The meetings begin...

Hello everyone,

You are all going to tire of hearing me saying this, but thank you again for your outpouring of support. Nicole and I have been overwhelmed with the information and offers to help. Thank you all very much.

We just returned from the initial consultation with the surgeon. I'll say upfront that we don't really know anything more than what we did on Friday, but we are beginning to funnel the information and develop a clearer picture of the near and distant future.

Today we saw numbers on paper, and according to the somewhat crude measurements obtained from the ultrasound, the tumor appears to be about 1 cubic centimeter. Combined with the preliminary films showing no signs of lymph node involvement, that is VERY good news, and likely lands us in the very early cancer stages. The surgeon said the skin depression that we see was a gift, because the tumor is small enough that, without the outward sign, we may not have caught it for some time.

All of that said, there are still so many unknowns. We are waiting on the hormone results from the biopsy, which will likely arrive tomorrow, and the MRI on Wednesday of both breasts. By Thursday, we should have a much clearer and accurate picture of the size and extent of the existing mass. But until the surgery, and the physical removal of lymph nodes and test of tissues, we won't know anything for certain.

Tomorrow we have a 'multi-disciplinary clinic' scheduled. That's a fancy way of saying we get to have a discussion with a whole roomful of doctors, all of which enter the process at some point for cancer patients. We will simultaneously get a second opinion from some fresh eyes and be able to fire dozens of questions at them. MRI on Wednesday, results on Thursday, and more blog updates from there.

The process is fluid and each day reveals some new data, but we certainly are cautiously optimistic by what we've seen so far. Keep the thoughts and prayers coming!