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

 

Shoe shopping May 27th

Decided to take the Pope's advice and go shoe shopping. Those of you who think that my cousin Laura really spoke to the Pope & his advice was to go shoe shopping really need to get to church a bit more often. (& you know who you are, so I won't name names).
Lisa & I spend the day chilling, my first one since I got the news. We head to DSW, and while shopping I got a call from Dr. Zellers The radiologist. The biopsy they did on the second lump on Thursday came back BENIGN! Yay some really good news, he called me at 6:45pm, wanted me to have the news before the start of the weekend so i did not have to wait & worry anymore. I love that man.
Looks like the Popes advice worked, so far all I bought was 1 pair of shoes & 1 lump is benign, wonder what would happen if I bought a whole bunch?????

Enjoy your weekend, I know I will.
xoxo

Bionic Boobs May 26th

Me being wheeled out (lovely)


Another test.....Today they did another MRI, this time it was a MRI Guided biopsy (bbibobibobsy).



What does that mean? It means Big MRI machine, me face down on the table with my boobs in these cups, dangling so that the MRI can scan and see what the Mammogram and the ultra sound can not. Why? Well it seems that the last MRI picked up 2 more lumps behind the large lump but they can not get a clear view on another x ray to biopsy them to see if they are cancerous. Turns out only one of the two is important the other just like a small friend tagging along and they wouldn't be able to get enough cells from anyway.



Here's how it goes.....Arrive 7:30am registration, take a number. (mom says get turkey & cheese when they call you) all the sudden she wants to be a comedian. Same paperwork same questions.



Ms. Petittto ( yea no one seems to get the name right) Let me help you Ped -eat-toe.



Good thing I don't have my full name on the papers Tonilyn ( that's usually Tonellyn?)



Where was I?.....Oh yea the process.



Here's the changing room, one gown on in the front and one gown on in the back. and don't forget the cool grippy socks ( this time I took brown instead of blue)



Wait here, Stephanie gets thrown out because as always I bring an Entourage, and she pretends to go the back way down to her office only to come back up 10 minutes later.



Nurse comes to put in an IV they need to put the dye in again to pin point where the lump that has not been biopsied is.



Oh nothing to eat or drink that day yet either. ( so empty stomach)



Back to the waiting room...Dr. Sharp shes a Fellow(ship)- comes in to explain the procedure. Once they find the lump take the cells they need they will put in another clip to identify it for future use if needed. (Stephanie said I'm like a Pandora charm bracelet i have different charms now in my boobs)



Then they give me the happy pill Xanax because they need me almost out for this i can not move or it will mess the whole thing up.



Cool I'm tired anyway.



They take me in lay flat on my stomach, put the boobs in the cups, and then they say we need to grip the right one so it doesn't move tell us when it becomes to much? Yea OK its too much!



Its freezing in there, they add blankets to me to keep me warm, I get put into the machine they start the scan i think I fall a sleep cause i don't remember that. Now the good part.



Pull me out of the machine & from the graph that shows on the screen where the lump is they numb the outer area, that I feel the bee sting thing again. Then they go in with the biopsy needle now i feel that ( sorry for those of you with weak stomachs) but it feels like someone is digging around inside the center of my breast with a NEEDLE!



Now I'm awake, i feel light headed, They are talking to me the whole time, and i say I'm going to pass out, Nurse- Dr. stop shes said she passing out. Me- I'm going to get sick. They put a bowl under my face, I'm still facing down on the table and the boob is still in the grip. So i can't really move. I only dry heave because I haven't eaten (guess that's why they say don't' eat).

Break out into cold sweats now they have removed all covers and have ice packs all over me.

The Dr. comes over and says we are going to just put the clip in & have them do it by ultra sound another time.

I start to come around & am feeling better, I say no finish it now I do not want to come back for more tests.



So they do. Reason it hurt so bad my boobs are so dense that I bent the needle! First time they have ever seen that happen. Jamie Sommers ain't got nothing on me.:)

Oh Joe wasn't there for most of this because he needed to take my papers to meet the women from the BOSS clinic & got to see the big Jesus statue in the old part of the hospital. I'll post a photo soon.

Next test- Thursday June 2nd- 8am- meet w/melanoma Oncologist, 10:30AM to the BOSS Clinic(breast & ovarian Surveillance Service) for Genetic testing.



xoxo

Pictures & Editor corrections

The Vatican

Me & Stephanie in Mamo Area she is very uncomfortable that we are touching

Mary Capano Nurse Navigator

Ribbon Mural

I am re-attaching the pictures, Joe told me they are way to small & no one can appreciate the one of the Vatican.

Also I was told I had an error in writing that I said I will be having radiology instead of radiation? ( Jessica did you not read the disclaimer in the beginning no judging on the spelling or grammar?)

When I said I was going to ask for a vote on whether or not i should go new boobs & tummy tuck, I want you all to know that was a joke & never meant to offend anyone.( Joe's sense of humor must be rubbing off after 7 years. Do you really think I am going to let all of you make that decision for me????? Its not a vote for the next American idol. I mean I love you all, but really :)

and lastly when I said that Father Frank sent a message to St. Jude, I was completely in correct he happens to be in Rome & went to St. Jude's grave to pray. Yup that's huge!

XOXO