I had my first consultation with my radiation oncologist today… I am praying that I won’t need radiation and that my dietary changes plus the chemo and surgery will remove all of my cancer… That’s the best case scenario… In this scenario, it would allow me to have immediate reconstruction without having the problem of radiated skin….. so I’ll be praying this is the outcome. But, I won’t know for sure until after my mastectomy…

My oncologist told me I have a 75% chance I will need radiation and 25% chance that I won’t…. If I do need radiation, it will be 33 treatments… Monday – Friday for 6.5 weeks…

Obviously… my main goal as my oncologist says… is survival. I will do whatever is necessary to survive. I have had a great response to chemo… which was not expected at all with the type of cancer that I have… I feel that my great response is due to everything I’m doing… I have made radical changes in my diet… and cutting out sugar I’m sure has been a huge contributor in my success with chemo…. So, if I need radiation… it is not the end of my world… BUT, I’d sure love it if I can avoid it….

For reconstruction purposes it makes such a difference if you don’t need radiation…. the difference is….  you can have immediate reconstruction at the time of the mastectomy….In my research, that means….a difference of night and day in the end result…. If I do need radiation…. I will have to wait 6-9 months most likely for reconstruction… it will mean 2 or more surgeries versus just 1…. and it will mean that there is a chance that the breasts will be rejected by the body due to the radiated skin….

So…. I will be hoping and praying…… 🙂 But… we’ll know more after my mastectomy… I will see my plastic surgeon on Friday of this week…. and I’ll update about what he suggests….