I had a lot to do to get ready for my first appointment with the breast surgeon assigned to my case—mainly pick out an outfit for the visit. This may sound crazy, but stressing about what I'm wearing instead of the larger and potentially much scarier thing that's going on is 100 percent my go-to coping mechanism. 

I wanted to wear something that I felt good and confident in, but I did not want to ruin one of my favorite outfits by attaching a bad memory to it. With much suffering, I was able to pull together an outfit that made me feel stylish and smart, and that I hoped would really impress the doctors and nurses. I figured that if I'm their favorite patient, I'd have a better chance at beating this. I was ready to win them over with fashion! 

Spoiler Alert: The nurses all complimented my outfit before I ended up in the hospital-issue, stiff, blue robe. So, with that out of the way, it was time to get down to business. 

Breast MRI

My surgeon wanted to get as much information as possible about what was going on inside my boobs before we could make a decision about a treatment plan. I was sent for a breast MRI and genetic testing. 

If you've ever had an MRI, you can relate to the unsettling feeling of claustrophobia that sets in as you're rolled into the machine and the jarring bangs and hums it makes. For the breast imaging, I was positioned facedown on a table that had an opening for my breasts to hang through. My head was cradled (or rather jammed) in one of those massage table pillows and I was given ear plugs and headphones. 

How long does a breast MRI last? Typically they take about 30 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, I was injected with a contrast dye to enhance the images. The MRI itself was not horrible. I would have much preferred a 90-minute aromatherapy massage, but that wasn't on the menu at The Spa at Yale-New Haven Hospital. 

Once again, I was blessed with a short wait for the results—the finding were "Suspicious" and revealed another non-mass area on the right side that would require a biopsy. Mixed feelings bubbled up again—I was relieved to hear there were no masses detected. A mass would have been considered invasive, and so far everything they were seeing appeared to be non-invasive and early stages. But it meant another invasive procedure in the mammogram machine. Woohoo!

Genetic Testing

The Genetic Testing process was a lot easier than an MRI as it only involved a quick blood draw and a conversation with a Genetic Counselor. I answered lots of  questions about my family history and what all of my relatives suffered from. (A touch of cancer, high blood pressure and mostly insanity!)

The Genetic Counselor explained to me what I was being tested for and what the risk factors for each genetic mutation were. This time I had to wait a bit longer for the results, and about two weeks later learned that I tested negative for all of the high risk genetic mutations. No one was more relieved to hear this than my mother who could now tell everyone she knew, "Yes, my daughter has breast cancer, but she didn't get it from me!" Thanks, Mom!

One More Biopsy

I still had one more scary test to get through before we were ready to make a plan for surgery. Once more, my poor little right breast was turned into a smash burger in order to get more mammogram images followed by another stereotactic breast biopsy. This time, the spot was located closer to the skin and proved harder to locate. There as a lot of maneuvering involved, and for a long time. It was hot, and then it was freezing and hot again. Everything felt uncomfortable. This second biopsy was by far the hardest part of the diagnosis process. It wasn't just the poking and prodding that was draining me—waiting for test results and doctors to call was taking a lot of energy. 

The thing I've learned about having cancer is that it uncovers the inner strength you didn't know you had in order to keep going. I dug deep and found one more funny dance mom story to tell the nurse assigned to keeping pressure on my boob while I hung out in a chair reclined almost upside down...again!

Unfortunately, the second needle biopsy missed the calcification they were aiming for. The results were inconclusive and all I had to show for it was a boob that was turning from purple to green to yellow.

By now, I was strongly leaning towards having a mastectomy over a breast sparing lumpectomy. Everyone who had looked at my images was confident on only one thing: there was a lot going on inside my right breast. Without hesitation, my surgeon suggested a single mastectomy. Should I get a double mastectomy? That was up to me. But first I had to meet my Plastic Surgery team, and pick out another outfit for the occasion. 

Read Part 1 of my DCIS Diagnosis here.