Shocked? Yeah, the whole family is in turmoil because of this.

Here's the scoop.

She had a mammagram scheduled, and her primary care doctor told her that at her age, she didn't need one, so he cancelled it. She knew damn well that cancer isn't age specific, so she went behind his back and re-made said appointment. At which they found Stage 0 breast cancer in the milk duct just behind her left nipple.

First bit of WTF: What the hell doctor is going to say that a woman is too old to need a mammagram?

Second bit of WTF: Even the specialist she saw is amazed that the mammagram turned up anything because apparently, it's quite rare to detect Stage 0 cancer at all and this particular spot, it's so unlikely as to be considered nearly impossible.

She's started radiation therapy. They've already done the biopsy and all, hence the reason we know it's cancer. She'll do 2 weeks of radiation to hopefully keep it from spreading before the operation on the 26th, when they'll find out for sure that it hasn't spread to her lymph nodes, which is the only thing anybody [meaning the doctors] is worried about. If it hasn't, she'll do radiation therapy after the surgery, through the month of November, and get tested every 3 months to make sure it hasn't come back. Or popped up elsewhere.

If it has spread to her lymph nodes, she'll lose her entire left breast, tissue as far back as under her left arm, and begin chemotherapy in November.

So, we're all praying to our Christian, Pagan, Hindu, Muslim, and other assorted gods that it has not, in fact, hit her lymph nodes, right?

She's chipper. The family is freaking out. And on the day that she decided to drop the bomb, and I turned to a few of my closest friends to tell them that the biggest influence on my life has breast cancer, I found out just how self centered one of them is. *smiles* Funny, how that happens. It's all good though, the ones that I consider family are still steadfast and stalwart.

Much love to you all. Prayers on behalf of my grandma to whatever higher power you believe in will be much appreciated.