I met with a fantastic Group Health surgeon today. Dr. Gerald Kent spent more than an hour talking me and Sean through my diagnosis, explaining the next several steps we'll be taking to gather as much information as we can to make the most informed decision possible about the course of treatment I'll take. The next several steps I'll take include: 1. Genetic testing to see if I'm a carrier for an BRCA gene mutation, which could put me at greater risk of cancer recurrence down the road. If I'm a BRCA carrier, that would mean Sylvia's at higher risk of getting breast or ovarian cancer, too. We don't know if my mom is a BRCA carrier; because she got her cancer in her late 60s and didn't meet other criteria, she wasn't tested for it when she was diagnosed. 2. Getting a breast MRI that will help my docs determine if there's any cancer in either breast that they missed in the mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. 3. Meeting with an oncologist to talk about the pros and cons of getting several lymph nodes removed, including the one with cancer cells in it. One pro: determining if cancer has spread to any other of my lymph nodes, and how many — something they likely won't be able to tell from the MRI because the cells in the lymph node are so small. Some cons: 1) a relatively high risk of pretty severe arm swelling and/or numbness, 2) this surgery is not considered more therapeutic than attacking the lymph nodes with chemotherapy (which I'll definitely need, because my cancer migrated to a lymph node) and radiation. 4. Going through Seattle Cancer Care Alliance's second opinion process. I don't know much about it yet, aside from the encouraging things that friends of mine at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center say about it. A Group Health tumor review board comprised of several doctors took a close look at my case and recommended the first two next steps outlined above. Sean and I, with support from Dr. Kent, requested steps three and four. One day, one step at a time. We are figuring this thing out. It may be a couple, possibly three weeks for me to decide what type of surgery I get. That's OK. Because breast cancers are relatively slow-growing, my doctor estimates it's been there for a year or more. So we're taking our time and being as methodical as we can about asking every question that comes to mind. Oh, and about that root canal ... I'll be getting my first one next week. (Hah! I laugh at you, root canal! You are too FUNNY!) I have a tooth with an inflamed nerve that makes it super sensitive to cold and/or pressure. Though the pain isn't bad now, we have to take care of it lickety split before I start chemo. No dental work or any other procedures that pose a risk of infection when my immune system is suppressed. Bring it, root canal. I'm ready for you, too.