On the Road for a 2nd Opinion

Oct. 15th.........I called Dr. Lung's office to make an appointment for a second opinion. An appt. was set up for Monday. Oct. 27th at 2:00 p.m.

Oct. 27th.......2:00 p.m. Found Dr. Lung's office in the Boise MSTI Cancer Center building directly in front of the St. Luke's hospital downtown. We met with Shelley first to get all the insurance and other paper work done.

Our appt. with Dr. Lung went well. Chelsea was able to go with us, too. We found him to be very knowledgeable and full of reseach and data information. He is actually a surgeon who has quit doing surgery and now does consultations with patients who have breast cancer. He first sat down and talked with me. He asked me to tell him "my story". He asked many questions and took as much information from me as he could. He quoted lots of statistics and research information. He seemed to be a wealth of information. I became very comfortable with him because it was very clear he knew a lot of stuff about breast cancer. He examined me, took us to another room to look at my before and post biopsy mammograms. He showed us where the cancer cells were explained the differences in the two mammograms. After a short discusion we went back to the original room and he gave me his recommendations, pending their more thorough observations of my films and slides that would be done the next day! Dr. Lung recommended that I have a lumpectomy, plus radiation, and an anti-estrogen drug after radiation. Finally someone told me what they thought was the best route for me. He told us that he was taking my films and he and others would look them over. He was taking my slides to pathology and they were going to study the slides I brought from Burley. He would be in touch with me in the next day or so when they were done looking at everything. I walked out very satisfied. Now I knew what I was going to do. ( I thought!)

Oct. 28th......I called Dr. Lung today. He said that he was recommending that I have an MRI. This would give them a better picture because there were areas on my films that were not very clear because of my dense breast tissue. I was told I could do it in Burley or Twin Falls. I asked that Dr. Lung call Dr. Kauffman in Burley and update her on what he had told me on the 27th. I made a few phone calls and found that Burley could not do breast MRIs. I would need to make arrangements to have it done in Twin Falls.

Oct. 29th.....Dr. Lung called today and recommends that I come to Boise to have an MRI. The films and slides were inconclusive so there is a need for further testing to verify and make sure they are not missing anything. He feels the MRI will allow them to see everything. He is also recommending doing the MRI on both sides. He gave me a couple of phone numbers to call to make arrangments for the MRI. I thought it would take a 5 minute phone call. Insurance companies evidently do not like to pay for these. The gal at the MRI office had to call my insurance for pre-approval. It took from noon til 3:00 to get approval. We are scheduled to have the MRI tomorrow (Thurs. the 30th) at 12:30. Steve was out of town taking his dad to an eye appt. in Utah. I called and asked.... "What are you doing tomorrow?" He said.... "Taking you to Twin?" My response...."Nope, we are going to Boise to do the MRI there." So.... goes the next step.

Oct. 30th....We got up early and drove to Boise this morning. We got there early enough to stop at Chelsea's house to pick her up. It is so nice to have daughters as nurses to go along and help listen and understand everything. I have not had an MRI before but heard all the stories of claustrophobia. Luckily I didn't have to be lying face up or that may have affected me. The girl asked if I would be claustrophobic but I couldn't give her an answer since I had never had one before. She told me I would be face down so I decided I would be fine. Otherwise they would give me some medication to keep me calm.

I had to lie face down, arms ahead of me, (I felt like superman), there were two holes for my breasts, and my feet were the first to enter the tube. I was given a panic button in case I freaked, and my face was in a circle much like you see on a massage table or chair. There must have been a mirror underneath as I could see the window and door that had been in front of me. I was told it would be at least 20-30 minutes. They slid me into the tube although since I was face down, I couldn't see it at all. I was given ear plugs and had been warned of loud banging noises... but it was not bad. I could hear lots of clinking and clanging...Steve explained it would be like at a construction site....but it wasn't bad. I do remember them sticking something in the vein in my hand and part way through the series they pulled me part way out and started the fluid they were running through my vein. I am not sure what it was.. dye I suppose. I never did ask.

After I was done we ran down to the hospital cafeteria to get a bit to eat. On the way out of the hospital enroute to the car.. we saw Dr. Lung on the sidewalk so he stopped, asked how the MRI went and asked us to go and wait in his waiting area. He would go and see if they had the results yet and also stop at the pathology lab to see if he could tell me anything today. We waited just a short time and he was back to tell us that they were too busy and had not had time to read my MRI yet. He would phone me the next day as soon as he received the information.

Oct. 31st......Dr. Lung called today. He told me that they were suspicious of some invasive cells as well as the non-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ that was previously detected. (Not welcoming news and not what I wanted to hear.) He told me that he had already called Burley's pathology lab and had requested they send him the rest of my preserved tissue from my biopsy so they could cut their own slides and do their own examination of the tissue. He would let me know what they discovered this afternoon if they received the tissue today, otherwise it would be Monday, Nov. 3rd. (The waiting is the worst!)