting with Dr. A. Kim
12 Jan 2007
diagnostic mammogram and left breast ultrasound
3 Jan 2007
check up with Dr. Nash; mammogram scheduled

I walked out

Long story short: I didn't have my initial radiation treatment today. We walked out of the office at 4:30. We had sat in the waiting area for 1/2 hour. I checked with the receptionist at 20 after and she said she would ask someone to come out and speak to me. I gave it another 10 minutes and then left, explaining to the receptionist that I couldn't wait any longer.
I walked out, but I haven't turned my back on that clinic or on radiation treatment. But I was feeling the pressure of time all day and having to wait with no explanation and seeing all the other patients waiting too (no one was called out of the waiting room the whole time we were there) and knowing how behind I was at home pushed me to the end of my patience.
Not that I was rude or anything. I just quietly explained why I was leaving, then left.
Sigh. I'm going to think this over and pray for guidance.

An afternoon at HealthEast Cancer Care, St. John's Hospital

I was ready to like St. John's because of the high praise it had received from someone whom I respect a great deal. And it lived up to my expectations from the initial phone calls, to the moment we walked into Cancer Care and were greeted by the receptionist and throughout our appointments yesterday. The atmosphere there is professional, caring and thoughtful but not grim.
We met first with an RN from the Breast Center who recorded my (up to this point) very boring health history and gave an overview of radiation treatments and answered a number of questions. Tanya, the radiation oncology RN, took my vitals. Next, we talked for close to an hour with Dr. June Kim, the radiation oncologist. She is clearly very dedicated to her work. She drew several pictures for us: a cross section of the breast, two different views of a milk duct with DCIS, a representation of the tissue that would have been sent to the pathology lab along with an explanation of how the lab would prepare and analyze the sample. She explained the radiation procedure in the same level of detail and answered more questions. (Yes, I have an endless supply of questions).
Our final appointment was with Dr. Cheema, the medical oncologist. He's intelligent and funny and a Packers fan. He was very eloquent about the benefits of tamoxifen. I think my acknowledged reluctance may have brought out the best in him. He answered his share of questions as well. Before leaving, we checked in with Tanya again and she gave us a quick review of the information folder she had prepared.
As I said in last night's post, our visit had the 'just right' feeling I was looking for and our time there not only added to our growing knowledge of what this is all about but boosted our confidence.

You better shop around

This has been my mantra while seeking out treatment, and, like Goldilocks, I found a clinic that feels 'just right' on the third try.
For now, I will hit the main points and write in more detail tomorrow:

• I am not a candidate for Mammosite, for several reasons, the main one being that it is not indicated for women with DCIS.
• I would be scheduled for 33 radiation treatments, 28 for the breast as a whole and 5 concentrating on the site of the tumors. I could start the treatments as soon as next week and I'm scheduled to return to the clinic for a 30 minute teaching session on Friday afternoon.
  
• The most common short term side effect of radiation of the breast is fatigue, though there is a long list of others: skin irritation, sensitivity, itching and dryness; breast swelling and soreness; slight congestion in the lungs with a dry cough; swelling of the arm.
• Long term side effects include increased brittleness of ribs beneath the treated breast.
• For women with DCIS, the rate of recurrence of any kind of breast cancer (invasive or non invasive) is 30% if the cancer is treated with a lumpectomy alone. When treated with a lumpectomy followed by radiation, the rate drops to 10%.

Uneventful - sort of

It's been pretty quiet on the breast cancer front over the past couple days. I continue to heal from the surgery, though my breast is still tender and there's a strange weightiness to it. But everyday it gets better.
There was a brief flurry of phone calls on Friday. The new clinic couldn't locate the pre-surgery films and I hadn't any idea where they ended up - the surgeon's? The first breast clinic I went to? The other cancer center? Turns out they were back at the Baldwin clinic and Dan retrieved them for me.
On Wednesday, Dr. Bergman called to ask why I had cancelled the appointment with the radiation oncologist. I explained that I was seeking care at another cancer center. I hope I wasn't too harsh but I let him know that I didn't find the staff and atmosphere at his clinic to be congenial. His response was very polite and professional.
It's been a little more interesting on the day-to-day living side, . Wednesday night, Dan and I saw the Chieftains at Orchestra Hall. We're not dyed in the wool Irish music fans, but when I made the plans a couple months back, I figured it would be a fun mid week break and I knew the music would be good.
And it was. Appearing along with the Chieftains, were a number of younger musicians: a heavenly harpist (name may be filled in later if I locate the program) and an awesome young fiddler from Canada, who, with his brother and a female dancer from Long Island (more names to be filled in later), raised a lot of dust with their 'Ottawa Valley' style of step dancing. It was a loose-limbed, happy kind of dancing that was really fun to watch. We especially liked the number where all 3 of them sat in chairs and danced very vigourously while seated, the one guy fiddling as well as dancing through most of it.
An all-girl but otherwise very traditional Irish band called Liaden joined in the playing and dancing and on a couple of the tunes 7 young dancers from the Shramrock School of Irish Dance in Minneapolis stepped it up too. On the encore number (I've never been at a show at Orchestra Hall when there wasn't an encore), the whole bunch joined in a line dance from Breton and then snaked their way through the Hall, picking up audience members along the way.
Last night, we spent the evening a trifle less enjoyably. The boys and I were running around in the Cities shopping and were heading to the car around 5: 30 after an unsuccessful stop at a shoe store, when we saw that the left rear tire was flat as a pancake. So we called our hero, Dan, and he came and rescued us. Mose and I got the spare out and did some other prep but jacking a car up makes me very nervous so I left that delicate operation for Dan. The trip home was a little slow but the spare held up all right and I should be able to get in on Monday morning to have the tire repaired and be on my way again.

Brief intro to MammoSite

The radiation oncologist I'm meeting with on Monday is the only physician on the east side of the Twin Cities to offer MammoSite Radiation Therapy. The thing that sets MammoSite apart from other radiation treatments is that it can be delivered in a much shorter timeframe. The typical schedule for radiation treatments is one per day, 5 days a week for 5 , 6 or 7 weeks. MammoSite treatments are scheduled two per day for 5 or fewer days. That sounds really appealing. It's also a more targeted method of delivery so the patient is exposed to less radiation.

To learn more, go here: http://www.mammosite.com

A normal day

Yesterday was my first normal day since the surgery on February 20. I rode the van back and forth to work. Put in a full 8 hours. Had no medical appointments. There were no snowstorms to deal with and no training to attend. It felt great to get back into the comfortable routine.
I'm playing phone tag with the 'patient navigator' at a cancer clinic that has been highly recommended to me. I hope to connect with her today.
Yesterday evening, I spoke with a friend from Baldwin who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. It was encouraging to hear how well she is doing. After being told initially that she should have a double mastectomy, she sought out several second opinions and followed a course of radiation treatments instead.
I thought it was just me being crabby, but her same assessment of the clinic I visited last Friday was the same as mine: it's not a well run, cohesive place. I'm thankful I have other options.
She had reservations about hormone treatments but was taking them as prescribed until she began experiencing excruciating joint pain - a known side effect. She stopped taking the medication but the pain didn't subside completely for 8 weeks. She said she never felt like herself while on the hormone.
It would be a mistake for me to jump to any kind of conclusion based on this - especially since she wasn't on tamoxifen but on a similar drug that is prescribed to post-menopausal women. But hearing her story confirmed my caution about hormone treatments.

I'm not in a hurry

When I first starting talking about my diagnosis, I told a couple people that I wanted to get the treatment show on the road. This was more about being ready for whatever was next but perhaps sounded like I was in a hurry.
I'm finding that I'm not in a hurry. It's likely that I won't make any decisions for another couple weeks. There are some options I still want to check into, such as a targeted radiation treatment called MammoSite that's available at 4 clinics in the Twin Cities. I will do more research into the side effects and benefits of Tamoxifen to see if that's right for me. I want to talk to my friend Linda about using acupuncture to aid in healing and enhancing the health of my breast as I go through treatments.

What we heard from Dr. Bergman...

...was the 'by the book' treatment path for moderate grade DCIS - lumpectomy followed by radiation followed by 5 years of tamoxifen. He took a lot of time to explain and clarified some things for us. We walked through the decision tree published for lay people by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. He said he used the professional version of this same guide.

Though I appreciated the time he spent with us and the understanding I gained about my particular cancer, I didn't find the appointment that satisfactory. It could be because I didn't hear what I wanted to: namely, that not having radiation treatments is a reasonable alternative. But I think it had more to do with the loud and clear assumption that I would just hop on the treatment train, no questions asked.

My next appointment is next Friday with the radiation oncologist (Dr. Bergman is a medical oconologist) and I'm scheduled to consult with Dr. Nash on the 14th. Until then, I'll be reading and considering and praying. And, blogging too.

Details, details, details

The pathology report we reviewed with Dr. Kim yesterday contains the following diagnosis: Multifocal ductal carcinoma in situ...largest focus of DCIS measures 0.35 cm; DCIS is estimated to span an area of approximately 2 cm...DCIS is located 0.5 cm from the nearest inked margin...no invasive tumor identified.

• "Multifocal" means there was more than one distinct mass, but the masses were close together. It would be better to have only one mass, but multifocal is better than "multicentric" which means the masses are widespread.

• 0.35 cm is very small - about half the size of an eraser at the top of a pencil. The site of the lumpectomy was rather messy with several large cysts. Dr. Kim described how he removed one mass initially but knew from the ultrasound that there was another and examined the area until he located it. We are very thankful for his diligence and skill.

• "located 0.5 cm from the nearest margin" means the mass was removed along with a surrounding margin of cancer free cells measuring 0.5 cm. Dr. Kim said he would have preferred a margin of 1.0 cm, but felt that 0.5 cm was sufficient and no re-excision would be necessary.

Based on this report and his experience and his estimation that I would not neglect the recommended schedule of mammograms, he concluded that the lumpectomy was sufficient treatment and that radiation would not be required. But he didn't advise against it and encouraged us to consult with an oncologist, which is just what we're going to do at 11 am on Friday.

Which brings me to two more details:
1. What is an oncologist?
Oncologists are physicians who study, diagnose, and treat cancerous tumors.

2. What are radiation treatments?
(from mayoclinic.com)

Radiation therapy — also called radiotherapy or X-ray therapy — involves treating cancer with beams of high-energy particles, or waves (radiation), such as gamma rays or X-rays. You may be familiar with the use of radiation in the form of diagnostic chest X-rays, computerized tomography (CT) scans or dental X-rays. But radiation therapy relies on much higher X-ray energy delivered at many more times that dose in order to treat cancer.

Radiation therapy damages cells by destroying the genetic material that controls how cells grow and divide. And while both healthy and cancerous cells are damaged by radiation, the goal of treatment is to hurt as few normal, healthy cells as possible.

You may be worried about radiation destroying healthy cells as well as the cancerous cells. But radiation is much more harmful to cancer cells than it is to normal cells. This is because cancer cells divide more rapidly than do healthy cells. Cells are more vulnerable to damage when they're dividing, making cancer cells more susceptible to radiation than normal cells are. In addition, normal cells can recover from the effects of radiation more easily than cancer cells can.

The silver lining keeps getting brighter

Dan & I heard great news from the surgeon (Dr. Kim) today; I'm too exhausted tonight to give all the details, but the long and the short of it is that I will not need any more surgery and may not need any further treatment (i.e., radiation). Tomorrow, I'll make an appointment with an oncologist to review the results and get another opinion.
Dr. Kim spent about an hour with us explaining what he did and what was found, answering all our questions and explaining his treatment recommendation. He also removed the drain which is a blessing in and of itself.
Praise God for this wonderful news and for His continuing love and faithfulness.

Info about DCIS

From cancer.org
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS): This is the most common type of noninvasive breast cancer. DCIS means that the cancer is confined to the ducts. It has not spread through the walls of the ducts into the tissue of the breast. Nearly all women with cancer at this stage can be cured. The best way to find DCIS early is with a mammogram.

From breastcancer.org
What does DCIS mean?
The name "ductal carcinoma in situ" has three parts:

• "Ductal" means that the cancer started in the milk ducts.
• "Carcinoma" refers to any cancer that begins in the skin or other tissues (including breast tissue) that cover or line the internal organs.
  
• "In situ" is Latin for "in its original place." This means that the cancer is non-invasive: it hasn't spread into any normal surrounding breast tissue.

Ok well it didn't quite go according to plan

I DID have the pathology report faxed to Dr. Nash and she DID call me. So that was good. And what was even better is that she told me that my cancer is Ductal Carcinoma In Situ - which on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the best kind of cancer to have and 10 being the worst - is a 2. Praise God.
I wasn't able to see Dr. Kim today or even talk to him, but I will see him tomorrow at 1:45, armed with questions.
If I have time later tonight, I will post some informative links about the treatment of DCIS.

Plan for today

• call Dr. Kim's office and request that:
• they fax the pathology report to Dr. Nash at the Baldwin Clinic
• to have my appointment rescheduled for today so I can get the painful drain removed and ask him all my questions face to face
  
• he call me if I can't get in to see him today so I can get the information I need over the phone