Surgery to Radiation

It has been a long time since I have written on this blog, and I feel it is way past time to update you all.  So since you have been asking, here I go.....

I had my first surgery Thursday, July 11th.  I was so excited about this day!  My thoughts were FINALLY, chemo is done.  I get to have that stupid port taken out, the "girls" are getting a makeover, and that blasted lump in my right breast will be taken out along with any cancerous lymph nodes (that started this whole party!!), and while I will hurt for a time, it is done!  That was my mind set.  So July 11th came, and a bunch of pre-op stuff was done before waiting in my little curtian walled waiting room before surgery.  My fantastic husband Rick was there, along with my sister Julie, and a good friend Shauna.  We were joking and laughing the whole time.  Even our doctors and anesthesiologist got into the joking around!  We were laughing so hard we were crying!!  Plus, it is amazing what you hear from the beds next to you.  People, those are only curtains are not real walls.  For goodness sake, WE CAN HEAR YOU, and YES we are laughing at you!  Hahahahahaha, then one of our "roommates" farted, and we just about came unglued with laughter!!!

Finally it was time to go back, and my "cocktail" was given to me....those are awesome!  In surgery they removed the lump from my right breast and 6 lymph nodes, removed my port system, and reconstructed both breasts so that I would not have one so disfigured, due to the amount of tissue they ended up having to take out.  I wake up several hours later in a fit of itching, and pain!  They had given me morphine and my body did not like it at all, so they gave me something else, along with Benadryl, then they decided, with my complete consent, that I would stay the night.  My sister stayed with me, on one of those "oh so comfortable" pull out chairs!  For that alone, I owe her a debt of gratitude!  The next morning I was ready to go home and got out of there around 1pm.  "Awe, my own bed", is what you'd think I would be saying and thinking, but I actually missed the hospital bed because of the adjustability.  Rick and Julie got me all settled, and propped on a bunch of pillows, and  gave me my pain pills.

By that Sunday I was feeling pretty good, stiff,and sore, but pretty good considering.  Monday I had my drain removed, and by Wednesday my sister had to fly back home.  She lives in Denver.  We still had not heard the final pathology report, so we were all thinking, no news is good news.  Yeah.  Don't ever think that when it comes to that bastard cancer!  I got a call late Wednesday evening from Dr. Liu's cell.  She told us the final pathology came back showing a total of 4 of the 6 lymph nodes taken out, showed micrometastases of 2 mm.  We all made the decision to do a total dissection of the lymph node under the right arm.  We wanted it all out!!  So my second surgery was set for Monday, July 22nd.  This news kicked me in the gut, and for the first time through my journey, I realized, I have cancer!!  I know what you all are thinking, but I am blond, bald, and have chemo brain!  That Monday came and it was not as fun and light hearted as it was the first time in the curtained waiting area.  I was scared this time, and so was my Rick.  Thank God that Shauna and my daughter Amber were able to be there for Rick in the other waiting room.  That knowledge was a big comfort to me.  My sister was not able to make it back for that fast turn around so it was great that they were there!!  The pain was rough that day and they even had trouble getting an IV in.  It hurt so bad, and I kept telling my sweet nurses I was sorry I was making it hard for them.  They ended up having to numb my wrist area to get a line in.  To make it even more challenging for them, I have very, very small veins.  I guess I am a high maintenance patient!  They were two great ladies and so very comforting.  This time I came through recovery much better and home I went.  By the time we got home, both my daughters, Ashley and Amber, were there with Rick and I to get me all settled.

So now I was to start the healing process all over again.  I had another drain, and a pain pump hanging out of my right side just under my armpit.  That was pretty, and comfortable let me tell you!!  This has been a tough healing time.  My left side is healed and only once in awhile is tender.  My right side, because of 2 surgeries to that side, and the amount of work that was done, is still a ways out, and it has now been 4 weeks since surgery.  I have what I call two armpits, it is a tendon that is pulled tight, and goes clear down to my wrist, causing me to have very limited mobility.  Plus due to the removal of all the lymph nodes I have a bunch of nerve pain to the back of my arm.  Sometimes it feel like a hot iron was put on the back of my arm.  I am in the process of doing some exercises so I can straighten my arm and elbow area completely out.  That has given me a deeper respect for people in physical therapy!  Those people are amazing!!

I saw my Radiologist, on Aug. 19th to start that part of my journey.  I will be doing 33 treatments of radiation, once a day for 5 days, for 33 treatments.  About 7 weeks total.  I hope to start that by the 28th of Aug. but, that will be determined if I can get my arm stretched out enough to get the arm above my head.  So for now, that is where the journey is at, and I thank you all for asking.  The concern and prayers of all of you have been awesome.  I am so overwhelmed by the love and generosity of all of you!!