Wahoo! The MRI Results

Brett and I questioned whether this was an appropriate WAHOO! moment. But for us it is so... WAHOO!
Dr. Panwalker called this morning. They have the results of the MRI.
First the bad news- I have BREAST CANCER! Surprise! Surprise!LOL
But the good news is...
* besides the original tumor there is no other suspicious areas anywhere including my lymph nodes.
* the tumor size is actually only 1.2 cm (about 1/2 inch) rather than the 2.9 cm that they originally calculated. [They may have included the entire area of the cysts and the tumor when they did the ultrasound]
* they downgraded me from a Stage II to a Stage I. Yeah!
* they are going to cut my Chemo treatments down from 6 doses to 4 doses. Fantastic!
* it will be a less aggressive chemo medication as well. Double fantastic!
See?? Totally WAHOO moment!
Thanks you for all your prayers and faith on our behalf. We sure love and appreciate you. We are experiencing miracles here, people! ;)
Now the icky news-
They are setting up my 1st Chemotherapy Drip for next Tuesday, the 24th. At first, Dr. Bouton suggested to do Chemo first to shrink the tumor. Now that that's not as big of a deal, they said we could do surgery first. (BUT because of my age and they want all my mula- they said they will be doing Chemo at some point) We feel that we'd like to get it "out of the way" so-to-speak. You know- swallow the icky stuff first and then go from there. It also gives us a little extra time to process and figure out what to do with my chest area. We have not quite come to a unanimous vote on that topic yet. LOL Decisions, decisions!!

Finally, just so I don't have to actually say them outloud to anyone- these are the Chemo treatments he is putting me on- Cyclophosphamide and Docetaxel.
Here's where I go into my infomercial (Disclaimer**I am not affiliated or being paid in any way by the makers of Taxotere ® Generic Name: Docetaxel or Cytoxan (Cyclophosphamide) LOL)
Side effects may include the following. Call your doctor to see if this Chemotherapy is right for you. HaHa! I AM So funny!

Neutropenia (low white blood cell count, greater risk of infection)

Low platelet count

Hair loss

Nausea

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Fatigue

Mucositis (irritated mucous membrane in your mouth)

Amenhorrea (monthly menstrual cycle stops)

Changes in nails (brittle or yellowed)

Vomiting

Muscle/bone/joint pain (myalgias and arthralgias)

Low platelet count (This can increase your risk of bleeding)

Increases in blood tests measuring liver function. These return to normal once treatment is discontinued. (see liver problems)

Whew! Ickiness! But I am trying to remember that the anxiety is way worse than the reality! Just keep telling me that! ;)
One more WAHOO just for fun!