CD1

And I can honestly say, this is the first time I have ever been eager and excited to see AF... even before we were officially TTC, it wasn't something I necessarily looked forward to.

So here we are.. back at it.
Counting days, waking up to temp, monitoring and making note of every twinge and twitch and notion, getting excited and anxious and hopeful and.. well, you know, you've been there.
I'm very happy and grateful to be here again!!

Let me talk for a moment about my booby, please. ;)
I participated in the Komen Austin Race for the Cure on Sunday. This was my 3rd year walking in support of Kimberly Ellis, our team captain. She is a good friend's mother who was diagnosed in 2006 and then again this summer. She had a lumpectomy the first time, followed by chemo and radiation. Coming up on her second anniversary in remission, she was rediagnosed with the same type of breast cancer, but at a more advanced level. This time she underwent a double mastectomy and is currently in chemo again. She is such an inspiration to all of us who know her, just by her sheer determination to beat this evil disease. She has always stayed so faithful and hopeful and positive, and even been the one to dry our tears from time to time. She is such a strong woman, and I am honored to be able to walk with her for this cause each year.

There aren't a whole lot of people who know about what Andy and I faced the last couple months, but Kimberly is definitely someone who I was eager to discuss it with. I wanted her opinion on what was going on, and what we were being told, and I trusted she would be able to point me in the right direction and ease some of my fears.
That she did. And she also directed me to one particular woman's story to gain a little perspective. The woman she told me about is trying to put a younger face on cancer and make people aware of the fact that cancer does not discriminate based on age! This woman was concerned with a lump she found herself when she was in her young 20's. Her doctor brushed it off saying it was likely a cyst. She soon got pregnant, and revisited the issue with her doctor. This time she was told it was just a part of normal changes breasts go through during pregnancy. Same kind of thing when she was nursing and done nursing - don't worry, you're so young, it's just this or just that. Eventually she insisted on a mammogram, to which the doctor commented that he would be laughed at for ordering at her age, but sadly her fears were true. She had a very advanced stage of breast cancer, with a young toddler at home.
I know that I am BLESSED to be dealing with only a benign tumor, but one thing Kimberly wanted me to remember from this story is to go with my heart. If I am not fully confident in what I am being told by my doctor (in this case, my surgeon) I have every right, and I owe it to myself, to seek a second opinion. I have never really been at peace with the way our surgeon consult went, and after talking to Kimberly and reading this other woman's story, I know I need to dig a little deeper. I will be calling tomorrow to get referred to another surgeon, and one that specializes in breast conditions. I deserve to speak to a doctor who can put my mind at ease and explain the reasoning behind his/her opinion, not one who speaks from his pedestal or makes us feel like our questions aren't valid.
We will be keeping our Dec16 ultrasound appointment, unless I can get in to speak with another surgeon before then that wants to start us down a different path.
Please wish us luck that the next surgeon has a little more compassion and that we can be put at ease over all we have on our plate. We are feeling better about things already, just knowing that we aren't letting ourselves be pushed into a decision. We'd like to request a lumpectomy, so now we just hope the next surgeon can explain his/her opinion on the matter much more effectively, regardless of what that opinion may be. If this surgeon can give us a good explanation for leaving this thing in my body, then we'll feel better about that. But if we are met with opposition once more, based on a shoulder shrug and "chances are" statement, we'll be looking into a third opinion.

And yes, we will still be TTC this month. :)