Chemo To Start

April 29: Just received my call...First chemo treatment is Friday, May 13.

Surgery, April 28

April 28: Surgery is over and I am home now. I am sore; I am praying that the pathology report comes back clear so I can keep moving forward. The next phase of treatment is chemo and I am very uneasy about this necessary step. I guess it will be easier to think of this as 6 chemo treatments vs. 4 1/2 months long.

Time to rest!

Week of April 25

April 25: My drain was removed today and I was so relieved to get this out. After 11 days, it was getting a bit uncomfortable. Michelle did a great job taking care of this for me! I think she has a calling in the medical field.

I was reassured that I will not have another drain after Thursday's surgery. Overall, I am feeling ok. I am still tired and this is due to the meds I am taking.

April 27: Today was my appointment with Dr. Garg, Oncologist. My "what to expect
with chemo" appointment is May 12 and my first chemo treatment will be around May 19. This date may change depending on the outcome of my surgery April 28. Chemo treatments will last
4 1/2 months, oh joy.

April 28: Surgery to clear the margins at 9:15am.

April 29: Recovering...watching the Royal Wedding, lol.

New Date

April 22: My surgery date was changed again. It is now April 28.

Post-Op

April 21:  Today was my post-op at the Breast Center.  The last 30 hours or so it felt like I had a softball being pushed hard into my armpit area and it was quite uncomfortable.  After the nurse examined me, she determined that the drain needs to remain in for the next few days.  She also said there was a lot of swelling so I was moved to the ultrsound room.  The cause of the swelling was a buildup of fluid in the breast and Dr. Liang drained 50cc's.  Ah, relief! 

I was given a copy of the pathology report today and 9 lymph nodes were removed, 3 had cancer and 1 of the margins were not clear.  I am scheduled for more surgery on May 4. 

This visit to the Breast Center was exhausting.  I came home and slept for 2 1/2 hours. 

And The Roller Coaster Ride Starts Again

April 18: The last few days have been ok. Overall feeling good, just tired. Pat's away this week in training and the kids are taking good care of me. Hopefully I've been a good patient -- eat and sleep.

April 19: The home nurse was over again to change my bandages and drain. All looks good! I received a call from my Nurse Navigator with my pathology results. The cancer was in 3 lymph nodes and 1 of the margins is too close. This means another trip back AA Medical Center to have this removed. The surgery scheduler will be calling me today with the date.

At Home

April 15:  I was released from the hospital around 3:45pm.  Dr. Liang stopped in to assure me that surgery went very well.  She removed the lump in the breast and the affected lymph node.  She believes there was only 1 lymph node with cancer. She told me again how fortunate I was to catch this early.   Further test results should be back Tuesday or Wednesday.  My stay at the hospital was very comfortable and the nursing staff was fantastic.  I am home now and my "new" nursing staff has taken over and they are doing a super job!!  Thank you Pat, Michelle, & Patrick!

April 16:  I had an good night sleep last night, 6 straight hours!  This is 2 nights in a row.  I cannot remember the last time I slept so well.  When I woke up, I was uncomfortable.  It felt as though an elephant was doing jumping jacks on my chest.  Overall, I am feeling much better than I expected.  A Hopkins home nurse came over this morning to check my drain (from the lymph node which was removed) and check vitals, etc.  All was ok.  She will be back again on Tuesday.  My post-op is Thursday and I meet again with Dr. Garg (Oncologist) on Friday.  Now, it's time to heal.  I will need rest to regain stregnth before the next phase, chemo.

Surgery ... Check

April 14: Surgery was at 7:30am. Although I do not remember responding to Dr. Liang from the recovery room, she told Pat surgery was successful. I should have further results on Tuesday. I was moved from recovery to my own hospital room around 1:15pm. My family and mom and dad were here and left around 3:30pm. After a 4:10am wakeup, everyone is tired. The medical team has been very attentive and compassionate.

I am able to keep in touch, from my hospital room, with my iPad from Force 3. This will help be stay connected with all of you.

Thank you Pat, Michelle, and Patrick for supporting and loving me, always!

As I have said before, we are very blessed to have the strong support of family and friends. Thank you all!

Keeping Busy

April 13: The last 5 days have been "normal" days...no appointments!  Today I am working 1/2 day.  Surgery is tomorrow.  Trying to take the advice of so many (breathe, one step at time, etc.), but finding it is easier said than done.  It is 3:30am and I'm tired, but my mind is too active...frustrating.

Thanks for all the cards and emails!  I truly appreciate the support from everyone!!