A lot of the entries I’ve written go back to treatments and procedures from the spring and summer. What’s going on with me now?
I’m still healthy, thank G-d. My ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus are gone and showed no signs of malignancy. I still have my breasts. I went for a skin cancer screening which came back clean. Overall, I’m doing very well.
On October 30, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Pink Shabbat program organized by the Sisterhood at my synagogue, I spoke to the congregation about my mutation, genetics, screening, etc. The response was overwhelmingly positive and supportive. So many people came up to me afterwards to tell me how brave I was (I don’t feel brave!) and how something I said made them think about their own family history. Some said they were going to follow up with a family member (for more information) or a genetic counselor.
I find that I get great satisfaction from talking about all of this, whether through this blog or in person. I hope to continue to do this to spread the word.
I’ve also connected with Sharsheret, an organization that supports families, and Jewish families in particular, living with hereditary cancer. They are a wonderful organization and I hope to do more work with them in the future.
My Health and Monitoring
Although I have no complaints about the care I was receiving through my ob/gyn and the imaging specialists at my local hospital, I decided to enroll in the RISE program through Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). The RISE Program (Risk assessment; Imaging, Surveillance, and Education) is a comprehensive program for women at increased risk of breast cancer. Every 6 months I meet with an NP to discuss any concerns, ask questions, etc. I can get my MRIs and mammographies done as part of those visits. It’s basically one-stop shopping for high-risk patients. Although surgery, should I need it, would be done out of the hospital in New York, everything else is conducted out of their regional office about 15 minutes away from home, in Montvale.
Last week I had my second appointment through the RISE program, although my first with my NP, Jessica. It was a long afternoon. When I arrived, I first had an MRI, as a follow-up to the biopsy I had in May. Then I met with Jessica who spent a long time with me, talking about family history, answering my questions, and discussing my options. She gave me a new perspective on my condition. She also did a full clinical breast exam.
Jessica told me she would call me with my MRI results regardless of the findings, hopefully the next day (so I shouldn’t panic when I see her on Caller ID) and I should feel free to reach out to her at any time with even the smallest questions. We spent a lot of time discussing prophylactic surgery, which I will address in an upcoming blog. I left the appointment, next mammogram already scheduled, feeling like I was in good hands. As promised, she called me the next day—MRI was clean. I’m good for six more months!
cisforchaya.com 