TRUST #45: Cancer "Processing Mode"

I'm posting another TRUST post today instead of on Sunday, because I have information to share that I know many of you have been waiting to hear.

I finally had a consultation yesterday with my Oncologist.
 
Here are the facts:

1. This is a NEW cancer, totally unrelated to my first cancer from 6 years ago.
2. The cancer is Stage 0 - which means it is currently non-invasive. (This is good news because my first cancer was stage 2.)
3. The cancer is High Grade - which means it started growing quickly, and will continue growing quickly. So, even though it is currently Stage 0 (non-invasive), it could quickly change into invasive if it is not removed. 
4. The cancer is 97% Estrogen Positive, which means Estrogen is what is making it grow.
5. The cancer is also 1% Progesterone Positive.
6. The best course of action is a mastectomy. I will be seeing my surgeon for a consultation on December 20th. 
7. I will not be needing any kind of bone scans or PET scans before surgery. I will not need to have them done at all, unless the pathology report after surgery contains new information that would require more testing. 
8. I have been taking Tamoxifen for the past 5 1/2 years in order to block the estrogen my body makes. If I had not been taking it, this new cancer might have happened a lot sooner than it did. However, it is apparently not working on me as effectively as it should. So, my doctor told me to stop taking it.
9. After my surgery, I will begin taking a different medication (I don't know the name of it yet) that should hopefully be more effective.
10. If all goes as planned, and they don't find any "surprises" in my pathology report, I will not need chemo or radiation treatments.

How is this affecting me?

• I'm experiencing what you might call "processing mode." I have received all the information, and now I am working through different thoughts and emotions. Even though I have had cancer before, its not any easier this time around.
• I am so thankful this cancer was caught early. Things could be much worse!
• At the same time, I'm feeling a bit "down"about needing to go through another mastectomy. 
• I am also wondering what is making ME so prone to this type of cancer, especially since I have no family history of it. (My dad had prostate cancer, but that's not quite the same). I want answers, but the answers may not be revealed in my lifetime. 
• Through it all, I'm still TRUSTING in God's plans for my life, and I know He will be there to help me and my family through this.