I got some interesting questions answered this week:

1. How much does an MRI cost out of pocket? UC Davis says: $3000.
2. Can I get an MRI covered if I want one in a couple months?  UC Davis says: Insurance typically won't cover it, but between your breast surgeon and myself (my family practice doctor), we can probably get it covered, but no guarantees.
3. Are eggs dairy? FL TCM Docs say: I shouldn't be eating dairy. They introduce hormones into your body that are not meant to be processed in your body. However, they clarified that eggs are not dairy (a common misconception) but still should be eaten in moderation.
4. How long does it take to boil my herbs?  A: 2 hours. Good to put a movie on during that. Also good to cook something with strong aromas (like garlic or rosemary) to battle the chinese herb aromas. Who wins? Garlic and rosemary, by a slight margin.
5. Are chinese herbal teas really that terrible to drink?  A: No, it is bitter, but bearable.
6. Can I start my medical leave early - months before my surgery is scheduled to occur?  UCDavis says: Yes, the doctor can write the note such that I can get time beforehand to get things in order.

Still need to know:

1. If I can't get an MRI covered in the US, how much does it cost to get an MRI in Costa Rica?  How long should I vacation there while I'm there?
2. What is the effectiveness of a PET scan vs. and MRI?  Confirm these covered by my insurance every 6 months (A lady referred to me by the TCM doctor gets PET scans every 6 months covered by United Health Care). UPDATE: PET scans are not for breast cancer. Typically ordered for other types like lymphoma.

Here are the notes from my breast surgeon visit for those of you interested in reading the full treatment recommendation from UC Davis Medical Center and the answers he had to our questions. It's really very detailed. Don't say I didn't warn you! :)

I am still in information gathering phase. Information has come flooding in since I started looking. Funny how when you pay attention there is so much at your fingertips. Thanks everyone for the information that you've seen and sent my way. It has all helped me get a fuller understanding of the options out there and how people have responded to these treatments.

I just got back (to Atlanta) from a visit to a traditional chinese medicine (TCM) doctor in Florida. This is my dad's chinese doctor's teacher's center. I had just as many questions on my typed-out list as I did for the breast surgeon. It was an eye-opening experience to learn more about it. I already knew that the concepts are much different from western medicine so I came there with an open mind and ready to listen. Please do the same as you read this. Also, understand that although I am looking into TCM, in parallel, I am still learning more about what the best western treatment is for me.

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

Two things stood out to me during my visit to the TCM doctor.

First, there is a great emphasis put on whole body health. Even though there are no big machines, clinical data, or tools, there is an understanding of how to assess whole body health. The doctor used some simple tools like dull pointer to press on pressure points in my ear (which each correspond to a vital organ) to see where there is some tenderness but mostly he asked me lots of questions about some basic, common sense assessments of my vitals that perhaps most of us forget to or don't know to observe. These are essential to assessing whole body health according to TCM:

1. Head temperature - should be cool
2. Hands - should be warm
3. Feet - should be warm
4. Bowel movements - should be at least once a day
5. Bowel consistency - should be solid and best if it comes out quick and completely :)
6. Urine Color & Frequency - should be light pale yellow and pretty clear, often
7. Appetite - should be good
8. Sleep pattern - should be regular and you should have good energy throughout the day
9. Thirsty - shouldn't be overly thirsty all the time
10. Tongue coating - I didn't ask about what this should be, but I'll find out
11. Color of Mucus, if present - you shouldn't have mucus

Second, and most importantly for my situation, it seems at this place they have an extraordinary understanding of how hundreds of herbs work and what to prescribe for each specific symptom that you have.  Still unconfirmed, but per my dad, they have access to important herbs other places do not.

MY TREATMENT

So, I came back to Atlanta with a bag full of herbs prescribed to me based on what my doctor saw. In short, I have a weak heart that doesn't pump strongly enough to the bottom organs (liver, kidney, "lower womanly areas"). This keeps the heat in the upper part of my body where "dampness" (so far, lungs) and toxins (the cancer) can accummulate. The herbs are to treat specifically my heart, to make it stronger, and my liver and kidneys so that they can return to a certain level to efficiently clean and detox like it should. Note that I did not tell my doctor my diagnosis before he told me all of this. There are enough herbs for two weeks, after which I will have a follow up with the doctor about how each of my observable body vitals are doing. I have to be truthful about my poop and other things. Shouldn't be too difficult. :)

GOING FORWARD, WHOLE BODY HEALTH

Something that I think is missing for me from the normal, western path of treatment is a general assessment of whole body health. After I get past the cancer, whether I use western or eastern methods to do this, something that is really important to me is achieving and maintaining whole body health. I will continue to read about this and figure out a way to get where I want to be here.

To achive whole body health according to TCM, diet, regular sleep, how you deal with stress and heartache, and exercise (in moderation) are all key. According to TCM, the human body can be more alkaline or more acidic. To acheive whole body health, you want to do all of those things and you want to keep your body more alkaline. If your body is more acidic, it provides for an environment where disease can thrive. There is a list of things in your diet that cause your body to be more acidic: refined white sugar and artificial sweeteners in drinks, foods and snacks; coffee; vitamins and nutritional supplements, corn syrup, corn sweetener, refined non-iodized salt; fast food; hydrogenated oils; white breads, preservatives and additives; fruit juice from concentrate. Things that are good: green tea, organic sugars like cane sugar or honey or molassess, natural and whole foods, iodized sea salt, whole grains, fresh squeezed juices. Additionally, (and something I am still wrapping my head around) dairy from cow's milk is not good for you because it introduces hormones not meant for the human body - these include (gasp) cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Soy or rice milk is a suggested replacement for cow's milk.

My doctor says that chinese herbs are all alkaline.

If you're interested in reading more about this all, my sister scanned some information that they sent me before my visit. I have several more since my visit that I'll work on scanning in.

NEXT STEPS

So here I am with all of these herbs. I will try this because I don't think it will hurt me, and it has a good chance of helping me from what I have seen and heard so far. It's to be seen.

I still am moving forward with getting a second opinion from UCSF - my appointment is Sept 15 - and will still move forward with deciding on the type of surgery/treatment and scheduling the surgery. I'll also probably schedule a genetic test to help me decide one or two breasts.

Meanwhile, I'm going to keep a close eye on how my body vitals are doing as I take the herbs. I'm also thinking that I will get an MRI after a period of time to check progress. If I can't get it covered by my insurance in the US, I will go elsewhere. Costa Rica vacation anyone? Most of all, my feeling right now is that I am still open to the possibility of surgery, but would like to avoid it and anything invasive if at all possible. I want to keep my boobs. I also want to get rid of the cancer. So, I don't know yet that I can avoid surgery, but I will keep learning and assessing as I go. I'll let you know what I find!

By the way, I was in central FL during Hurricane Irene, but it wasn't so bad for us since we were just in the bands of the storm. Cocoa Beach was nice! The sky was amazing. We even did a little metta meditation on the beach. Some people were out surfing because of the bigger waves due to the hurricane!

I'm 32.5 as of August 7. My half birthday! I found out a couple days before that that I have Stage 1 cancer called DCIS in my left breast. I had just gotten my first early MRI screening because of what my mom went through. The breast surgeon I met with yesterday clarified that it is actually Stage zero. A lot of things have gone through my mind since I found out but I think my overall thought is gratitude. Grateful that I found this early and it's decreased from Stage 1 to Stage 0 diagnosis, which is non-invasive. I am grateful for my family, old friends and new friends, all of the support that I've received since even before I knew the results. It's pretty amazing who will just sit there and listen to me ramble on about something just so I don't have to think about this alone when I don't want to!

I am grateful that I have the capacity to learn things and the time soak it in and make good choices. In a way, I think the cancer is a gift. As I learn more about the causes and treatments in order to feel comfortable with the decisions I'll be making, I feel like I am embarking on a journey...another chapter in my life. Let's go.