My Next Steps

Thriving during adversity

Am I going to die – Part 2? – Post-surgery pathology (4/11/2025) July 6, 2026

Filed under: First Things First — cstatenclark @ 11:01 am
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My breast specialist surgeon called on Friday morning, 4/11, a couple of days after a successful lumpectomy. She was all business. The air going into my lungs suddenly felt thick and I managed to swallow the lump in my throat. Although she had estimated pathology results to come a week after surgery, she received them a mere 2 days post-surgery. Good news: the margins were negative for the golfball-sized mass they removed. Negative margins are what we hope for;. It means she removed sufficient flesh to know they got all the cancerous cells. Not-such-good-news: the sentinel node biopsy — dye runs from the mass to see which lymph nodes are fed by the mass. Protocol is to remove those nodes that show the dye. Two of my lymph nodes showed dye from the cancer mass so she removed them during surgery. The concerning part of the pathology showed micrometastases in those two nodes. That means cancer spread. Although they were tiny (micro) cells, cancer had still spread. Still my cancer was rated as stage 1.

The presence of micrometastases influenced the course of my treatments. The surgeon indicated that I likely would receive a bit of everything from the oncology menu, instead of avoiding either chemo or radiation. I went into surgery thinking they’d remove everything, there would be no lymph spread, radiation would be minimal, then on to blocking the HER2 cells. Now the radiation may be more extensive, and chemo a likely part of the plan. And I’m not sure how they discern whether these micrometastases have spread beyond the lymph nodes since a few individual cancer cells aren’t visible on MRI or sonogram. Thankfully, according to pathology, the few cancer cells had reached those two removed lymph nodes, but gone no further.

So much to process. More appointments coming. Breathe. Am I going to die? Not today.

“Don’t waste moments in fear of things that fear can’t change.” Unknown

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 NIV

 

Surgery – lumpectomy (4/9/2025) July 2, 2026

Filed under: First Things First — cstatenclark @ 10:59 am
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The night before my scheduled surgery, my checklist consisted of 1) take “before” photo of my “cancer breast”, 2) stop eating/drinking by midnight, 3) pray for the surgeon and for my own peaceful sleep. The morning of, the checklist was 1) shower with Hibiclens, 2) wear something comfortable and button-up, 3) remove all jewelry, makeup, lotions, deodorant, 4) pray again for surgeon and all her medical team. I was as prepared as I could be. We were prepared. Peace was God’s gracious gift to me as we drove into Austin.

The surgeon showed up early and was ready to get the show on the road. Prayer warriors were warmed up, ready to intercede on our behalf, and wore their Team Carol t-shirts in support. I told the surgeon that half of Bastrop and friends across the country were praying for her and her team. She, in turn, told us she had prayed for me as well. What a way to warm my heart.

During all the prep (gown, IV, BP, reviewing which body part was to be operated on), the medical staff was so kind. In reviewing my medical history, they became super interested in my past stroke from 30 years ago, peppering me with dozens of questions about reason it happened and recovery from. That kept us all occupied as we rolled down the long halls to the surgery room. The chilly room and bright lights made me thankful for the anesthesia which gently and quickly coaxed me into dreamland. What seemed like only moments later (actually about an hour), I was in recovery with the team saying how well the procedure went. Since I was not experiencing pain and woke up fairly quickly, it was soon time to get dressed for the drive home to Bastrop. Wow – that was quick!

I didn’t experience much pain at all afterward, but they gave me hydrocodone before I left the hospital, just in case the drive home was painful (bumps, braking, seatbelt).  Before bed that night, I took my last dose of hydrocodone “just in case” I had trouble sleeping (which I did not). The next day, I barely had pain at all – only slight tenderness. So I transitioned to Tylenol, then within a day to zero pain meds. Since the small incision was securely glued shut, I showered the next day and we took “after” photos. To our surprise, that breast didn’t look horrible. How in the world could the surgeon remove a golf ball-sized section of tissue from my breast without it looking misshapened? She’s talented! We both felt very blessed for the smooth surgery and minimal pain.

Pathology of the surgery tissue would take about a week for results. The following Sunday, one of the hymns we sang at church was A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. My eyes overflowed with with gratefulness for a mighty God.

A mighty Fortress is our God
A Bulwark never failing
Our Helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.

For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe
His craft and power are great
And armed with cruel and hate
On earth is not his equal

Did we in our own strength confide
Our striving would be losing
Were not the right Man on our side
The Man of God’s own choosing


Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He
Lord Sabaoth His Name
From age to age, the same
And He must win the battle.

Martin Luther

 

Am I going to die – Part 1? What did I do wrong? (2/20/2025) June 27, 2026

Filed under: First Things First — cstatenclark @ 1:17 pm
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While I was becoming a student of cancer and all its treatments, my mind seemed to be bound by the central question, “why?” and “What did I do wrong?”.  My brain was the tether-ball tied to the pole of “why did I get cancer?”. I’ve heard that just before you die, you see glimpses of all the wonderful snippets of your life – a life recap of sorts. But as I mull this diagnosis with all its possible future ramifications, the slow-motion newsreel takes on a different theme. Every. Thing. That. I. Have. Ever. Done. Wrong.

  • Did I smoke, do drugs, drink to excess? No. No. No.
  • Is my diet terrible? No – especially for the prior 1.5 yrs it’s even been terrific (ketogenic – with no starches, no sugar, only meat, dairy, and non-starchy vegetables).
  • Do I have family history of breast cancer? – No, going back 3 generations.

Now to the hard part of the self-reflection.

  • Did I ever exercise enough? NO. Did I have a sedentary job most of my career? YES.
  • Did I eat processed food for much of my life (prior to the KETO diet)? YES.
  • Have I made poor choices in my life? YES.
    • The devil specifically leaned in on all those poor choices, hinting that perhaps my cancer was penance for those moments. What a jerk he is. I have long-ago reconciled those poor choices with God, repented and lead a new life.
  • Books like Cancer As A Metabolic Disease (which is a great book) can also fan the flame of past lifestyle environmental behaviors, like exposure to micro-plastics, fumes inhaled, chemical exposure, carcinogenic makeup/soap/lotion ingredients, and other environmental causes. Was I perfect? No. Was I the worst? No.
  • Then there’s the HRT (hormone replacement therapy), prescribed by my gynocologist after my full hysterectomy. Some studies show a link between HRT and breast cancer. And my cancer is hormone (estrogen and progesterone) positive.
  • And lastly, some studies show a link between women who don’t give birth or breast feed and breast cancer. That’s me.

Pause. Breathe. Time to focus on how do I resolve this medical issue? Not wallow in “what did I do wrong?”.

“When you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou

“There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Psalm 56:3

 

Drinking from a firehose – time to get organized (2/18/2025)

Filed under: First Things First — cstatenclark @ 12:54 pm
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After receiving confirmation that this, indeed, was MY pathology report and I, in fact, did have cancer in my right breast, the research and phone calls began in earnest. This was real. When my brain is swimming in questions and I lack knowledge, I immediately seek it out (books, videos, Googling, input from trusted friends). My husband is also a great researcher, so our days and nights in those first few weeks were consumed with watching myriad YouTube videos, reading a half-dozen books (thanks to Amazon Prime), and speaking with close friends who had experienced at least some of what I was about to experience.

Was cut-burn-poison the only treatment option? What about alternatives and complementary treatments? Could I increase my chances of survival by doing twice as much. [Did I just write that word “survival”?]

The more I studied, the more confused I became. Occasionally, the sources contradicted each other, depending on the how I phrased my query. I spoke to Girlfriends#1, who had a lumpectomy, no chemo, and 4 weeks of radiation 6 months prior to my diagnosis. And then I gathered input from Girlfriend#2, who had a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation 20 years ago. Although their type and stage of breast cancer was different than mine, their experiences still provided insights into how they managed through various treatments, side-effects, and recommendations for oncologists, surgeons, and facilities. Even with all that info, there was so much more to distill before my next steps.

I’m retired now, but my career was in the field of technology (selling, marketing, strategic planning). For decades, my method for turning confusion into actionable data to analyze was to create a spreadsheet. That’s just nerd-talk for making a list with columns and rows. My first Excel sheet contained:

  • Questions for my surgeon (how soon, surgical options, risks, after-effects)
  • Questions for my functional GP, since he would be more open to complementary treatments and supplements (how to protect my gut microbiome, options to reduce side effects while not diminishing the oncology treatments)
  • Online research from reputable cancer organizations (possible treatments complementary to cut-burn-poison)
  • Helpful supplements
  • Dietary suggestions – what to eat/not eat (my oncologist didn’t have strong advice on this topic other than the standard of care answer every US physician gives regardless of medical issue…”eat Mediterranean diet”)
  • What to measure throughout the treatments (more on this separate chart later)

I slept better after aggregating all this info into one spot. My questions would at least be a bit more coherent.

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Psalm 32:8

 

Not My First Health Rodeo – Decisions to Make June 25, 2026

Filed under: First Things First — cstatenclark @ 4:42 pm
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My 6+ decades of life have been speckled with unexpected health anomalies. So far, I’ve survived them all, thank you Jesus.

At 27, sudden appendicitis resulted in an emergency appendectomy. Then at age 37, a stealthy brainstem hemorrhage forever altered my life, paralyzing my entire left side (head to toe) which took 6 months of rehab to bring me back to “normal” activities of daily living. All function returned to the left half of my body, albeit permanently slower (foot, leg, circulation, hand, arm, and vocal cord). Due to walking with a slight limp for 30 years since that stroke, my poor joints are worse-for-wear, resulting in four left foot/ankle surgeries to repair. Then, late in the fall of my 65th year, I stumbled and fell, breaking my neck at C1-C2. Now I know what Frankenstein’s monster felt like.

One more bit of pertinent medical history. In 2017 (age 60), my annual gyno exam showed a large, benign tumor that necessitated removal. My gynecologist advised me that it would be wise to opt for a full hysterectomy to prevent future growths and because I had been in menopause for 6 years. My gynecologist sold me on the idea that HRT (hormone replacement therapy) was advisable to help keep all the cells in my body healthier and more resilient to aging. He prescribed bio-identical estrogen (patches) and daily progesterone pills.  So, when my 2025 breast biopsy confirmed cancer, I had been taking HRT for 7 years. After the initial cancer diagnosis, I began researching possible links between HRT and breast cancer. Even before the official pathology report came back, I took myself off HRT (mid-FEB 2025). I’m very glad I did. One small step that felt like taking a small amount of control.

Combining estradiol with synthetic progestins slightly increases the risk of breast cancer. This elevated risk primarily appears or becomes more pronounced after 3 to 5 years of consistent use.   www.breastcancer.org

I thought I was healthy…