So I saw my breast surgeon today.  The "lump" found in the MRI was not cancer (as we've known) but is fibrocystic disease (no biggie; perfectly normal at my age). 

Shewalked into the room and said, "let me guess you're freaked out and want a mastectomy".  I said "no, I'm ok but if I have to get a biopsy every 6 mos then we need to talk".  She agreed; she thinks watching my breast (MRI and Mammogram in January; check-up with rad oncologist in January, check-up with breast surgeon in July; check up with medical oncologist every 2-3 months) is the best thing right now.  She checked me out; she can't even feel the lump in my breast and said everything looks good (other than those horrible spots and tanning on my right chest from "radiation changes"; she joked that I get to blame that on my radiation oncologist). 

She doesn't want me to go into any surgeries before I have to; give my body as much time as possible to heal.  When we do get around to doing the mastectomy (probably in the next couple years depending on how things go) we'll do reconstruction then.  She says as long as I'm responding to the Herceptin we shouldn't see any new tumors!

So all in all it was a good visit.  Same old lecture, eat healthy and exercise on a regular basis.  She was happy to see I've lost the "extra weight" but didn't like hearing I stopped exercising because I've been hurting.  She said I HAVE TO EXERCISE.  So I'm trying to get motivated to do so!  Last week I went swimming two days in a row; and this week I'm really hurting!  So once again I have to work on pacing myself.  So maybe if I do a yoga video on Monday, walk on Wednesday, and Swim on Friday; and I'll still have riding my bike to the pool every day and walking around with the kids I might be able to keep up with it!

In the fall I start physical therapy again; I had to put it off until the kids are back in school! 

Technically I could do reconstruction surgery now; but I really don't want to be layed up in bed that long and I'm already in enough pain!  My white blood cell counts are at the very bottom of normal; so I'd like to get those higher as well! 

So for now I'm sticking with non-invasive procedures!  Treatment every 3 weeks, massage, accupuncture, physical therapy, lots of doctor appointments and lots of scans/diagnostic testing!