Diagnosis

My mother went to her three month routine check-up with the same oncologist who had recommended the hormone therapy medication after her 2011 mass was removed on October 11, 2012.  The doctor was on vacation and therefore my mom saw his nurse practitioner.  She had a thorough exam and the nurse practitioner found no areas of concern and scheduled the next routine appointment for three months later.

One month later, November 26, 2012, my mom went for her yearly exam with the doctor who removed the 2011 mass. I was at school teaching and had even forgotten that my mom would be going to an appointment that day.  I expected nothing out of he ordinary and was very shocked when my sister called me at school to tell me that the doctor was concerned about something unusual that he saw in Mom's breast.  The doctor wanted to do a biopsy immediately.  Within hours my mom had a needle biopsy to examine the tissue, right there in the doctor's office.  He recommended that my mom see the oncologist the following day, and assured my mom that he would have the results from the biopsy faxed to the oncologist by the next afternoon.

My mom returned to the oncologist on the following day to hear the results of the biopsy.  I would have trouble getting a substitute on such a short notice and my sister was also tied up at work. Mom had experienced scares before, and assured us that it would really be "no big deal", and that there was nothing to be concerned about. Our daughters were home from college and they went with my mom the following day.  My sister and I at least had the foresight to know that mom should not get any news completely alone.  But, we questioned that this was an awful burden to place on their young heads should the news be bad.

The Oncologist diagnosed my mom with Stage 3 Inflammatory Breast Cancer.  He classified it as "very aggressive" in that it had appeared to have grown so rapidly where there was no sign of anything amiss four weeks earlier.  The Oncologist ordered that she be hospitalized for testing and the insertion of a portal-cast on that same Friday, November 30; the day following Thanksgiving.