Part 3

So waited from July 2nd to the 8th to find out if it was cancer. To me that was a long wait. Just for the fact that it was a holiday weekend which delay things. I started calling back that following Tuesday. The results were not in yet. Then call again on Thursday and they told me that they should have already been in so the nurse call the lab. The lab told her that it would be Friday for sure when they are in. Call early Friday morning and got the results. They told me that the left breast was benign and that the right one was as they thought cancer. I ask about the lymph nodes and she said they were involved. I was surprise but not to surprise since I suspected any way. I ask her what they stage was and she inform me they didn't know until surgery. I ask her what kind it was and she told me Infiltrating/Invasive Lobular. I ask about the growth and she said my was a 2 which meant moderate, not to bad. First thing I did was call Moncrief and left them know that it was cancer. They told me to call The Tarrant County Health Department. I call them and they set me up appointment to come in and apply for Medicaid. Now in the mean time I still have not heard from JPS to see if it got their discount program. I went in on the 13th of July to apply for medicaid. They said they were going to do a fast track Medicaid. That is were it will only take 2 weeks to find out if I approve instead of the 40 days it usually takes. I was told to call them about on July 24th even if I don't here any thing about it. Then guess what I got a letting in the mail that I got JPS. But didn't get the discount program. I only got their regular program. I would still have to paid a co-pay. Don't get me wrong that's not bad at all. But I would have to pay 20 percent of any hospital bill or any kind of treatment. Can't do that I don't make enough money today specially if it comes to surgery. So I waited to see if I got medicaid. On July 22th I letter in the mail saying I got medicaid. I was so happy and relief. I call JPS and drop the program. I had to go to the nearest Tarrant County Health Department and pick up a temp medicaid card. Take it back up to the main office and show them I had medicaid so that the mammogram and biopsy would be paid for. It was on July 29th that I got my July medicaid in the mail. I call Moncrief again and told them I got medicaid. The next step they said for to find a breast surgeon. They gave me a list of several names on the phone. I pick one out and call. I pick out Dr. Chow and they schedule me appointment for August 4th. This is were it all begins.

August 4th. La Sha and my sister Shelly went with me to this appointment. They call me back first did vital signs and ask alot of questions. Then Dr Chow came in and talk with me and ask question then she examine me. When she was done she said she would meet me in the conference room. I went to go get La Sha and Shelly we went in there and Dr. Chow explain everything. She got a piece a paper and as she was talking she was drawing on the paper and writing everything down. She told me what the goals were. The were to 1. local control and then 2. system control. Which means to do medical chem and that means to do chemo. Then we would do surgery and then radiation. I will do 4 months of chemo every other week. Then I will do Surgery and then 6 weeks of radiation every day. Dr Chow told me I was not candidate for Breast Conservation Surgery. I would have to have Modified Radical Mastectomy. La Sha ask her about the left breast. She said it would not be unreasonable to remove it also. Just for the fact that I have had problems with it also. She said that they would set me up to have a Bone scan and Pet scan and set me up with a Oncologist.

Still tune for Part 4

Therefore, I choose for today:

Peace and not anxiety,
Good and not evil,
Love and not hate,
Gain and not loss.

When today becomes tomorrow, this day will be gone forever, leaving it its place what I choose today. I, alone, can choose to use today wisely-

Cancer Can't Rob Me Of This Day!