It's Stage 2, I Mean, Oops, We're Sorry, It's Actually Stage 4

After a diagnosis of breast cancer your life becomes a dizzying blur of doctors appointments, tests and long periods on hold with your insurance company, who at this point wishes they never heard of you.  One of the reasons for all of these tests (MRIs, CAT Scans, Bone Scans, Chest X-Ray, Bloodwork, etc.) is to determine what stage your cancer is.  Staging is very important as it not only determines your course of treatment, but it also gives you a solid benchmark to see whether or not the cancer has spread and if so, by how much and where.


Before all of my test results had come back both my oncologist and breast surgeon had told me I was Stage 2 and that my cancer could be curable with aggressive treatment.  Although, "aggressive treatment" sounded daunting, "curable" was what I wanted to hear.   


Insert the sound of a bubble bursting here. 


After the results of my CAT scan came back I got a call from my oncologist telling me they had found "3 dark shadows" on my liver and he wanted me to have a liver biopsy to make sure these spots weren't cancer as well.  "Are they ever not cancer?" I asked.  "No, when you already have breast cancer they are usually indicitive that the cancer has spread there." was the response I got.  The liver biopsy was no picnic and of course I had held out hope that maybe those dark shadows on my liver were something else (too much drinking in the 90's?), but several agonizing days later I got the call from my oncologist telling me the results of the biopsy had come in and that they had found breast cancer in my liver.  He was quick to point out that it wasn't "liver cancer", but that the breast cancer had metasticized and had spread to my liver. 


So, why the fuck did they tell me initially I was Stage 2 when the reality was they didn't know what stage I was at that point because not all the results of my tests had come in yet?  Of course I asked about this (I did not use the word "fuck" although I wanted to) and I got a very dissatisfying response.  Apparently they feel the need to tell you something right away.  How about wait a couple days and tell me something accurate??  WTF?


Goodbye Stage 2, Hello Stage 4.  There is no Stage 5...