7/30/19: Letter with Surgery Information + Medical Records + Support

After a completely stress-free vacation, returning home is actually kind of overwhelming. The "glad to be home and can't wait to sleep in my own bed" feeling is fantastic! But then there's laundry and grocery shopping and unpacking and piled-up mail and all the to-do items that have long been mentally shelved under "Things To Do After Vacation".

I was anxious to go through our accumulated mail to look for the letter with surgery details and any testing results that might have been mailed to me.

I did receive the letter with surgery information. It's amazing how having a paper in hand, with details laid out in print, can relieve my anxiety. 

I also received my genetic testing results in the mail. In addition to the 2 variants of unknown significance (VUS) that my genetic counselor already mentioned (in the BRCA2 and PALB2 genes), I have 2 additional VUS among the 83 cancer-related genes that were later tested. (The 2 new variants were found in the CDKN1C and MSH2 genes, each associated with less common syndromes.)

It now being over 2 weeks since I requested online access to my medical records, I gave the Breast Center a call to follow up. One brief phone call, and I got my patient portal login. Again, it's a wonder what resolving open issues does for my anxiety! Now to print out a whole bunch of appointment notes and test results to keep for my own records. (I have a binder.)

Among the many pieces of accumulated mail, there were 2 unexpected items. One was a card, the other was a package which turned out to be a water bottle with straws. Both were from the same person, my friend's friend who is giving me DMX advice and support. As relaxing and stress-free as my vacation was, it was not anxiety-free; my cancer diagnosis is always with me. Cancer-related thoughts and worries come and go every day. I can't express enough how incredibly uplifting it was to come home to two pieces of encouragement. I have heard it said that only people who have been through a certain experience know how best to support someone going through the same thing. The water bottle is for my post-surgery days, when drinking water is supposed to be critical to recovery, and with straws because even the smallest items may feel too heavy to lift at first. And the card is just what I needed to cheer me up during this pre-surgery waiting game.