So if I'm not posting, then things are sailing right along! :)
I've been blissfully busy with the kids, the birthdays, the homework, Jessica's volleyball, Paige's wrestling, our Girl Scout Troop, work, the house, the cats, the wedding.....YAY! I feel blessed to be so busy-physically and emotionally. It doesn't leave a lot of time for dwelling on things to come. We should all "live for today" anyway and I've been practicing.
Yep, all has been pretty good. I only had a little drama last week, but it's changed the course of surgery and recovery to come. Not a major change, but a change nonetheless.
Last week at work, I felt something. A strange sensation around my left breast. It was almost an itch, but not quite. It was strange to say the least. So I take myself to the bathroom to check it out. I've certainly never felt anything like it before and now I was curious. When I peek into my bra, I immediately notice blood-tinged discharge from my nipple.
It wasn't a lot, but some had dried in my bra. That let me know that it had been "leaking" throughout the morning. Did I freak out? A little, yes! I had a complete hysterectomy over 4 years ago and my HRT certainly isn't strong enough to create any kind of anything to be able to leak from my breast. I'm well aware that I am scheduled for a bilateral mastectomy on November 1, but I scheduled an appointment with my breast surgeon immediately. Knowing that there was/is cancer in my left breast, I certainly wasn't going to not say anything.
Dr. P's office scheduled me Friday. I get there and unrobe. We chit-chat while I'm in my paper smock, and we're talking about the wedding. We had just gotten his RSVP from his wife and we're so excited & blessed that this wonderful surgeon and his wife will share our day! It wouldn't be happening if it weren't for him. <3
Anyway...he checks out both breasts and tells me what I figured he would. Since I'm having a bilateral mastectomy in less than 6 weeks, we won't bother with more Breast MRI's and Biopsies. (YAY!) Dr. P explains that the discharge I see is normal for a woman who had all kinds of issues (asymmetrical benign breast fibroadenoma, microcalcifications, multiple intraductal papillomas, and a little DCIS) with that left breast.
He feels it necessary to perform a Sentinel Node Biopsy now on the left side. I don't blame him. So in addition to the double mastectomy, placement of temporary expanders, and nipple removal, we are going to add one more procedure to the pot. At the beginning of surgery, the will inject radioactive dye into that left nipple so that the fluid will "light up" my sentinel nodes. He will remove a few of them through and incision near my armpit and send them to pathology for immediate testing. I really, really hope I'm already under general anesthesia before they inject the dye.
Should they find evidence of cancer, I will probably have to have more lymph nodes removed and will have to add chemotherapy to all this. This procedure also carries the risk of developing lymphedema in my left arm, which causes swelling, pain, and isn't curable. I'll be praying that doesn't happen. The risk is very low since (should things come back negative) they will only be removing a few nodes.
Whatever happens, I just want to be cancer-free. I'm accepting my fate (well, my boobies' fate) and I'm praying to God that he gives me the strength to deal with all this in a healthy, positive way; no matter what the plan may be. So far, he has. I know He will continue to do so.
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