Not much to report here... except that sometimes I work with a bunch of babies. Grrr!
Went to physical therapy today. I forgot to write that during last week's PT session, I had a cord snap. It was uncomfortable for a moment, but it wasn't a sharp pain... more like a dull pain if that makes any sense. In anycase the PT asked if I felt it. I said it hurt. She said that a cord snapped. Hmm... Today was a good PT day. I did go down in my range of motion, but I'll gain it back. I blame the fill. But I still have good ROM nevertheless. I learned that during radiation, neither me or the PT will be able to massage the cords under my arm. The tissue gets damaged or is more susceptible to damage. But I will be able to stretch the cord down the arm. In addition, I am supposed to do my stretches for the year after radiation stops... to keep my arm and tissues more pliable and flexible.
Tomorrow I go for my radiation mapping. Should be interesting. I only hope that Dr. Marquez isn't backed up for hours. Ugh! I also have my last fill. It will be a mini fill. I don't know how much yet. I can go up to 35cc's, but the more I do, the more uncomfortable I will be. Hmmm... any suggestions?
I want to give a shout out to Bryon. He's getting his port placement for his chemo this week. I also want to give a shout out to Steve, my step-dad's friend. He's battling cancer as well... and it seems to be spreading again. He's got a way to go, but I hope he can keep a positive outlook and beat it back down into submission. Please pray and keep them both in your thoughts and prayers as they are facing an uphill battle.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Day 195 - Comments?
My "twins" as some of my friends call them, are doing well today. They are still giving me a run for my money, but I am hoping they settle down and are good by tomorrow. :-) In all honesty, it took a little while to get ready this morning. Turning off my alarm clock was a pain in the rear. Bleh. But I did manage to get my sore body up and out of bed and ready for work in the morning. I have to be careful when I sneeze or cough because it's very stressing on my chest. Pain and then it subsides.
So I was looking at my blog and I thought it would be nice to go back and respond. I guess that's what a good blog poster does, huh? So I am going back through all the comments and posting. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I do appreciate it!
So I was looking at my blog and I thought it would be nice to go back and respond. I guess that's what a good blog poster does, huh? So I am going back through all the comments and posting. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I do appreciate it!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Day 194 - Another Fill & No stitches!
Today was my second to last fill for the tissue expanders! I was so excited to see Jason again. He's such a great PA. So I got to my appointment early... it was at one. I was in before one and I think Jason walked into the room shortly after. I was so happy I didn't have to wait. He knocked on the door and said it was him. I told him I was soooo extremely happy to see him. That I missed him. He's so wonderful. I told him what happened last week. He said he was sorry about that. Then he asked if I had any questions. I asked him what happens after my last fill. He said that about two months after the last fill, I should call and set up an appointment with Dr. Thaker and then it will be decided about switching out the tissue expanders for the implants. Awesome news. I remember talking with Dr. Thaker and she said that she would want to wait a minimum of 3 months after radiation so she can see how the tissue/skin is healing after radiation. My next question was with the implants would I be more "bouncy"? Totally legit question. With tissue expanders my boobs are rock hard and don't move AT ALL. I could run down the street and they would not move. He said that while they aren't like normal breast tissue, they will give a little. Cool. We'll see by how much. He did say that if the breasts develop capsular contraction, it could make the breast not look as nice. That's when the skin tightens up around the implant. Some other things we discussed... can I swim? Yes I can. I can swim now that I am farther away from the surgery. Yea! Not that I have a pool... but I know someone who does!
For today's fill, I decided I would do 60cc's. He got my stuff ready and then proceeded to inject the saline in. I told him to stop at 50cc's. It was getting really tight and I was worried about having issues like I did last week. So we stopped. He said that as you get closer to the end, it does hurt more. Fantastic! I'm now overfilled at 385cc's. My tissue expanders go up to 350cc's, but the surgeon always wants to overfill. I think I have overfilled. Needless to say, I am going back in on Tuesday at 11 to get my last fill before I am mapped for radiation. I was shooting for 420, but looking at my boobies and profile, I think I'll try and go to 400 or 405cc's. I'm liking the size they are now and I do realize that my breast can be smaller. I was happy with 335. In addition, the radiologist, Dr. Marquez, could request that some saline be removed during radiation because the breasts could get in the way of the laser beams. So we'll see. During my 20 minute appointment (which turned into 40 minutes), Jason and I talked. He is currently wearing a boot for his achilles issue. We talked about his recent vacation. And I found out that he used to live in Denver. So we talked about that for awhile. We talked about how we didn't miss it at all. Turns out that Jason was a paramedic before he became a PA and he's been working at OHSU since November. I told him that he's good at his job. :) Jason also took out some of he last few stitches that were still attached to me. They were the dissolvable ones that they had to tie off above my skin. They were sticking to the dermabond and I couldn't peel off the dermabond. So he took care of that. No more stitches!!
Following my fill, I wanted to stop by the 7th Floor... the Infusion Room. I saw all my favorites... Jon, Bev, Jennifer and Nicole. The girls said I was looking awesome. It was like old times. Jennifer said that she missed me and keeps looking for my name on the roster. I said that I was going to swing by last week, but due to my other appointment, I couldn't. They all said that I am looking fantastic and love my new figure. It's so wonderful to go back there and shoot the shit with them all for just a few minutes. I told them that I have a new problem... some of my shirts are not fitting anymore! Bev said, "Time to shop!" After talking with them, I went to go and see Maureen and Christine down the hall. They were both there... and so was Dr. Marquez and her resident. I said that I was ready and I was feeling good. I demostrated to her that I can now put my hands over my head and assume the "radiation position." The all laughed. Christine said that I was looking good. I told Dr. Marquez that I will see them next week and then left. It feels good just to stop by and say hi.
Now I am at home and my chest is tight. It's not as tight as last week. I don't feel like I have to collapse in bed and sleep until the morning. I can function... just not as fast. I don't like the way I feel, but I know it's only temporary. I am just excited for the next step. The next step brings me so much closer to being done with this chapter.
For today's fill, I decided I would do 60cc's. He got my stuff ready and then proceeded to inject the saline in. I told him to stop at 50cc's. It was getting really tight and I was worried about having issues like I did last week. So we stopped. He said that as you get closer to the end, it does hurt more. Fantastic! I'm now overfilled at 385cc's. My tissue expanders go up to 350cc's, but the surgeon always wants to overfill. I think I have overfilled. Needless to say, I am going back in on Tuesday at 11 to get my last fill before I am mapped for radiation. I was shooting for 420, but looking at my boobies and profile, I think I'll try and go to 400 or 405cc's. I'm liking the size they are now and I do realize that my breast can be smaller. I was happy with 335. In addition, the radiologist, Dr. Marquez, could request that some saline be removed during radiation because the breasts could get in the way of the laser beams. So we'll see. During my 20 minute appointment (which turned into 40 minutes), Jason and I talked. He is currently wearing a boot for his achilles issue. We talked about his recent vacation. And I found out that he used to live in Denver. So we talked about that for awhile. We talked about how we didn't miss it at all. Turns out that Jason was a paramedic before he became a PA and he's been working at OHSU since November. I told him that he's good at his job. :) Jason also took out some of he last few stitches that were still attached to me. They were the dissolvable ones that they had to tie off above my skin. They were sticking to the dermabond and I couldn't peel off the dermabond. So he took care of that. No more stitches!!
Following my fill, I wanted to stop by the 7th Floor... the Infusion Room. I saw all my favorites... Jon, Bev, Jennifer and Nicole. The girls said I was looking awesome. It was like old times. Jennifer said that she missed me and keeps looking for my name on the roster. I said that I was going to swing by last week, but due to my other appointment, I couldn't. They all said that I am looking fantastic and love my new figure. It's so wonderful to go back there and shoot the shit with them all for just a few minutes. I told them that I have a new problem... some of my shirts are not fitting anymore! Bev said, "Time to shop!" After talking with them, I went to go and see Maureen and Christine down the hall. They were both there... and so was Dr. Marquez and her resident. I said that I was ready and I was feeling good. I demostrated to her that I can now put my hands over my head and assume the "radiation position." The all laughed. Christine said that I was looking good. I told Dr. Marquez that I will see them next week and then left. It feels good just to stop by and say hi.
Now I am at home and my chest is tight. It's not as tight as last week. I don't feel like I have to collapse in bed and sleep until the morning. I can function... just not as fast. I don't like the way I feel, but I know it's only temporary. I am just excited for the next step. The next step brings me so much closer to being done with this chapter.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Day 193 - Cording & Physical Therapy
Today was a great day. After work I went to physical therapy for my arm (cording). I was doing my stretching exercises to warm up and I could tell that my range of motion was really increasing. I have been working really hard to get my arm stretched and loose. Part of the issue is my pectoral muscle. The tightness there is really hindering my progession. I mean you have to remember the tissue expanders are under the pec muscles. Every time I get a fill, it makes the pectorals tight again. So anyway, we took my range of motion and I was at 155 degrees for flection (raising my arm straight in front of me) and 130 for abduction (raising my arm to the side). When I first started those numbers were really low. After therapy each number increased by 5 more degrees. Last PT session, the first number was at 140 and the second number was at 115. I am making progress. :) The stretch that I am working on a lot is the one where you put your hands behind your head and try to stretch the arms back. The stretch reminds me of a boss leaning back in his chair and kicking his legs up on the desk.
Tomorrow I have another fill. Who knows how much of a fill I will have. I do know that it will be under 85cc's since that killed me last week. Jason is back and I am so happy for that.
Other than that, I took a nap this afternoon. Both girls didn't have a nap at daycare, so I decided to throw them in bed here and then I could take a nap too! Worked out perfectly. Today we had a "special" visitor at work. I wore a dress... which I don't do very often. I thought I looked pretty snazzy and I got to fill out the top portion of the dress which was even better. Hee hee!
Tomorrow I have another fill. Who knows how much of a fill I will have. I do know that it will be under 85cc's since that killed me last week. Jason is back and I am so happy for that.
Other than that, I took a nap this afternoon. Both girls didn't have a nap at daycare, so I decided to throw them in bed here and then I could take a nap too! Worked out perfectly. Today we had a "special" visitor at work. I wore a dress... which I don't do very often. I thought I looked pretty snazzy and I got to fill out the top portion of the dress which was even better. Hee hee!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Day 192 - How much does a double mastectomy cost?
I really don't have too much to post today... rather, there's no agenda. I've got dinner all made. I made an easy bake lasagne... where one does NOT have to cook the noodles before hand. :) Simplicity is key. As of right now, the girls are quiet and playing in the living room, which is also called the playroom. The house is quiet and there's no crying, screaming or yelling. Kind of nice!
Oh, I thought up of an agenda or a subject for this post... how about... how much it costs for a mastectomy? I've got most of the bills for my bilateral mastectomy. The numbers are mind blowing. I am just happy that I don't have to pay a cent of it. So here goes...
Pre-op appointment for Dr. Naik - $341.00
Pre-op appoitment for Dr. Thaker - $254.00
Labs and x-rays before surgery - $1165.00
Radiologist to read the x-rays - $27.00
Pre-anesthesia work-up - $436.00
Dr. Naik for bilateral mastectomy - $9195.75
Pathology - $1140.00
Dr. Thakar for reconstruction - $6921.00
Tissue expanders - $1296.00
Anesthesia - $2281.50
That's a total of $23,057.55! And that total doesn't even include the hospital stay which was 3.5 days... but I am sure they are going to charge 4 days worth. I am hoping that each day they called Cigna to make sure I was covered.
Another interesting fact is that my PET/CT scan cost $8721.00. Normally (under my plan) a secondary scan is not covered. And at first my plan denied the secondary scan and sent me a pamphlet of why it wasn't covered. However, in the paperwork, it stated that a secondary scan can be done if surgery was not an option to figure out restaging following treatment. That was me all the way because some of my cancer was considered non-surgerical (supraclavicular node). So a secondary letter was sent to me stating that my PET/CT scan was covered. All the hoops that one needs to jump through. Makes your mind go numb.
Here's another break down:
January - $20,910.31
February - $29,072.41
March - $30,749.39
April - $24,831.75
May - $19,133.86
I have been billed approximately $147,160 since the start of this cancer thing (through June). Interesting, huh... how the bills just continue to add up. That would pay off a nice portion of my mortgage. Ha! Thank goodness, I don't have to pay that much. I would be bankrupt if I had to.
Well that's making my head spin.
Oh, here's the recipe to the easy lasagne:
1lb of ground beef
26oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce
15oz ricotta cheese
2cups shredded mozzerella cheese
9 UNCOOKED lasagne noodles
2/3 cup of water
Cook the meat until brown (season if you wish, but the sauce should have seasoning. Sometimes I add more garlic, parsley and oregano). Add 20oz of sauce to the meat and stir. Put a few spoonfuls down in a rectangular baking dish (7"x11") so it covers the bottom. Put 3 uncooked lasagne noodles on top. Spread half of the ricotta cheese on the noodles. Top with 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. Add half of meat sauce mixture. Repeat - 3 uncooked noodles, rest of ricotta cheese, 3/4 shredded cheese and rest of meat sauce. Layer once more with last 3 uncooked noodles. With remaining 6oz of sauce, pour over noodles. Add about 2/3 cup of water to the baking dish, carefully pouring on the side of the dish (not over the actual lasagne). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 375 for 45 minutes. Remove foil, add on last of the cheese and bake for 10 more minutes. Let stand about 5-10 minutes (so the lasagne won't fall apart). Cut and serve... Makes about 6 good portions.
Oh, I thought up of an agenda or a subject for this post... how about... how much it costs for a mastectomy? I've got most of the bills for my bilateral mastectomy. The numbers are mind blowing. I am just happy that I don't have to pay a cent of it. So here goes...
Pre-op appointment for Dr. Naik - $341.00
Pre-op appoitment for Dr. Thaker - $254.00
Labs and x-rays before surgery - $1165.00
Radiologist to read the x-rays - $27.00
Pre-anesthesia work-up - $436.00
Dr. Naik for bilateral mastectomy - $9195.75
Pathology - $1140.00
Dr. Thakar for reconstruction - $6921.00
Tissue expanders - $1296.00
Anesthesia - $2281.50
That's a total of $23,057.55! And that total doesn't even include the hospital stay which was 3.5 days... but I am sure they are going to charge 4 days worth. I am hoping that each day they called Cigna to make sure I was covered.
Another interesting fact is that my PET/CT scan cost $8721.00. Normally (under my plan) a secondary scan is not covered. And at first my plan denied the secondary scan and sent me a pamphlet of why it wasn't covered. However, in the paperwork, it stated that a secondary scan can be done if surgery was not an option to figure out restaging following treatment. That was me all the way because some of my cancer was considered non-surgerical (supraclavicular node). So a secondary letter was sent to me stating that my PET/CT scan was covered. All the hoops that one needs to jump through. Makes your mind go numb.
Here's another break down:
January - $20,910.31
February - $29,072.41
March - $30,749.39
April - $24,831.75
May - $19,133.86
I have been billed approximately $147,160 since the start of this cancer thing (through June). Interesting, huh... how the bills just continue to add up. That would pay off a nice portion of my mortgage. Ha! Thank goodness, I don't have to pay that much. I would be bankrupt if I had to.
Well that's making my head spin.
Oh, here's the recipe to the easy lasagne:
1lb of ground beef
26oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce
15oz ricotta cheese
2cups shredded mozzerella cheese
9 UNCOOKED lasagne noodles
2/3 cup of water
Cook the meat until brown (season if you wish, but the sauce should have seasoning. Sometimes I add more garlic, parsley and oregano). Add 20oz of sauce to the meat and stir. Put a few spoonfuls down in a rectangular baking dish (7"x11") so it covers the bottom. Put 3 uncooked lasagne noodles on top. Spread half of the ricotta cheese on the noodles. Top with 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. Add half of meat sauce mixture. Repeat - 3 uncooked noodles, rest of ricotta cheese, 3/4 shredded cheese and rest of meat sauce. Layer once more with last 3 uncooked noodles. With remaining 6oz of sauce, pour over noodles. Add about 2/3 cup of water to the baking dish, carefully pouring on the side of the dish (not over the actual lasagne). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 375 for 45 minutes. Remove foil, add on last of the cheese and bake for 10 more minutes. Let stand about 5-10 minutes (so the lasagne won't fall apart). Cut and serve... Makes about 6 good portions.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Day 191 - Out of Retirement...
My shampoo has made a triumphant return! This weekend I started using shampoo again to clean my hair. I have a lot of it... it's really thick and straight. I am enjoying it.
I am now down to two PT appointments a week, so that's good. Today's appointment is at 6p. So I will be leaving in a few minutes. My arm is doing better. I just need to remember to stretch it all the time otherwise it does get sore and tight again (cording issues).
Today I got an insurance statement and it said Cigna wasn't going to pay for the tissue expanders. But I am not at fault... otherwise that would be $1296 out of my pocket. Apparently, the doctor's office was supposed to get that preapproved. So if they didn't do it, then they have to eat the cost, not me. Phew! I didn't want a huge bill. Speaking of tissue expanders... after battling it all weekend, I am getting some comfort today. My chest doesn't hurt so much. However, I did have to take two ibuprofen this morning to get me loosened up and not so stiff. Maybe tomorrow I will feel good. I wonder what size I am. Hmmm.... maybe I will have to measure. :)
Other than that... this week it's PT and a fill. Next week it's more PT, maybe a fill and getting ready for radiation.
I am now down to two PT appointments a week, so that's good. Today's appointment is at 6p. So I will be leaving in a few minutes. My arm is doing better. I just need to remember to stretch it all the time otherwise it does get sore and tight again (cording issues).
Today I got an insurance statement and it said Cigna wasn't going to pay for the tissue expanders. But I am not at fault... otherwise that would be $1296 out of my pocket. Apparently, the doctor's office was supposed to get that preapproved. So if they didn't do it, then they have to eat the cost, not me. Phew! I didn't want a huge bill. Speaking of tissue expanders... after battling it all weekend, I am getting some comfort today. My chest doesn't hurt so much. However, I did have to take two ibuprofen this morning to get me loosened up and not so stiff. Maybe tomorrow I will feel good. I wonder what size I am. Hmmm.... maybe I will have to measure. :)
Other than that... this week it's PT and a fill. Next week it's more PT, maybe a fill and getting ready for radiation.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Just a little gopher fun
This has nothing to do with breast cancer, I just thought it was funny.
However, it's not so funny or cute when you've got one taking up shop in your front yard (yes, we've got a gopher problem).
However, it's not so funny or cute when you've got one taking up shop in your front yard (yes, we've got a gopher problem).
Space-loving gopher sets up shop at Russian launchpad
1 day ago
Why on earth would this toothy gopher set up house at the base of Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome, where rockets regularly blast off for the International Space Station? Does he like the deafening noise and the shaking ground? Or is he planning to hitch a ride into space, thumbing his nose at Richard Branson's ticket price? Whatever his well-thought-out reasoning, this curious little guy's hideout at the launchpad has rocketed him to stardom since a Russian space-agency worker left his now well-nibbled camera on the gopher's doorstep, where it captured this adorable footage.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Day 188 - Another fill & PT
Physical therapy is going well. My range of motion continues to increase and doesn't decrease too much in between. My therapists say that my stretching at home is going well and they can see that I have been working really hard at it. They even said that I can go down to PT two times a week! So starting next week, I am going on Monday and Wednesdays. That is so awesome. Currently I have 8 more sessions and looks like I will continue with PT through some of my radiation.
Yesterday I got my second to last fill. I got a fill of 85cc's. Whoa! That's a lot. Today I hurt. I hurt so bad that I couldn't get out of bed. In fact, I hurt yesterday that as soon as Brad got home, I went to bed and slept. As of 4pm, I still hurt. Added to the fact I had to wait an hour and half to get my fill. My appointment was at 12.30p and I didn't see anyone until after 2p. I was late to another appointment. I was not very happy. But I got my fill. I only have 85cc's left and I think I may break them up into a 50 and 35. I am so uncomfortable right now. It feels like I have undergone a mastectomy again... the chest feels so compressed. I can't take a deep breath in and it hurts when I move a certain direction. I almost wanted to cancel my PT appointment. Thank goodness I didn't because I got Sherah who worked on my pectoral muscles. She worked to loosen them up. So I've been taking ibuprofen and even took a pain pill I got from the mastectomy surgery. All that did was put me to sleep.
In any case, not much else to report. I'm going to rest now and watch The Lion King.
Special thanks to Uncle Wayne and his family for a wonder fruit basket from Harry & Davids. The pears are delicious. Also a way to go for a friend whose tumor marker went down to 7! Yippee! And a third shout out to Bryon, who was just diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer... he's ready to kick some cancer butt.
Yesterday I got my second to last fill. I got a fill of 85cc's. Whoa! That's a lot. Today I hurt. I hurt so bad that I couldn't get out of bed. In fact, I hurt yesterday that as soon as Brad got home, I went to bed and slept. As of 4pm, I still hurt. Added to the fact I had to wait an hour and half to get my fill. My appointment was at 12.30p and I didn't see anyone until after 2p. I was late to another appointment. I was not very happy. But I got my fill. I only have 85cc's left and I think I may break them up into a 50 and 35. I am so uncomfortable right now. It feels like I have undergone a mastectomy again... the chest feels so compressed. I can't take a deep breath in and it hurts when I move a certain direction. I almost wanted to cancel my PT appointment. Thank goodness I didn't because I got Sherah who worked on my pectoral muscles. She worked to loosen them up. So I've been taking ibuprofen and even took a pain pill I got from the mastectomy surgery. All that did was put me to sleep.
In any case, not much else to report. I'm going to rest now and watch The Lion King.
Special thanks to Uncle Wayne and his family for a wonder fruit basket from Harry & Davids. The pears are delicious. Also a way to go for a friend whose tumor marker went down to 7! Yippee! And a third shout out to Bryon, who was just diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer... he's ready to kick some cancer butt.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Day 185 - Post Breast Cancer PET/CT scan & Dermabond
I'm cancer free!
I got the results of the PET scan back today. Happy to report that my scan looks good. The PET scan showed that there was no "activity" in the supraclavicular lymph node. That's awesome news. The CT scan also revealed the same thing. While I am overjoyed with this news, I am sort of reserved about the findings. I am not alarmed... yet... but just wondering what some of the other stuff in the report says.
For example on the PET scan it says: Very mild warmth is noted within the anterior mediastinum
not seen previously and of uncertain significance; and, Warmth in the anterior mediastinum is of uncertain significance. Attention on follow up recommended.
On the CT scan, the report reads: Anterior mediastinal soft tissue consistent with thymic
tissue is noted.
So what does it all mean? I really haven't a clue, but I did do some researching because I was a little concerned. Added to the fact that the nurse who called me said that with the PET scan, I'll have to talk to the radiologist regarding course of treatment and that she'll go over it with me. I do believe that she was talking to me about the lymph node and the dosing. Back to the research...
Thymic tissue. I found that that tissue belongs to the thymus. The thymus plays a big role in childhood and adolescence. It peaks at puberty and then starts to fade away and become I believe fatty tissue. I think the clinical term used was "atropy." The deterioration of the thymus I guess has been linked to cancer and susceptibility of infection. However, I did read that after chemotherapy treatments, in adults, the thymus can be "reactivated." Also... I read... a residual thymic tissue is a remnant of the thymus gland mostly composed of fatty tissues. this is not considered anything abnormal. So I am not freaking out... yet. I don't think it's cancer. It couldn't be. The thymus is operable and can be taken out.
The PET scan stuff... that could be from the thymus as well. An oncologist posted this regarding thymic rebound: The thymus is a lymphoid organ in the anterior mediastinum. In general as you get older, it gets smaller. With chemotherapy or radiotherapy, the thymus shrinks. This is normal. After chemotherapy or radiation therapy, the normal thymus recovers. As it does so, sometimes its even larger than normal for a while. It can show up on CT scan and on PET or PET CT scan. This is normal, healthy, sign of recovery. The only danger is when the changes in the scan are misinterpreted as relapse. Your oncologist told you just the right answer. It sounds like you are in good hands. So I am not concerned. With more and more research, I am leaning towards a thymic rebound. It happens to patients dealing with lymphoma. The PET also concluded that: Foci of tracer uptake in the bilateral supraclavicular regions is fairly symmetric and likely related to brown fat. This can be avoided on future PETS with pre-study beta blockade.
With this PET scan, I was also a little more interested in some of the numbers given... SUV inparticular. I found that my main tumor was 8.1 on the SUV scale and that the axillary nodes were at a SUV of 4.5. Today the main tumor... well... is gone. The axillary was showing a SUV of 1.6. That's a good number. That number may be as a result of surgery... but it's under 3. SUV stands for Standardized Uptake Value. It's basically the output of how well you "glow" under the PET scan. Here's a link of what PET scans do: CLICK HERE. I found it interesting and helpful.
Oh yes, the supraclavical node went from the dimension of 1.5x1.0cm to 1.0x0.5cm... and it's more or less symmetric with the other clavical node on the other side. So that is very good news. The CT scan did show that I have a 7mm cyst on my liver. But cysts can come and go and it's not a concern. :) But other than that, it was a good test result. No cancer anywhere else. It's not in my head... literally. The nurse said that it was good news. And I trust her.
Now, as for my boobs... I am starting to peel. I feel like a snake. The dermabond which went over my incision to make it waterproof and my incision less likely for infection is now starting to peel off. Right now on my incision, I have a line which is the scab that went over the cut. As it's starting to peel off, I am now seeing my scar. It looks good. :) Supposedly it's supposed to start coming off 7-10 days after it's applied... but maybe Dr. Thakar sealed me up pretty good, or I haven't really cared to try and get it off.
Tomorrow I have more PT, Thursday a fill and Friday another PT appt.
I got the results of the PET scan back today. Happy to report that my scan looks good. The PET scan showed that there was no "activity" in the supraclavicular lymph node. That's awesome news. The CT scan also revealed the same thing. While I am overjoyed with this news, I am sort of reserved about the findings. I am not alarmed... yet... but just wondering what some of the other stuff in the report says.
For example on the PET scan it says: Very mild warmth is noted within the anterior mediastinum
not seen previously and of uncertain significance; and, Warmth in the anterior mediastinum is of uncertain significance. Attention on follow up recommended.
On the CT scan, the report reads: Anterior mediastinal soft tissue consistent with thymic
tissue is noted.
So what does it all mean? I really haven't a clue, but I did do some researching because I was a little concerned. Added to the fact that the nurse who called me said that with the PET scan, I'll have to talk to the radiologist regarding course of treatment and that she'll go over it with me. I do believe that she was talking to me about the lymph node and the dosing. Back to the research...
Thymic tissue. I found that that tissue belongs to the thymus. The thymus plays a big role in childhood and adolescence. It peaks at puberty and then starts to fade away and become I believe fatty tissue. I think the clinical term used was "atropy." The deterioration of the thymus I guess has been linked to cancer and susceptibility of infection. However, I did read that after chemotherapy treatments, in adults, the thymus can be "reactivated." Also... I read... a residual thymic tissue is a remnant of the thymus gland mostly composed of fatty tissues. this is not considered anything abnormal. So I am not freaking out... yet. I don't think it's cancer. It couldn't be. The thymus is operable and can be taken out.
The PET scan stuff... that could be from the thymus as well. An oncologist posted this regarding thymic rebound: The thymus is a lymphoid organ in the anterior mediastinum. In general as you get older, it gets smaller. With chemotherapy or radiotherapy, the thymus shrinks. This is normal. After chemotherapy or radiation therapy, the normal thymus recovers. As it does so, sometimes its even larger than normal for a while. It can show up on CT scan and on PET or PET CT scan. This is normal, healthy, sign of recovery. The only danger is when the changes in the scan are misinterpreted as relapse. Your oncologist told you just the right answer. It sounds like you are in good hands. So I am not concerned. With more and more research, I am leaning towards a thymic rebound. It happens to patients dealing with lymphoma. The PET also concluded that: Foci of tracer uptake in the bilateral supraclavicular regions is fairly symmetric and likely related to brown fat. This can be avoided on future PETS with pre-study beta blockade.
With this PET scan, I was also a little more interested in some of the numbers given... SUV inparticular. I found that my main tumor was 8.1 on the SUV scale and that the axillary nodes were at a SUV of 4.5. Today the main tumor... well... is gone. The axillary was showing a SUV of 1.6. That's a good number. That number may be as a result of surgery... but it's under 3. SUV stands for Standardized Uptake Value. It's basically the output of how well you "glow" under the PET scan. Here's a link of what PET scans do: CLICK HERE. I found it interesting and helpful.
Oh yes, the supraclavical node went from the dimension of 1.5x1.0cm to 1.0x0.5cm... and it's more or less symmetric with the other clavical node on the other side. So that is very good news. The CT scan did show that I have a 7mm cyst on my liver. But cysts can come and go and it's not a concern. :) But other than that, it was a good test result. No cancer anywhere else. It's not in my head... literally. The nurse said that it was good news. And I trust her.
Now, as for my boobs... I am starting to peel. I feel like a snake. The dermabond which went over my incision to make it waterproof and my incision less likely for infection is now starting to peel off. Right now on my incision, I have a line which is the scab that went over the cut. As it's starting to peel off, I am now seeing my scar. It looks good. :) Supposedly it's supposed to start coming off 7-10 days after it's applied... but maybe Dr. Thakar sealed me up pretty good, or I haven't really cared to try and get it off.
Tomorrow I have more PT, Thursday a fill and Friday another PT appt.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Day 184 - Physical Therapy
Not much new to report. Just had more physical therapy this afternoon to help with the cording. I am making great progress. My range of motion is now at 126 degrees (lifting straight up in front of me) and 90 degrees at the side. Today I warmed up doing pulley exercises and the hand bike for about 15 minutes. I burned 45 calories on the hand bike! Wahoo! That was about 10 minutes of cycling. I had Jess, the first PT, again. After warming up, she took measurements. Then it was on the table. She massaged my arm. She started in my arm pit and worked on the two cords there. She also worked on stretching the pectoral muscle. That muscle is tight. Just when it seems to loosen up, I have another fill for the tissue expanders. She worked her way down my arm, but didn't do anything on the lower arm. That's okay, because she did a great job with the cording on the upper arm. She massaged it, making "C's" with the cords. Then she would pull it like taffy. So it was a little different than the other PT, but that's good. A different method each time is doing the trick. She even got the shoulder blades. It felt so good to have someone stretch me out. After doing this for about 25 minutes, she then took more measurements. I think I was up to 140 and 105 degrees. So I am making improvement. Jess did tell me that if I need to stretch the cord from my elbow crease to my wrist, I can pull the cord like taffy or I can roll it or sort of knead it. Good to know. The stretching like taffy is working for the cord that goes to my wrist. My next PT appointment is Wednesday.
As for the PET scan results... I haven't heard anything yet. I suppose that's good news. I started worrying that maybe the cancer had spread to other parts of my body. But I figured that couldn't be true since the tumor shrunk so much and it went from about 3 lymph nodes to just one and scant cancer cells at that. But you never know until the results come in and your mind can wonder. However, I am not as petrified or nervous about this scan. I know that if there's cancer still there, I can beat it. :) I'm a fighter.
Nothing really much to report. My hair continues to grow. Today was the first time I went out in public without a hat or wig. Mainly because I forgot my hat at home. I went to PT without anything on my head. I didn't really care. Hair is growing everywhere... nose, legs, under the arms... That bottle of shampoo may be coming out of retirement soon. But don't worry, I'll let you know when that happens!
This is a picture of what cording looks like. Some women can't even get their arm out to 90 degrees like the picture (that was me about a week ago!).
P.S. I made over $150 at the garage sale! Yee haw!
As for the PET scan results... I haven't heard anything yet. I suppose that's good news. I started worrying that maybe the cancer had spread to other parts of my body. But I figured that couldn't be true since the tumor shrunk so much and it went from about 3 lymph nodes to just one and scant cancer cells at that. But you never know until the results come in and your mind can wonder. However, I am not as petrified or nervous about this scan. I know that if there's cancer still there, I can beat it. :) I'm a fighter.
Nothing really much to report. My hair continues to grow. Today was the first time I went out in public without a hat or wig. Mainly because I forgot my hat at home. I went to PT without anything on my head. I didn't really care. Hair is growing everywhere... nose, legs, under the arms... That bottle of shampoo may be coming out of retirement soon. But don't worry, I'll let you know when that happens!
This is a picture of what cording looks like. Some women can't even get their arm out to 90 degrees like the picture (that was me about a week ago!).
P.S. I made over $150 at the garage sale! Yee haw!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Day 181 - Physical Therapy (cording) & PET scan
I've been busy! Busy with work, busy with kids and busy with going to medical appointments. So, let me catch you up.
Day 179 - More physical therapy. I had a physical therapy session with a different therapist, Tracy. She was very nice. She started me with warming up my arm on this pulley system where it stretches my arm up over my head. Then after that we moved to a private room. There I layed on the table and she started to massage the side of my body. Next Tracy moved to my arm. She stretched the cords starting from the arm pit - working down the arm. She followed the cord, which you could see in the crook of the elbow crease. That went on for several minutes. She would pull and twist, giving my cord a good stretch. Following the massage and stretching, I got to do the pulley again for a few more minutes and then I was done. The stretch felt good, but I didn't feel like it did any good. Tracy gave me a few more different stretches to do at home. She also told me how to stretch out the cord. That has been invaluable and is the main reason why my cording isn't has painful. On the way back to work I realized that my 4-Runner has an "oh shit" handle that is perfect for stretching while driving. So I've been stretching in the car too!
Day 180 - Testing & another fill. Today was my follow up PET and CT scan. That meant that I couldn't eat anything 6 hours before the PET scan. The scan was scheduled or 2p. So my last meal was at 8a. Anyone who knows me knows that I can become a monster when I am hungry. I left work at 12p for my first appointment. My first appointment was for my next tissue expander fill. When I got there, the waiting room was FULL. There was barely any chairs left. I sat down for not more than 60 seconds when my name was called. Donovan, Dr. Thaker's MA, called me back. He said that there must be some patients out there who must be upset that I got called back so quickly. I laughed. He told me that they were all waiting for the doctor and since I was only getting a fill with Jason, the PA, I didn't have to wait. Sweet! Score one for Holly. I do like Jason. He's so nice. Donovan was impressed with the fact that I remembered all the computer stuff he had to enter and ask. I answered all his questions before he even said anything... no medication change, pain scale, etc. Then he gave me a gown for me to change into. Jason came in and I asked him how he was doing. He just had surgery to get some stuff done for his achilles tendon. Jason had surgery in April and it wasn't healing correctly, so he got it taken care of. He even showed me a picture of it. Lots of stitches... ew! His wound looked worse than my wound from the mastectomy! In any case, we were going for 100cc's this time, but we stopped at 75. He thought that my skin wasn't responding well enough. He kept poking it to see if the color came back or if it stayed white. Then he moved over to the right boob. When I asked him why he was poking me, he told me that he was seeing how well the skin was responding. He had some concern, but when he poked me again, the skin was doing okay. Glad I stopped at 75... it was getting really really tight. When he was done, I asked him if I could schedule my next fill on Wednesday. He said that's not a problem. The general rule is to fill and then wait three days before the next fill. The reason: the skin stretches and then it needs some time to rest and recover... more like me. I need to recover! Ha! Nevertheless, the next two weeks I need a fill of 85cc's in order to get to my goal! Next week Jason won't be there, so who knows who I will have. Following my fill, it hurt to move. I felt so stretched.
Next on the list was my PET scan. That was scheduled up on the hill. For my tissue expander fill, that was at the Center for Health & Healing. I had to take the tram up. I got there shortly after 1p. I thought maybe if I got there early, I could get in early. Um, no. I read a magazine, some of my book, and even fell asleep. At 2:20p, I finally got called back. If you remember from one of my first posts, the PET scan takes about an hour of prep. First they have to get an IV in my arm. I told the guy that my right arm is awful for veins. So Matt, called IV therapy and then put warm packs on my arm to try and get a vein up and out. He couldn't. So good thing he called IV therapy. The lady came and got a line in me almost right away. In the meantime, they were getting me set up for the CT scan. I told them I couldn't have the IV contrast and that they had ordered the CT scan without contrast. They asked if I could take barium instead. I said sure as long as it wasn't the IV contrast. Then Amy came in! She was the one who did my first CT! I was so excited to see her. She is awesome. She told me that it's so nice to come into a room and see a smiling face. So she took my blood glucose reading and then administered my radioactive glucose. Then I got to wait for an hour. She said that she'd be back later on to give me the barium for the CT scan right after the PET scan. So I read a little more and then fell asleep. It was nice to rest. Then Amy came back in and gave me my wonderful barium drink I sipped it and read. Then finally I could sip no more. I was done otherwise I was going to puke. Then it was time to get my PET scan. It was so easy to just lie there. I was on the table for about 20 minutes. Then the CT scanner dude came in... I was so relaxed and when he talked to me he scared the living daylights out of me. It took a moment to compose myself. He apologized. After that, the scan was about one minute more. Then Amy came back in and she unhooked me... I had a wrap around my arms because I couldn't put my arms over my head. She said that she was in the room with the CT person and she heard me shriek when he came in. She said I was so relaxed. Amy also told me that I drank the right amount of the barium. She was worried that I didn't drink enough because I drank only half, but she said that my scan came out great and my body knew exactly how much it needed. Then it was time to go. I said bye and that I may see her again, as I have radiation scheduled in the upcoming month. She won't be taking care of me because she works in nuclear medicine.
After that it was a trip down the tram again. I was walking through CHH and I heard my name. It was Net, my first chemo nurse. She said that I was looking great and asked how I was doing. Nice to know all these people. It make going to these appointments like coming home in a strange strange way. Then I went and got in my car and spent more than an hour driving home in rush hour traffic.
Day 181 - More physical therapy. Today I had another PT appointment. This time it was with Shereh. She was sweet. I got there and warmed up. Shereh showed me another place to warm up my arm, the hand bike. Then it was time to get massaged and stretched. But before she did that, she measured me to see how far I could move my arm. The first measurement was lifting my arm straight up. At the beginning of the session, it was 120 degrees... an 40 degree increase from the first measurement at the beginning of the week. For the next measurement... lifting my arm up sideways, I measured 74 degrees, an increase from 60 degrees. By the end of the session, the first measurement moved to I believe 160 and the side one to 77 degrees. So the therapy is working.
Last night I couldn't sleep. My boobs were hurting. So around 1.30a I ended up downing three ibuprofen. It worked. My boobs feel great now. They aren't as sore now. Yee haw! I was thinking about it... for those women out there... here's what tissue expanders feel like... imagine yourself wearing a very uncomfortable bra with an underwire. Now imagine you never being able to take off that bra. That's what tissue expanders feel like - just an uncomfy bra.
On a different note, I sold over $100 at a garage sale! I am trying to get rid of all the baby stuff. So I am making some money to buy new toys! Hooray!
Day 179 - More physical therapy. I had a physical therapy session with a different therapist, Tracy. She was very nice. She started me with warming up my arm on this pulley system where it stretches my arm up over my head. Then after that we moved to a private room. There I layed on the table and she started to massage the side of my body. Next Tracy moved to my arm. She stretched the cords starting from the arm pit - working down the arm. She followed the cord, which you could see in the crook of the elbow crease. That went on for several minutes. She would pull and twist, giving my cord a good stretch. Following the massage and stretching, I got to do the pulley again for a few more minutes and then I was done. The stretch felt good, but I didn't feel like it did any good. Tracy gave me a few more different stretches to do at home. She also told me how to stretch out the cord. That has been invaluable and is the main reason why my cording isn't has painful. On the way back to work I realized that my 4-Runner has an "oh shit" handle that is perfect for stretching while driving. So I've been stretching in the car too!
Day 180 - Testing & another fill. Today was my follow up PET and CT scan. That meant that I couldn't eat anything 6 hours before the PET scan. The scan was scheduled or 2p. So my last meal was at 8a. Anyone who knows me knows that I can become a monster when I am hungry. I left work at 12p for my first appointment. My first appointment was for my next tissue expander fill. When I got there, the waiting room was FULL. There was barely any chairs left. I sat down for not more than 60 seconds when my name was called. Donovan, Dr. Thaker's MA, called me back. He said that there must be some patients out there who must be upset that I got called back so quickly. I laughed. He told me that they were all waiting for the doctor and since I was only getting a fill with Jason, the PA, I didn't have to wait. Sweet! Score one for Holly. I do like Jason. He's so nice. Donovan was impressed with the fact that I remembered all the computer stuff he had to enter and ask. I answered all his questions before he even said anything... no medication change, pain scale, etc. Then he gave me a gown for me to change into. Jason came in and I asked him how he was doing. He just had surgery to get some stuff done for his achilles tendon. Jason had surgery in April and it wasn't healing correctly, so he got it taken care of. He even showed me a picture of it. Lots of stitches... ew! His wound looked worse than my wound from the mastectomy! In any case, we were going for 100cc's this time, but we stopped at 75. He thought that my skin wasn't responding well enough. He kept poking it to see if the color came back or if it stayed white. Then he moved over to the right boob. When I asked him why he was poking me, he told me that he was seeing how well the skin was responding. He had some concern, but when he poked me again, the skin was doing okay. Glad I stopped at 75... it was getting really really tight. When he was done, I asked him if I could schedule my next fill on Wednesday. He said that's not a problem. The general rule is to fill and then wait three days before the next fill. The reason: the skin stretches and then it needs some time to rest and recover... more like me. I need to recover! Ha! Nevertheless, the next two weeks I need a fill of 85cc's in order to get to my goal! Next week Jason won't be there, so who knows who I will have. Following my fill, it hurt to move. I felt so stretched.
Next on the list was my PET scan. That was scheduled up on the hill. For my tissue expander fill, that was at the Center for Health & Healing. I had to take the tram up. I got there shortly after 1p. I thought maybe if I got there early, I could get in early. Um, no. I read a magazine, some of my book, and even fell asleep. At 2:20p, I finally got called back. If you remember from one of my first posts, the PET scan takes about an hour of prep. First they have to get an IV in my arm. I told the guy that my right arm is awful for veins. So Matt, called IV therapy and then put warm packs on my arm to try and get a vein up and out. He couldn't. So good thing he called IV therapy. The lady came and got a line in me almost right away. In the meantime, they were getting me set up for the CT scan. I told them I couldn't have the IV contrast and that they had ordered the CT scan without contrast. They asked if I could take barium instead. I said sure as long as it wasn't the IV contrast. Then Amy came in! She was the one who did my first CT! I was so excited to see her. She is awesome. She told me that it's so nice to come into a room and see a smiling face. So she took my blood glucose reading and then administered my radioactive glucose. Then I got to wait for an hour. She said that she'd be back later on to give me the barium for the CT scan right after the PET scan. So I read a little more and then fell asleep. It was nice to rest. Then Amy came back in and gave me my wonderful barium drink I sipped it and read. Then finally I could sip no more. I was done otherwise I was going to puke. Then it was time to get my PET scan. It was so easy to just lie there. I was on the table for about 20 minutes. Then the CT scanner dude came in... I was so relaxed and when he talked to me he scared the living daylights out of me. It took a moment to compose myself. He apologized. After that, the scan was about one minute more. Then Amy came back in and she unhooked me... I had a wrap around my arms because I couldn't put my arms over my head. She said that she was in the room with the CT person and she heard me shriek when he came in. She said I was so relaxed. Amy also told me that I drank the right amount of the barium. She was worried that I didn't drink enough because I drank only half, but she said that my scan came out great and my body knew exactly how much it needed. Then it was time to go. I said bye and that I may see her again, as I have radiation scheduled in the upcoming month. She won't be taking care of me because she works in nuclear medicine.
After that it was a trip down the tram again. I was walking through CHH and I heard my name. It was Net, my first chemo nurse. She said that I was looking great and asked how I was doing. Nice to know all these people. It make going to these appointments like coming home in a strange strange way. Then I went and got in my car and spent more than an hour driving home in rush hour traffic.
Day 181 - More physical therapy. Today I had another PT appointment. This time it was with Shereh. She was sweet. I got there and warmed up. Shereh showed me another place to warm up my arm, the hand bike. Then it was time to get massaged and stretched. But before she did that, she measured me to see how far I could move my arm. The first measurement was lifting my arm straight up. At the beginning of the session, it was 120 degrees... an 40 degree increase from the first measurement at the beginning of the week. For the next measurement... lifting my arm up sideways, I measured 74 degrees, an increase from 60 degrees. By the end of the session, the first measurement moved to I believe 160 and the side one to 77 degrees. So the therapy is working.
Last night I couldn't sleep. My boobs were hurting. So around 1.30a I ended up downing three ibuprofen. It worked. My boobs feel great now. They aren't as sore now. Yee haw! I was thinking about it... for those women out there... here's what tissue expanders feel like... imagine yourself wearing a very uncomfortable bra with an underwire. Now imagine you never being able to take off that bra. That's what tissue expanders feel like - just an uncomfy bra.
On a different note, I sold over $100 at a garage sale! I am trying to get rid of all the baby stuff. So I am making some money to buy new toys! Hooray!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Day 178 - Axillary Web Syndrome or Cording
Had my first physical therapy treatment yesterday for my cording. It was a good appointment. I got there shortly before one and was with the PT by 1.10. She went over my paperwork, asked me a few questions about pain and when I recognized the cording. I told her it was about 5 days after surgery. I told her that the cording was getting worse as time went by. Following the question and answer session, the PT measured my range of motion. My right arm is 113 degrees if I lift straight up in front of me. My left arm is 80 degrees. I had to stop because of the cording. Putting my hand behind my back was not an issue. My ROM was great. Following that, it was time to get busy. I got on the table and the PT started massaging the cords. She felt two of them. I asked her what exactly she was doing. She says that the massage is basically stretching the cord in a "C" shape, "S" shape and other manipulations. She would hold the cord that way. It felt really good, like a good stretch. It didn't hurt at all. It felt really nice. I asked her if she knew what caused the cording. There really isn't anything definitive. However, they believe that the cording is an inflammatory response to the removal of lymph nodes. What I didn't understand before was that the cords are actually channels that were already there in place where the lymph fluid drains. I just didn't feel the cords. So now they're inflammed. You can see one of the cords right in the bend of my arm. The PT manipulated my cords for about 1/2 hour. She could feel some tight ones in the back of my arm, but she wasn't as concerned about them. I did tell the PT about the "popping" of the cord and if it hurts. She says, yes it does, but it is brief and doesn't happen very often. At the end of the appointment, she said the cording was responding well to the therapy. I did feel like I could move my arm better. And today, it's not as bad. I go to PT three times a week now. Fun times. I also get to do exercises at home! My PT sent me home with several for me to do. In addition, I have exercises to do to make sure my scar tissue doesn't get hard and remains supple. Perhaps I'll get my husband to do those exercises on me! Those exercises include rubbing in small circles above and below the scar line.
My therapist also discussed lymphedema. I didn't know that there were stages to the disease. Stage 1-3. The first stage is reversible. Basically you feel something different about your arm... such as it feeling heavy or achy. You may not notice that it's starting to swell. The next stage is where you notice swelling, but it's reversible with therapy and manual manipulation. The last stage is where you've let it go and it isn't going away. But treatment is still the same. According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer patients rarely see Stage 3 lymphedema. Phew!
I think it's time to get another fill! There's a spot near my sternum that hurts. So far that has been the indicator that it's time to get a fill. Once I get my tissue expanders "inflated" the pain goes away. I asked Jason and he seems to think that it's because of the double material near the port. Nevertheless, I get my next fill on Thursday at 12.30 - 100cc's. I'll tell you how that goes. I got a call from the reconstruction office this morning. Jason had some sort of foot surgery and they're trying to space out his appointments. Fine with me. I don't have to leave work so early now and it's closer to my PET scan. Did everyone take notice of my ticker to the right?? My goal of 420cc's. You can track my progress! Hahaha! Looking at my boobies, I would guess that my size is about a B cup. I am right about where I was before I had kids. So about a 34B. Just so you know what the tissue expanders feel like, they're not very comfortable. There's that double material near the port that gets annoying. (see post Day 166) The expanders also "bleed" over on the sides by your arms, so sometimes my arms are rubbing against them. In addition, when I sleep on my side, I can sort of feel them shift... it's more of the liquid inside shifting. The tissue expanders are definitely heavier than the saline and silicone implants. The expanders are made with heavier material. Looking at my boobs is really interesting. They look a little flat in the front, rather than round. But when you put a shirt on, it looks fine. It's just nice to have boobs again! I'm wearing tighter shirts now.
Until next time...
My therapist also discussed lymphedema. I didn't know that there were stages to the disease. Stage 1-3. The first stage is reversible. Basically you feel something different about your arm... such as it feeling heavy or achy. You may not notice that it's starting to swell. The next stage is where you notice swelling, but it's reversible with therapy and manual manipulation. The last stage is where you've let it go and it isn't going away. But treatment is still the same. According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer patients rarely see Stage 3 lymphedema. Phew!
I think it's time to get another fill! There's a spot near my sternum that hurts. So far that has been the indicator that it's time to get a fill. Once I get my tissue expanders "inflated" the pain goes away. I asked Jason and he seems to think that it's because of the double material near the port. Nevertheless, I get my next fill on Thursday at 12.30 - 100cc's. I'll tell you how that goes. I got a call from the reconstruction office this morning. Jason had some sort of foot surgery and they're trying to space out his appointments. Fine with me. I don't have to leave work so early now and it's closer to my PET scan. Did everyone take notice of my ticker to the right?? My goal of 420cc's. You can track my progress! Hahaha! Looking at my boobies, I would guess that my size is about a B cup. I am right about where I was before I had kids. So about a 34B. Just so you know what the tissue expanders feel like, they're not very comfortable. There's that double material near the port that gets annoying. (see post Day 166) The expanders also "bleed" over on the sides by your arms, so sometimes my arms are rubbing against them. In addition, when I sleep on my side, I can sort of feel them shift... it's more of the liquid inside shifting. The tissue expanders are definitely heavier than the saline and silicone implants. The expanders are made with heavier material. Looking at my boobs is really interesting. They look a little flat in the front, rather than round. But when you put a shirt on, it looks fine. It's just nice to have boobs again! I'm wearing tighter shirts now.
Until next time...
Saturday, July 7, 2012
How to Prepare for a Mastectomy
It's been a few weeks since my mastectomy. I am still healing. I am not 100%, but each day I am slowly getting better. While I sit here and heal, I have thought about putting a post together to try and help other ladies who may be facing a mastectomy and answer any sort of questions that they may have. One thing one has to remember is that every one is different. Everyone heals a certain way. Everyone has a different pain tolerance. But here are a few things that I thought were very helpful and wish someone had told me... or they did tell me.
Pre-surgery
* It's okay to cry. Going into surgery is and can be a frightening experience. It's okay to shed your big girl panties (literally, you have to). There's lots of things that can go wrong while under anesthesia and it's okay to be a little or a lot freaked out.
* If you go to OHSU, be prepared to take a shower the night before and the morning of with this putrid smelling "soap." It's an anti-bacterial wash to get all the germs off of your body.
* Change the bedding the day before your surgery. When you get home, and you want to lie in bed, it's nicest to do it on fresh sheets.
* Packing - pack light. Pack a pair of pants that are easy on and off (think elastic, yoga pants). You don't want to be buttoning and zipping up a zipper. My sister-in-law got me a great shirt from Heal in Comfort. The shirt was nice and comfortable and I wore it for days. Pack some socks and a pair of underwear. Bring a book, iPod or something to do in your down time. Unless you like daytime TV, TV sucks. Pack a shirt that buttons up or zips. Wear easy on/off shoes to slip into while you're in the hospital. Toiletries too.
* Pack a few snacks, easy on the tummy. When you order room service, it usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.
* Pack one of those neck things that you bring on an airplane. You'll be sleeping sort of upright for a few days.
* Shop. Make sure you've got your fridge and pantry stocked up.
* Make plans to have help with you the first week.
* Leave that toe nail polish on! They didn't say anything about my red toe nails. I also had on clear polish on my fingers. No one said a word.
* Ask your surgeon if you will see any bandages on your chest following the surgery. My surgeon used dermabond which goes over the incision and makes it waterproof. In addition, my surgeon doesn't use any "bounding" or bandages. However, if I wanted to be put into a camisole or something, she would have done that.
* Make your post-surgery check up before surgery.
Surgery
* Yes, they will intubate you - put a tube down your throat to help you breathe.
* They will most likely before you wake up from surgery drain your bladder. That means a catheder.
* You'll meet your surgeon again, the anesthesist, nurse anesthesist, head nurse of the OR and more. It's a bit overwhelming.
Post-surgery
* If your at all modest, throw it out the window. They've seen it all!
* Have an advocate with you. When you get out of surgery you're weak. I could barely press the "Nurse" button on the bed and when I got one, they could barely hear me because I could barely talk because of the tube that was down my throat.
* If you have to use the bathroom, try your hardest to do it yourself by getting out of bed. But do it slowly. Get help from everyone you can. I went about 8 hours after surgery. It took about 10 minutes for me to get from the bed to the bathroom about 10 feet away. I first sat up, rest, swung my legs over the side of the bed, rest, stood up, rest, walked a bit, rest, walked more and got to the toilet. I did tell everyone to give me privacy so I could pee. I don't pee well when everyone is watching me. And yes, they do measure the amount of urine output. (This is where having easy on/off shoes works great)
* Expect drains to be annoying. They are stitched in place. Pin them to your hospital gown.
* Expect to be sore - as in you just bench pressed your max about 100 times.
* Expect not to be able to take a deep breath in. Shallow breaths are all you can do until the swelling goes down, and if you had immediate reconstruction the pectoral muscles will be sore.
* Don't worry about wearing underwear. It's over rated after surgery in a hospital.
* Get up and walk as much as possible.
* Don't expect to get lots of sleep. Nursing shift change and vitals to be taken every 4 hours makes sleeping a pain.
* Keep a barf bucket nearby.
* Make sure you have water handy at all times.
* You may get a cough. This is a result of the intubation. I coughed a lot and got a lot of phlegmy stuff up.
* Fill your prescriptions at the hospital pharmacy.
* Expect the male CNAs to ask if you need any help with hygeine. I had to laugh because all the male CNAs asked if I need help. None of the women did.
Going home, I wore the same elastic pants I came to the hospital in. I also wore a mastectomy camisole home with the drains attached to it. The cami zips in the front. I didn't velcro the drains to it, but rather pinned them to the camisole itself. I tried, but it was too uncomfortable. If you get a bra or cami specifically for the drains, make sure your cami is roomy around the chest because it will be swollen. Also in the car, I made sure the seatbelt didn't touch my chest. You can put a pillow or something where the belt goes across the chest to pad it.
At Home
* If you had a double mastectomy, you won't be able to lean on anything in any direction because of the drains.
* Use lots of pillows.
* Don't forget to move around. You are at a higher risk for blood clots following surgery.
* Rest
* Do your exercises to get your shoulders working again.
* If you had axillary dissection, watch for cording or axillary web syndrome. If you suspect you have it, then tell your surgeon and have them refer you to a physical therapist who is certified in lymphedema.
* Get a lanyard to hook your drains on when taking a shower. Your first shower will feel great but take it very slow.
* Driving - my doctor said I could resume driving after I stopped taking narcotics and could turn my head left and right without pain.
* Drains - My surgeon said that the drains can come out when it stopped draining over 30mL in a 24 hour period for 48 hours. Again, the magic number is less than 30. For example: Day 5, in a 24 hour period, my drain collected 29mL cummulative. On Day 6, I measured 25mL of fluid in a 24 hour period. That means I can get the drain out. Now if on Day 6, I measured 33mL of fluid in a 24 hour period, I would not get the drain out. It has to be 30mL or less in a 24 hour period for two days straight. Mine came out one drain at a time.
* Stay on top of your pain medication.
Pre-surgery
* It's okay to cry. Going into surgery is and can be a frightening experience. It's okay to shed your big girl panties (literally, you have to). There's lots of things that can go wrong while under anesthesia and it's okay to be a little or a lot freaked out.
* If you go to OHSU, be prepared to take a shower the night before and the morning of with this putrid smelling "soap." It's an anti-bacterial wash to get all the germs off of your body.
* Change the bedding the day before your surgery. When you get home, and you want to lie in bed, it's nicest to do it on fresh sheets.
* Packing - pack light. Pack a pair of pants that are easy on and off (think elastic, yoga pants). You don't want to be buttoning and zipping up a zipper. My sister-in-law got me a great shirt from Heal in Comfort. The shirt was nice and comfortable and I wore it for days. Pack some socks and a pair of underwear. Bring a book, iPod or something to do in your down time. Unless you like daytime TV, TV sucks. Pack a shirt that buttons up or zips. Wear easy on/off shoes to slip into while you're in the hospital. Toiletries too.
* Pack a few snacks, easy on the tummy. When you order room service, it usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.
* Pack one of those neck things that you bring on an airplane. You'll be sleeping sort of upright for a few days.
* Shop. Make sure you've got your fridge and pantry stocked up.
* Make plans to have help with you the first week.
* Leave that toe nail polish on! They didn't say anything about my red toe nails. I also had on clear polish on my fingers. No one said a word.
* Ask your surgeon if you will see any bandages on your chest following the surgery. My surgeon used dermabond which goes over the incision and makes it waterproof. In addition, my surgeon doesn't use any "bounding" or bandages. However, if I wanted to be put into a camisole or something, she would have done that.
* Make your post-surgery check up before surgery.
Surgery
* Yes, they will intubate you - put a tube down your throat to help you breathe.
* They will most likely before you wake up from surgery drain your bladder. That means a catheder.
* You'll meet your surgeon again, the anesthesist, nurse anesthesist, head nurse of the OR and more. It's a bit overwhelming.
Post-surgery
* If your at all modest, throw it out the window. They've seen it all!
* Have an advocate with you. When you get out of surgery you're weak. I could barely press the "Nurse" button on the bed and when I got one, they could barely hear me because I could barely talk because of the tube that was down my throat.
* If you have to use the bathroom, try your hardest to do it yourself by getting out of bed. But do it slowly. Get help from everyone you can. I went about 8 hours after surgery. It took about 10 minutes for me to get from the bed to the bathroom about 10 feet away. I first sat up, rest, swung my legs over the side of the bed, rest, stood up, rest, walked a bit, rest, walked more and got to the toilet. I did tell everyone to give me privacy so I could pee. I don't pee well when everyone is watching me. And yes, they do measure the amount of urine output. (This is where having easy on/off shoes works great)
* Expect drains to be annoying. They are stitched in place. Pin them to your hospital gown.
* Expect to be sore - as in you just bench pressed your max about 100 times.
* Expect not to be able to take a deep breath in. Shallow breaths are all you can do until the swelling goes down, and if you had immediate reconstruction the pectoral muscles will be sore.
* Don't worry about wearing underwear. It's over rated after surgery in a hospital.
* Get up and walk as much as possible.
* Don't expect to get lots of sleep. Nursing shift change and vitals to be taken every 4 hours makes sleeping a pain.
* Keep a barf bucket nearby.
* Make sure you have water handy at all times.
* You may get a cough. This is a result of the intubation. I coughed a lot and got a lot of phlegmy stuff up.
* Fill your prescriptions at the hospital pharmacy.
* Expect the male CNAs to ask if you need any help with hygeine. I had to laugh because all the male CNAs asked if I need help. None of the women did.
Going home, I wore the same elastic pants I came to the hospital in. I also wore a mastectomy camisole home with the drains attached to it. The cami zips in the front. I didn't velcro the drains to it, but rather pinned them to the camisole itself. I tried, but it was too uncomfortable. If you get a bra or cami specifically for the drains, make sure your cami is roomy around the chest because it will be swollen. Also in the car, I made sure the seatbelt didn't touch my chest. You can put a pillow or something where the belt goes across the chest to pad it.
At Home
* If you had a double mastectomy, you won't be able to lean on anything in any direction because of the drains.
* Use lots of pillows.
* Don't forget to move around. You are at a higher risk for blood clots following surgery.
* Rest
* Do your exercises to get your shoulders working again.
* If you had axillary dissection, watch for cording or axillary web syndrome. If you suspect you have it, then tell your surgeon and have them refer you to a physical therapist who is certified in lymphedema.
* Get a lanyard to hook your drains on when taking a shower. Your first shower will feel great but take it very slow.
* Driving - my doctor said I could resume driving after I stopped taking narcotics and could turn my head left and right without pain.
* Drains - My surgeon said that the drains can come out when it stopped draining over 30mL in a 24 hour period for 48 hours. Again, the magic number is less than 30. For example: Day 5, in a 24 hour period, my drain collected 29mL cummulative. On Day 6, I measured 25mL of fluid in a 24 hour period. That means I can get the drain out. Now if on Day 6, I measured 33mL of fluid in a 24 hour period, I would not get the drain out. It has to be 30mL or less in a 24 hour period for two days straight. Mine came out one drain at a time.
* Stay on top of your pain medication.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Day 174 - Fill 'er up & Radiation Therapy
Another week has come and gone. I've completed my first full week at work. I'm glad that's over because I was soooo busy it was insane. But now the weekend is here.
So what happened? Worked Tuesday. Off Wednesday for 4th of July. We went to our neighbor's house, Jennifer and Dave. The girls had a great time playing in the pool (kiddie) and going down the slip and slide. We couldn't get them out of the water. Then that evening we set off smoke bombs and popped those snap things on the sidewalk. I was out by 9pm or so because I had to work the next morning at 4a! Thursday it was work until 12.15p and then it was to OHSU for two doctor appointments.
I got to the Center for Health and Healing around 1.35p. As I was turning the corner to go down the street to get to the parking garage, I "nearly" ran into Tracey and former co-worker Mark. Apparently they were on their way to meet up with a few doctors to do a piece on Dr. Oz coming to OHSU for heallh screenings. Then it was up to the seventh floor to wait for my appointment with Dr. Marquez, the radiation oncologist. That was a fiasco. Dr. M was running late and at 1.10, she called and said that she'd be 15 minutes late. I had an appointment with Jason from Dr. Thaker's office (reconstructio) at 1.40 for a fill. So both Brad and I sat around until about 1.30 until Christine the nurse navigator called down to Dr. Thaker's office and said that she was sending me down. She decided to pull the trump card and say it was fine for me to go to my other appointment because Dr. Marquez was running late. So I left to go see Jason. He said that everything is healing just fine and we could do a fill. We ended up doing a 50cc fill. I could have gone and done 100cc's. But 50 was just fine for this visit. I have three more fills... next week I will get 100cc's and then the following two I will get 75cc's. As the saline was pushed in, I could see my boobies grow bigger. They are now about the size of pre-babies!
Then we raced back to the original appointment with Dr. M. She didn't end up coming into my room until sometime after 3p! But she was worth the wait. I like her a lot. We discussed the course of treatment. She is planning on radiating the left chest, under the arm and also the supraclavicular lymph node. She talked about doing radiation closer to the sternum because the tumor was a little bit on the right side of the breast. That was something I had not anticipated. But it's more for preventative measures. I did find out that for radiation, she suggests women have the supraclavicular area radiated because she sees the regeneration of cancer there most often. I say radiate what you need to. I don't want to do this all over again. The downside to the radiation of nearly the whole left side of the chest is that I will have a lung decrease capacity of about 20-30%. The reason being is that they are moving the radiation field over the lung and the nodes they have to reach are deeper. So that means that the lung will undergo more scarring and damage. She says that it will be most noticible if I am an athlete. So I guess no more marathons for me! I also am at an increased risk of lymphedema. It goes from about 5% to 15% after radiation. She said that I will have to watch for the onset of it and when I notice swelling, to go in and see a physical therapist. The radiation will last for 28 sessions, or 5 1/2 weeks. It will last about 30 minutes and it will be five days a week. I said, "Hooray!" I thought I would be going 6 1/2 to 7 weeks of radiation. She wants to start after I get done with my fills. That will be in three more weeks. And it will be perfect timing because it will be 6 weeks post-mastectomy. Perfect timing. Dr. M says that I'll have reconstruction about 6 months after treatment. I beg to differ.... we'll see what Dr. Thaker says. The side effects of radiation: burns (redness, turning into a tan) and fatigue. That's okay. I did mention that I have a wedding to go to... and she said that I will be red from where they radiate the breast. I said that's fine. I just want my hair. :) She laughed as well as her fellow and a medical student who was shadowing her. I like her. I like that she gives the upside of things and the concerns. She was very comprehensive and I knew that she looked at my file because she was talking a lot about it.
Next week's agenda: Monday I have a physical therapy appointment for my cording. Thursday I have my next boobie fill. And then I have a follow up PET and CT scan. I asked for a follow up because I wanted to know if the cancer was gone from the node in my neck. Dr. M said that she will look at that scan to see if there's any cancer left in that node. She said if there is, then she'll blast that area with more radiation. She will also see if it truly is necessary to do the radiation towards the sternum. My inclination is to do it regardless because I don't want this awful disease to come back. Oh yes, she also said that in the pathology, they found that there was cancer in the lymph ducts in the breast?? I think she was referring to the DCIS that they found in the milk ducts. I did ask about the right breast. She said that there was absolutely no cancer on that side and there is no need to radiate that side. Ah and after radiation, she said that the left breast will always look a little odd and won't hang as nicely as the right side. I said, not a problem, as my left boob always looked odd anyway. :)
I think that's about it. Oh, Wednesday morning I woke up with "bed head." It was nice to see bed head again.
So what happened? Worked Tuesday. Off Wednesday for 4th of July. We went to our neighbor's house, Jennifer and Dave. The girls had a great time playing in the pool (kiddie) and going down the slip and slide. We couldn't get them out of the water. Then that evening we set off smoke bombs and popped those snap things on the sidewalk. I was out by 9pm or so because I had to work the next morning at 4a! Thursday it was work until 12.15p and then it was to OHSU for two doctor appointments.
I got to the Center for Health and Healing around 1.35p. As I was turning the corner to go down the street to get to the parking garage, I "nearly" ran into Tracey and former co-worker Mark. Apparently they were on their way to meet up with a few doctors to do a piece on Dr. Oz coming to OHSU for heallh screenings. Then it was up to the seventh floor to wait for my appointment with Dr. Marquez, the radiation oncologist. That was a fiasco. Dr. M was running late and at 1.10, she called and said that she'd be 15 minutes late. I had an appointment with Jason from Dr. Thaker's office (reconstructio) at 1.40 for a fill. So both Brad and I sat around until about 1.30 until Christine the nurse navigator called down to Dr. Thaker's office and said that she was sending me down. She decided to pull the trump card and say it was fine for me to go to my other appointment because Dr. Marquez was running late. So I left to go see Jason. He said that everything is healing just fine and we could do a fill. We ended up doing a 50cc fill. I could have gone and done 100cc's. But 50 was just fine for this visit. I have three more fills... next week I will get 100cc's and then the following two I will get 75cc's. As the saline was pushed in, I could see my boobies grow bigger. They are now about the size of pre-babies!
Then we raced back to the original appointment with Dr. M. She didn't end up coming into my room until sometime after 3p! But she was worth the wait. I like her a lot. We discussed the course of treatment. She is planning on radiating the left chest, under the arm and also the supraclavicular lymph node. She talked about doing radiation closer to the sternum because the tumor was a little bit on the right side of the breast. That was something I had not anticipated. But it's more for preventative measures. I did find out that for radiation, she suggests women have the supraclavicular area radiated because she sees the regeneration of cancer there most often. I say radiate what you need to. I don't want to do this all over again. The downside to the radiation of nearly the whole left side of the chest is that I will have a lung decrease capacity of about 20-30%. The reason being is that they are moving the radiation field over the lung and the nodes they have to reach are deeper. So that means that the lung will undergo more scarring and damage. She says that it will be most noticible if I am an athlete. So I guess no more marathons for me! I also am at an increased risk of lymphedema. It goes from about 5% to 15% after radiation. She said that I will have to watch for the onset of it and when I notice swelling, to go in and see a physical therapist. The radiation will last for 28 sessions, or 5 1/2 weeks. It will last about 30 minutes and it will be five days a week. I said, "Hooray!" I thought I would be going 6 1/2 to 7 weeks of radiation. She wants to start after I get done with my fills. That will be in three more weeks. And it will be perfect timing because it will be 6 weeks post-mastectomy. Perfect timing. Dr. M says that I'll have reconstruction about 6 months after treatment. I beg to differ.... we'll see what Dr. Thaker says. The side effects of radiation: burns (redness, turning into a tan) and fatigue. That's okay. I did mention that I have a wedding to go to... and she said that I will be red from where they radiate the breast. I said that's fine. I just want my hair. :) She laughed as well as her fellow and a medical student who was shadowing her. I like her. I like that she gives the upside of things and the concerns. She was very comprehensive and I knew that she looked at my file because she was talking a lot about it.
Next week's agenda: Monday I have a physical therapy appointment for my cording. Thursday I have my next boobie fill. And then I have a follow up PET and CT scan. I asked for a follow up because I wanted to know if the cancer was gone from the node in my neck. Dr. M said that she will look at that scan to see if there's any cancer left in that node. She said if there is, then she'll blast that area with more radiation. She will also see if it truly is necessary to do the radiation towards the sternum. My inclination is to do it regardless because I don't want this awful disease to come back. Oh yes, she also said that in the pathology, they found that there was cancer in the lymph ducts in the breast?? I think she was referring to the DCIS that they found in the milk ducts. I did ask about the right breast. She said that there was absolutely no cancer on that side and there is no need to radiate that side. Ah and after radiation, she said that the left breast will always look a little odd and won't hang as nicely as the right side. I said, not a problem, as my left boob always looked odd anyway. :)
I think that's about it. Oh, Wednesday morning I woke up with "bed head." It was nice to see bed head again.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Day 170 - Back to the grind post mastectomy
Well, after two weeks off, it's back to the grind. I went back to work today. Bleh. Bleh. Did I mention bleh?
The day went by relatively fast. I just wish it had gone by faster... cause work sucked. It was nice to see everybody, though. I couldn't believe it, my whole team was there at work today. That's a HUGE change to when I was gone. I had high absenteeism. Work was okay. I was on the phones a lot because we are severely short staffed in the realm of supervisors. So I was taking lots of calls. And we had an influx of calls, so my team was really busy. Work was seemless. It was as if I was never ever gone. I will soon be losing my right hand man. She got promoted into a different department, so I am bummed about that.
As for getting back into work and how it feels, felt fine. I got tired at one point because I didn't get much sleep. I managed to stretch my arms while on calls. I didn't want to get too stiff. No one asked me anything about where I was and that was good. I didn't want everybody to be looking at my chest. Interesting that I am back wearing my maternity bras... well, actually it's a nursing bra, but it's really comfortable. I found that wearing just a shirt was sort of "chaffing" my skin and making it very sensitive. I didn't like that feeling.
So tomorrow it's another day of work and then I get a day off for Fourth of July. Hooray. Thursday I have an appointment with my radiation oncologist and then Monday it's a physical therapy session. I really want my left arm to work again. I can get my right arm almost straight up. It's more at the angle of the "hiel Hitler" height. My left arm, due to the cording is much lower than that, but above the 90 degree angle to my body. Again I try to stretch, stretch, stretch.
You know, after reading some of my blog posts... I didn't fully update everyone with my pathology report. So they ended up taking 17 lymph nodes... one of which showed positive for some scant cancer cells. Two other lymph nodes had fibrosis - which means that there was something there, but it was gone and the nodes had been healing itself. In addition, the left breast had a lump measuring .9cm at its longest. Another pathology slide showed that they found DCIS or Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. That means that there was another lump that was forming. It hadn't gotten big enough to break out and become Invasive Ductal Carcinoma or IDC. Basically if you have DCIS, it's a stage 0. But if I had just gotten a lumpectomy, soon I would be back in the operating room getting another lump removed. So thank goodness I said, "Off with the boobs!" (said in the manner of the Queen of Hearts) Other than that everything looked good. I believe that I mentioned that Dr. Naik, the breast surgeon, has no worries about the lymph node in the neck.
Until next time...
P.S. My wonderful friends who gave me the necklace... I never named them... but thanks to Kelli, Brooke and Annie. Love you ladies! Mwah!
The day went by relatively fast. I just wish it had gone by faster... cause work sucked. It was nice to see everybody, though. I couldn't believe it, my whole team was there at work today. That's a HUGE change to when I was gone. I had high absenteeism. Work was okay. I was on the phones a lot because we are severely short staffed in the realm of supervisors. So I was taking lots of calls. And we had an influx of calls, so my team was really busy. Work was seemless. It was as if I was never ever gone. I will soon be losing my right hand man. She got promoted into a different department, so I am bummed about that.
As for getting back into work and how it feels, felt fine. I got tired at one point because I didn't get much sleep. I managed to stretch my arms while on calls. I didn't want to get too stiff. No one asked me anything about where I was and that was good. I didn't want everybody to be looking at my chest. Interesting that I am back wearing my maternity bras... well, actually it's a nursing bra, but it's really comfortable. I found that wearing just a shirt was sort of "chaffing" my skin and making it very sensitive. I didn't like that feeling.
So tomorrow it's another day of work and then I get a day off for Fourth of July. Hooray. Thursday I have an appointment with my radiation oncologist and then Monday it's a physical therapy session. I really want my left arm to work again. I can get my right arm almost straight up. It's more at the angle of the "hiel Hitler" height. My left arm, due to the cording is much lower than that, but above the 90 degree angle to my body. Again I try to stretch, stretch, stretch.
You know, after reading some of my blog posts... I didn't fully update everyone with my pathology report. So they ended up taking 17 lymph nodes... one of which showed positive for some scant cancer cells. Two other lymph nodes had fibrosis - which means that there was something there, but it was gone and the nodes had been healing itself. In addition, the left breast had a lump measuring .9cm at its longest. Another pathology slide showed that they found DCIS or Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. That means that there was another lump that was forming. It hadn't gotten big enough to break out and become Invasive Ductal Carcinoma or IDC. Basically if you have DCIS, it's a stage 0. But if I had just gotten a lumpectomy, soon I would be back in the operating room getting another lump removed. So thank goodness I said, "Off with the boobs!" (said in the manner of the Queen of Hearts) Other than that everything looked good. I believe that I mentioned that Dr. Naik, the breast surgeon, has no worries about the lymph node in the neck.
Until next time...
P.S. My wonderful friends who gave me the necklace... I never named them... but thanks to Kelli, Brooke and Annie. Love you ladies! Mwah!
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