Huntsman Cancer Institute? More Like: Huntsman Comfort Institute.

What a difference Huntsman Cancer Institute makes!

Before we even got in the building, I was in love.

HCI has valet parking, that they STRONGLY recommend for cancer patients.  The Valets don't accept tips.
It is wonderful.

And just walking in to HCI...
The building is permeated by a peaceful feeling.  The waiting area was quiet.
Everywhere I turned, they were throwing warm blankets on me.   Ahhhhh.

My first appointment at HCI turned in to an all-day thing.

I met with my surgeon.  Dr. Cindy Matsen.   She had a personalized power-point set up, just for me!  It was cool.
She explained everything to me about my type of cancer.

Then, I met with my Oncologist's Nurse Practitioner.  I can't remember her name? But she was great.

Halfway through our meeting, my Oncologist arrived.  Dr. Saundra Buys is a pint-sized person, that is full of compassion.
I adored her, immediately.
And, blessings, again.  Dr. Buys is one of the top breast-cancer oncologists on the west coast.  She works at Huntsman.  Of course she is.
Guaranteed, she took me on as a patient, because of who my Uncle is.
I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay Scott and Diane?

The day I went in for my appointment was a day that Dr. Buys doesn't even see patients.  She works on the oncology floor of the hospital, on Thursdays.
She took a break from doing that, to run down to see me.

And she worked out a game plan, with me and Nick.

Chemotherapy first.  Then, surgery.  Then, radiation.

Chemo first, so that they can try to shrink the tumor.

Dr. Matsen said that if they did surgery first, it would be a definite mastectomy, because my tumor is so large.
A large breast cancer tumor is considered to be 5cm.  My tumor measures 11cm (on the outside), and nearly 8cm on the MRI.

I may still opt for a mastectomy.  Even, a double-mastectomy; depending on other variables.  But by doing chemo first, I have time to think about things...  I don't have to rush.

On Thursday, during the marathon appointment, I also had genetic testing done.  And Nick and I met with a social worker.

The phlebotomist that did my bloodwork said that my veins are terrible, and that they'd never stand-up to getting chemo intravenously.  Tell me something I don't know?!
So, she put in a request that I have a port installed.

They still don't know what kind of "receptors" my cancer cells have.
As long as they aren't "HER2" receptors, I will start Chemotherapy on 5/29.  Nick's birthday.  And that is totally bumming me out.
If they are HER2, I won't start chemo until 6/12, because I may qualify for a study for a certain kind of chemo drug.

Either way, my first two months of chemo will be on the nasty type of drugs.  The ones that make you lose your hair, and puke your guts out.
I will have 6 rounds of that, every-other-week.

Then, I'll have 12 rounds of a not-as-bad-but-still-chemo drug.  Every week.

I should be finishing up, or nearly finished right around the time that we have our Hawaii trip scheduled.

When I'm done, I'll have a month-long break.  And then, I'll have surgery.

Another month-long break, and then I'll do 7 rounds of radiation.  That'll be every-day, for 5 days, over a 7-week period.

Fun stuff.

At the end of my HCI appointment I had to have ANOTHER mammogram.
Let me tell you how much I did not want to have it done.  I'm still black and blue, from the biopsies!  And the prospect of having my chest squeezed, again, was not a pleasant one.

But, it had to be done.
The doctor that had done my biopsies wrote inconsistent reports.

In one report, he said that he had implanted "clips" in both my tumor, and a lymph node.
But in another report, he said that they had only implanted a "clip" in my lymph node.
I had to have the mammogram, to see which report was correct.
Turns out, it was the second one.  There was only a "clip" in my lymph node.

Ugh.  McKay Dee Hospital.  The gift that keeps on giving...