“But I would know,” Dana insisted, threading her fingers together and staring down at them.

The doctor sighed.  “We’re getting ahead of ourselves here.  The point is you very well may not need any of those at all.  From where we stand now, it looks as if we can first try treating your cancer with medication and aggressive chemotherapy treatments.”

“Chemotherapy?” Dana echoed, amending the mental picture of herself, imagining herself bald with one breast.  I’m gonna be a freak.  “So I’ll lose my hair before I lose my boob?  Great.”

“I’m not going to lie to you, Dana.  You probably will lose your hair, and that can include your eyebrows and eyelashes.  You will also lose weight, which frankly, you can’t afford to do, and you’ll feel very sick and fatigued much of the time.”

Dana covered her face with her hands.  “God.”

“Because of this, you’ll need to meet with a nutritionist to create a diet for you that will help you minimize your weight loss.  It’s going to be hard to keep food down, but it’s important that you try,” Dr. Fry continued, turning around to grab Dana’s medical records.  “Now, let’s lay out the details of your treatment, and then I’ll send you over to the oncology department at the hospital.”

“Can I think about the treatment thing?” Dana asked, removing her hands from her face.

Dr. Fry looked puzzled.  “What is there to think about?  With treatment, you should be fine.”

“Yeah, I could be fine later.  There are no guarantees, are there?  And what if it comes back?” Dana demanded, her voice rising.  “I just need some time to think about this, that’s all, before” Dana trailed off, swallowing hard.  Before I admit this is really happening to me.

The doctor nodded slowly.  “Fine.  But please, get back in touch with me soon.  Don’t hesitate to call me, Dana, for anything.  Anytime, day or night.”

Eager to get back into her clothes, Dana nodded dumbly.