Day 159 - Music to my ears!

Just got back from my two doctors appointments. They were good appointments. Disappointed at one, but elated at another.

First one was with the reconstructive surgeon... well actually the PA, Jason Carr. He looked at my incisions and said they were looking really good. Then he looked at my paper sheet where I recorded how much fluid came out of each drain. He said that one of the three drains could come out today. I was a little disappointed to hear that, but happy to hear that at least one drain got to come out of my body. It didn't hurt at all. I asked if the other drain would hurt when it's being taken out because it was bigger. He said no, the little one usually hurts the most because the tubing on the exterior is smaller than the tubing on the interior. Hmmm... That's good. He said that if I can keep the drainage down to 30mL per day for 48 hours, then I could have the other drains taken out. So I am expecting to have these drains in throughout the weekend. Heh, that's not that long in the grand scheme of things. Dr. Thaker came in while I was there. She said that I was looking good and healing really well. The blister on my chest is also looking good. She gave me the thumbs up and said that maybe in two weeks we can start on the saline fills. Hooray. I disposed of that awful pain ball. And an appointment was set for next Thursday to get the drains removed. However, they said that if I need them removed earlier than I could just call. Fantastic. :)

Next we moved on to Dr. Naik's appointment. We checked in and then I went to the infusion room because I just wanted to say hello to everyone there. They said that I looked fantastic and that I looked all summery. Well, it is 70 something degrees outside! They were happy to see me. I gave them a full report of how my surgery went and one of the nurses asked how I liked test driving my new boobs! I love it. I think I made a memorable impact on them.

Dr. Naik was running late, or at least the MA who was leading all the patients in... that would be Maureen, one of my favorites. We chatted a bit and she asked how I was doing. She said that I looked very good. We finally got into the room and got all situated. Then Dr. Naik came in. I zipped my cami down and she said that I was looking really good. Then she said that she didn't have the final pathology report back, but she did have the preliminary report. She said that she took out 16 lymph nodes. Of those 16, 15 came back clear, cancer free. One lymph node did come back positive, however, there were scant cancer cells in that node. As for the breast, the margins were clear, meaning that they got all the cancer out. It was music to my ears. So here's my thought... while I don't know if they got all the cancer out of my lymph node in the clavical area, I am HIGHLY certain there's no cancer there. The reason, the lymph nodes under my arm... there were several involved at the peak of my cancer. Now there was only one, and that one wasn't totally infected with the disease. That leads me to believe that there's no cancer in the one in my neck area. I can say with high confidence that I am cancer free for the moment. Next on the list... radiation! :)

We did talk about my arm - left arm. It's a bit sore under my arm near the armpit and as I try to extend it outwards, it hurts like the dickens. I did some research online and I think it's Axillary Web Syndrome or cording. Here's a sort of quasi definition of it:
"Researchers are still studying what exactly makes cording happen. Some experts believe that the surgery to the underarm and chest area traumatizes the connective tissue that encases nearby bundles of blood vessels, lymph vessels, and nerves. This trauma leads to inflammation, scarring, and eventually hardening of the tissue. This hardening can spread down the fibers of the connective tissue, which causes the cords to form."
So now I have a referral to see a physical therapist after I get the drains taken out. It's a temporary thing, so I am not too worried about it. However, there have been studies that show that it may increase the risk of lymphedema where my arm could swell up. Ho hum. Such is the life of a breast cancer patient.

As we were leaving today, the MA, Maureen, said that Brad was the world's greatest husband. I agree. Without his support I could not be where I am today. He has shown up at every single appointment with me (well the very important ones) and he went to every single chemo sucky appointment. I couldn't have asked for a better hubby! Thanks.

I also want to thank all my wonderful family and friends and even those I don't know. Without your prayers and constant support, I wouldn't have been as positive through this. I truly mean it.

To celebrate today's news, I took Brad out to Taco Bell! Yum yum! :)

A special thank you to Natalie, Jay, AJ and Trevor for the beautiful flowers and the wonderful Healing in Comfort shirt. I love the shirt... it's so nice and comfy and has a place for 4 drains! Ha! Thanks for the influx of cards. Kris, thanks for the celebratory care package. The girls love their tiaras. I can't wait to slip into my bathing suit cover up. March is just around the corner! ;)