Friday, October 26, 2007

Case Manager

I talked with my case manager (I have a case manager!) at my health insurance company today. I told her about the MD Anderson refusal to see me until I finished chemo. She said the referal she made was good for a year and that I could use it just fine in January/February when the chemo is over.

In the most ethical and informative way, at my request, she basically said that the plastic surgeon I saw Monday was full of s***. She said to get a second opinion right away! Right now, I need to just relax a bit and know that I have months to figure out what to do and just be patient. I don't have to decide right now. The confusion comes in because of the possibility of any kind of reconstruction (or not) and the statistical likelihood of recurrence after lumpectomy, mastectomy or double mastectomy, or mastectomy and a reduction on the other side, or ????? What is best to prevent recurrence? What is best for balance, symmetry and comfort? What is the long-term best choice (implants don't seem like a reasonable long-term solution) but I'm not interested in doing some kind of big surgical procedure like DIEP or TRAM FLAP reconstructions (shiver). How mutilating will it be to just do a mastectomy and leave things flat? Where is the reasonable line in all this? I have no idea. What expectations are reasonable for a plastic surgeon on someone with my body type (fat)? I'm lost in all the choices. I hope some clarity will come out of the waiting.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

axtkkI am constantly amazed by your great outlook and cogent comments. My prayers are with you throughout the coming months. Your stamina has me in awe.

Hugs,
Sigrid

Pem said...

I'm praying for you. In Audre Lorde's The Cancer Journals she talks about choosing to be an amazon--single mastectomy and not wearing her prothesis. Her doctor didn't like it at all when she showed up at his office that way!