Round 1 - the fight begins.

This is Paul (Tonilyn's older brother).  She gave me permission to update everyone -- and it's all good news!!

She's laying on the bed in front of me enjoying a nice little buzz and recovering perfectly. Both surgeons (the 'cute' breast doc with the low voice) and the plastic surgeon dude said everything went really well.  Pic below is with her nurse Michelle. This is less than four hours after surgery . . . amazing!

We're taking turns visiting (Joe first then Mom hogging everyone else's time). She's now awaiting her move to the VIP digs at JHH (leave it to my Sis to pull the 5-star room after surgery).  No crabs or rockfish tonight but she seems happy right now and is really just amazing me with her strength, concern for everyone else and her absolutely hysterical response to my asking for a picture and her bad hair moment. Gotta love a Jersey Girl . . . worrying about her looks no matter the situation.

All for now, she's getting ready to move in a minute and they need me to take the laptop off of her legs/computer stand :)

She says "HIGH" to everyone and thanks all of you for the kind words, thoughts and prayers.

The battle has begun . . . a decisive Round 1 goes to TL, the baddest chick to ever battle this disease - victory and full recovery await!

l

The Date is set..... June 13th

I have a date, not a wedding date but a surgery date.....June 29th.
Just cause i have nothing else to write about I'll fill everyone in on my weekend.

Every year (except last year) for the past 4 years i help my friend Lisa at the golf US Open. Its always interesting, this year was no exception. The year it was at Bethpage it was a torrential rain storm. This year it is at Congressional in Bethesda MD,  the first 3 days it was 110 degrees. The fun part was the walk from the parking lot to the merchandise tent it was a about 400 yards which is the length of a par 4. No i didn't figure this out another person did & told me. Needless to say, my fun before surgery turned out to be a work out.  Getting my butt in shape so that the fat is really firm for my new boobs. It was still fun, we always have fun, & the people oh boy what a variety?
We went to Georgetown for fun one night, I attached a picture of the line for DC Cupcakes, it was about a 2 hour wait? They may be good but no way would I ever wait for that long for something that is done in 2 bites. Here is a really weird coincidence I have always wanted to visit Georgetown because of the movie St.Elmo's Fire, I had seen this many times with an old friend from high school Debi & we always talked about visiting & never did. My point? Debi & I grew apart as many friends do after school, but when I got home from there I had a card waiting for me from her, she had heard about my diagnosis & wanted to let me know she was thinking of me. We haven't seen or spoken for maybe 20 years, It was such a nice surprise & i was so touched.  That is the coincidence. How weird i just finally got to Georgetown saw St. Elmo's fire ave, & got a card from the person i had always talked about going there with.
Anyway I came home & on Monday went to work another event for her at Fiddlers Elbow it was for the USO.
A huge tournament for a great cause, there were soldiers there too, & they brought a tank! Joe loves that kind of stuff & his dad Joe Sr. is a retired Army Colonel so I asked if I could take a picture of it for them & they asked if I wanted to get in it & they'd take my picture in it for them! Damn Skippy I did. I attached the photos of my weekend.
I will update everyone in a few weeks after my surgery to let you all know how I make out.
Thanks again for reading, prayers & messages it all means so much.

xoxo







DC Cupcakes Line down the block





Thats me in the top of the Tank!



Mutant Gene June 8th

When they said they could maybe have my results back for the genetic testing in a week, They were correct. They called me today, and if I were a betting girl (which I am) I would have gone with the odds on this one. Remember in my June 2 post there was only a 10% chance I would have the mutant gene? Well I am in that 10%, yes I have the mutated gene! Go ahead get the alien jokes out of the way. brief background for those of you whom don't know but my dear brothers called me Martian when I was little because of the olive skin. I hated it then not so much now.:)
So my decision was made for me, its going to be a bi-lateral mastectomy. Just need to get the surgery appointment & go from there. Here is the best part, after all is said & done, i need to talk to the genetics people again because.....wait for it.........i have a 40-60% chance of getting ovarian cancer. Now all of us women & maybe some of the men who are following this know, but the is no way of detecting ovarian cancer unless you get an ultra sound, so they feel they should remove my ovaries too. That will be another time down the road, not sure when but seems to be inevitable.
Anyway that is the crappy news for the day. Looks like I will have a new set of  T2000's for next summer.
On another note, to all my family member's reading this, cousins, male & female, mom, sister, brothers, nieces, nephews etc....... It seem there is a good amount of cancer on both sides of my family so please please please, check your selves every month and as one of my commented readers said don't be a boob get a mammogram!  Thanks Marilyn for the bracelet.
Even you male family members please follow up on all those men tests. I get it they aren't fun but they are there to save your lives.
Thanks for all the comments too, i love, love, love getting them.
Will let you all know when the surgery date is.
xoxo

Genetic Testing & Kati's Prom June 2, 2011

Sorry I haven't written in a few days, but there hasn't been anything to write. Except it was my Birthday May 31st. What'd I get for my 44th Birthday? Cancer. ( Ok bad joke). sorry :)
I finally went today for the genetic testing. Here's how it works....
I was given a stack of papers to fill out about a week ago, & I needed to give a family history as much information as I could provide. (moms, side who has had cancer,going as far back as my grandparents & their siblings, birth date's etc, dads side same thing) so imagine how much fun that was with both sides of grandmothers having 11 siblings each. These are the papers I had sent Joe to the Jesus statue to drop off.
Getting into Baltimore was a treat Mom has a new GPS who's voice is of a man named Richard, well DICK decided he wanted me to take all kinds of detours, typical man thought he knew the better route! Ahh not so much, it took us forever to get there & I was in a foul mood after that.
Got in a better mood once we got in the Weinberg building (that's where the testing is done & chemotherapy treatments are given) seeing what I saw, made the drive not seem so bad after all.
Back to the test, They test the BRCA1 & BRCA2 gene. the cells are split in both apparently they assume everyone starts off with both these genes working. But some can be born with one portion of one of the cells x'd out. The assumption is that if one gene is x'd out you have a 50-85% chance of getting breast cancer, if you already have breast cancer & the test comes back as having the mutated gene(that's what they called it), you have a 40-60% chance of getting breast cancer for a 2nd time, & a 10-45% chance of getting ovarian cancer. Now for men who have this gene it could be breast cancer or prostate cancer. This genetic test is specific for breast cancer.
The test is not always covered under insurance, but they will call before they process the test if not to see if I would like to pay for it out of pocket????
I will not have the results back for about 2-3 weeks, but maybe sooner since I have good insurance & they want me to schedule the surgery. But since my final decision is partially based on the results I have to wait.
Oh & the % I could have the mutated gene in only 10%? Hope you all understood that, I'm still trying to figure it out?
So they took a tube of blood today & we wait.
Now the good part of my day....Today was Kati's prom. We went for Mani's & Pedi's, I did her hair & make up.(just like I used to do for Laura). She looked beautiful, (if i do say so myself, but she would have w/out the hair or make up) But judge for yourself I attached photos.
I will let you all know my results & my decision soon.
Thanks again for all the prayers & well wishes.
xoxo                                                                                                         Kati & Mike