My last day off!

Today is Wednesday 11/30 and it's officially my last day off on medical leave!  I can't believe how fast the time has gone.  Thankfully I am starting with half days for at least the rest of the week.  I am really looking forward to seeing my co-workers and my students again.  I think I'll need a little extra padding to survive the hugs from the 5th grade girls!  :)
Yesterday I had my post-op appointment with the surgeon who performed my mastectomy.  He was happy with the healing process and I shouldn't need to see him for another 6 months!  He did refer me to the medical oncologist and happily (I don't know if that's quite the right word) I was able to get in on December 8th.  I was worried that it was going to be a long wait.  My Oncotype results are not back yet and I am still waiting on pins and needles.  But unless the score is really low, until I see the oncologist I won't know what my results will mean for my treatment plan. 
For my last day off I am going to get a pedicure and facial at E.M. Studio thanks to Shae- I am really looking forward to it!  I also wanted to say thank you for our delicious meals this week from Rhealene and the Preschool team- you ladies are too much!!!!!

Monday 11/28

I hope everyone reading had a good Thanksgiving.  I had so much fun with my family, but man was I wiped by Saturday!  I was hoping to write a long list of thank-yous on Thanksgiving, but I didn't have my computer with me over the holiday.  All I know is that when it came to my turn at the table to say what we were thankful for, I was so overwhelmed with my choices that it was hard to pick one.  I am so incredibly thankful that my surgery is over, but my doctors and their nurses all helped make that happen.  Along with living in the U.S., modern medicine, and the millions of other women with breast cancer who have gotten the treatment of breast cancer to where it is today.  That's just the beginning, so you see my dilemma!  I know I have said it before, but thank you to my family, my friends, my co-workers, my Zumba students, and even strangers, for the out pouring of love and support.  I have started doing my Zumba routines again, but for short intervals and at a low impact.  I am also happy to report that with a little padding, you would never be able to tell that I had a mastectomy.  I never thought that would be the case so early in the process.  Thank you especially for all of the prayers- I don't think I would be where I am without them.

News to be thankful for!

 I just received a call from my surgeon's nurse and she said that my path report showed that my margins were clear!  That's great news for Thanksgiving!  Thank you all for your concerns and prayers!

Post-op check up 11/23

So I had a post-op check up today with my plastic surgeon one week after my second surgery.  Remember when I said how things have become so relative since my diagnosis?  Here I have a let's be honest- a Frankenstein looking breast with an incision across the entire thing and some swelling and dimpling in places that were never there before surgery, and the doctor and nurse are like, " Oh my gosh, it looks fantastic!  You're healing so well!"  It just kind of struck me as humorous.  I have my next appointment in three weeks when I will have my first fill done.  I was glad they didn't do one today because I want to be comfortable and be able to play with my niece and nephews over the holiday.
  Next order of business- a HUGE shout out to E.M. Studio in Brownsburg for such a wonderful and caring gift.  The owners of this salon have only heard of my story through the grapevine of their clients and they put together Nike gym bags for my boys full of treats like games, cars, activity books, etc. and included a $100 gift card to Ruth Cris Steakhouse for Ryan and I.  I am so overwhelmed by the generosity I can hardly believe it.  Same with the 2nd grade team and the Olive Garden delivery the other night.  I hope you all realize what a phenomenal light you have all been during my recovery!

Still no results!

I heard from my surgeon's nurse at 5:30 pm this evening that she has still not received my path results.  She said she would call in the morning because she doesn't want me to wait over the holiday weekend.  No joke!
It was another dreary day, but a pretty good one.  I took a nap, worked on my quilt, watched a couple movies, ran a few errands, and walked a mile and a half at the gym.  I am trying to find that activity level of doing enough vs. doing too much.  It sure felt good to have a little sweat dripping down my back again today! Please tell me that all of my Zumba students are continuing to take class or keep moving in some way.  I challenge everyone out there reading to try a little moderation over this holiday weekend and KEEP MOVING! I hope all of you who are traveling tomorrow have a wonderful and safe trip and spend precious time with your families!

Monday update

Since writing this AM, I have realized that it's only been two weeks since my surgery- not three!  I thought I was really in a time warp!  I have had so many people ask about my path results today, but I still haven't heard anything.  I did find out that my tissue was received by the genetics company for the Oncotype screening.  Those results will be complete in 7-10 days including weekends and holidays.  Again, the Oncotype looks at 21 genes from the cancer cells and the cancer is given a score- the lower the score, the lower the chance of recurrence.  It is used in determining the need for chemotherapy, so everybody think low!

I'm Free!

I went in first thing this morning to the plastic surgeon to have my drain removed.  I was up on and off all night with the antibiotic hurting my stomach so it couldn't be soon enough!  I was sitting in the waiting room for the nurse to come get me and when I stood up to follow her, my drain bulb fell out of my pocket and pulled my stitches where it is attached. It's about the 500th time it's gotten pulled for some reason in the last three weeks, so needless to say, I am ECSTATIC!!!!  It however, did not feel good to have removed but at least it was quick.  I have to go back to see her on Wednesday for a post-op appointment, so at least if I have any trouble with fluid build up, I will be back in soon. I have not heard any pathology results from my surgery on Wednesday yet, and surprisingly I have not been thinking too much about it.  In a strange way I think I might feel better if they tell me I need radiation.  Beating a dead horse is not usually my idea of fun, but when it comes to cancer, it doesn't sound like a bad idea. 

Sunday 11/20

Man, what a dreary day.  Talk about blah!  The Clindamycin that I am on twice a day is bothering my stomach.  I have to stay on it as long as my drain is in, so another reason to make a special trip up to Carmel tomorrow to have my drain taken out!  By the way work family, thank you for loaning me all of the great movies!  I finished the 3 Twilight movies that are on dvd, so now I am ready to go out for a girl's movie date to see the newest one.  We also watched Bridesmaids and the Deathly Hallows part 1 last week.  It's been a treat because I never have time to watch good movies! 

Saturday 11/19

I am feeling pretty good today, but I have done quite a bit.  Brady had a basketball game at 7:40 am this morning!  We did get a nap before watching J.R.'s basketball practice and then we met some good friends for dinner.  It's hard to walk the fine line between doing too much and not enough.  The good news is that we have absolutely nothing scheduled for tomorrow!

Finally a shower!

I very happily got to remove my bandage from my surgery on Wednesday and shower today.  Everything looks really good and appears to be healing well.  My incision from my lymph node removal is almost healed completely.  I am counting down the days until my drain is removed-that will be Wednesday at the latest.  I slept better last night too.  I am awaiting my pathology results but I doubt that I will hear anything today, but if I do, I will let you all know!

Thursday 11/17

I ended up becoming quite sore last night and needing to start my pain medication back up.  I slept pretty fitfully on the medication and had some really bizarre dreams, and that's saying a lot because I have pretty crazy dreams anyway!  I am still quite sore this morning and plan on taking it really easy today.  The good news is my rash is completely gone and I didn't have any reactions yesterday to any medications during surgery. 

Back home already!

Take two today- it was much easier just knowing the routine and what to expect.  I was disappointed when the surgeon said he as going to have to reopen the whole incision, but afterwards he said he didn't need to after all, just 2".  I also didn't have to go under general anesthesia, so the whole experience was much more pleasant and I feel quite good.  I will know the pathology results either Friday or Monday.  So the rest of my afternoon is going to involve a blanket, the couch, and watching Twilight.  A couple of shout outs to my sister for my beautiful lily bouquet, my friend for my cookie delivery today, and to all of the teachers for their delicious meals!  I love all of you and am so thankful for everything you have done!

Tuesday 11/15

I was so happy to stop by work today and drop off containers and pans and thank you notes.  It was so great to see everybody!  I also took my in-laws in to see my clinic and then we had lunch with Brady at his school.  We grabbed some delicious lunch at FlapJack's and then I have a haircut scheduled at 1 pm today.  If  I didn't have to go back to surgery tomorrow I'd be trucking on my road to recovery! 

My first post-surgical check up

I went to my plastic surgeon today for my first check up.  She was very happy with my progress and how my incisions look.  I very happily had my on-q system removed.  It felt so good to get the tegaderm and tubing off of my itchy belly that I thought my foot would start thumping the ground like a dog when I finally got to scratch!  Unfortunately I have to keep my drain in because of my surgery on Wednesday.  After my appointment I went to the Breast Boutique and bought a few post-surgical bras.  It's nice to have more support to even things out a little. :)

Surgery Schedule

My surgery to go in and remove more skin from the area around where my tumor was located is scheduled for Wednesday at 11 am at St. Vincent's. 

Monday 11/14- one week later

I can't believe it's already been a week since my surgery.  I feel so much better than I expected to feel a week out of major surgery. I took a bath without any help this morning.  That sounds so minor, but it's a huge victory when you've been so dependent on people!   My rash is better over my body but I still have hives covering my feet and ankles.  It's taking all of my will power not to scratch them like crazy. I had less than 10cc of drainage over the last 12 hours, so hopefully I am only a few days away from losing this drain.  I am trying hard not to get too bummed about going back in after working hard to make this progress.  I have had such great help at home that I have been able to sleep, eat healthy, and have the time to do my exercises and such to heal as best as I can.  Hopefully it won't be too big of a set back.  When I hear the definitive day and time for my next surgery, I will let you all know.

Rash! :(

I slept for almost 12 hours last night- it was fabulous!  My sister is amazing- she took her one year old  and my boys out to breakfast so that Ryan and I could sleep in.  She even brought us back breakfast. The good news for today- my pain and pressure is so much better.  I haven't had to take any Vicodin since 1 pm yesterday.  The bad news- I'm covered from my feet to my neck in a red itchy rash with hives and it's driving me CRAZY!  I called my doctor and she changed my antibiotic and started me on a steroid pack.  I have never had an allergic reaction to any medication before.  I have a whole new appreciation for my kids at school with hives!  I hope it helps quickly before I lose my mind!

Saturday 11/12

I am still bummed today about the path report from yesterday.  I was really hoping to get the "all clear-you're good!" report.  Instead I still feel tainted with cancer.  I hope this second surgery does the job because radiation five days a week for five weeks in the middle of winter does not sound fun.  I am looking forward to Monday for my plastic surgery post-op appointment where I will at least get my on-q delivery system removed.  I have a little thin catheter coiled up on my abdomen with tape over all of it-it's very itchy!  I don't think I will be ready to have my drain removed.  I have to be draining less than 30 cc of fluid for two days before it can come out and I still had 45 cc just this morning.  Gross, I know.  I felt good enough to watch my son's basketball practice this morning, so I can tell that some of my strength and stamina is slowly returning.  My biggest complaint is that I am a little itchy on my back and neck, between my cleavage, and on my ankles.  I have a little bit of a rash that started in the hospital. It seems like I am allergic to something that they gave me but I have no idea what.  That makes me a little nervous for Wednesday.  Just what I need- a major allergic reaction!

Repeat surgery

I heard about 5:30 pm that my second surgery is tentatively planned for Wednesday- I don't have any details as the surgical center was already closed for the weekend. 

Bad news from Path report

Dr. Tigges just called-it's never good news when the actual surgeon calls you-and said that the skin scraping they took from inside my breast had some ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in the sample, so I have to go back to surgery and have more skin removed.  He took the sample in the first place because my tumor was so close under the surface of my skin.  They have to go back through my incision, but the good news is that it will be about a 20-30 minute procedure and I will go home the same day.  The bad news is that if the second surgery doesn't show a clear sample, then I may have to do radiation.  It's a blow because I have been doing so well and making really good progress in my recovery.  I hate to think about them reopening my incision.  I am just waiting for a phone call about when that will take place.  Bleck.

Delicious Dinners

Thank you for my delicious dinners so far- steak rolls, pizza and vegetable tray, and tacos with all of the fixings tonight!  I hope you all know how much we appreciate it and the future dinners to come next week!  A first grade class made me get well soon cards and they were so precious to look through.  I love the "You r nis" and the "I wish you wher no't sick today."  My neighbor made me a beautiful framed picture of our children together wearing "I wear pink for my Mom" and "I wear pink for my friend" shirts.  It was such a great idea.  My sister-in-law made me a bag for after my surgery that says "I fought like a girl and won!" I can' believe all of you and your generosity.
My official pathology report should be done tomorrow on the breast that was removed.  I hope there are no surprises.  The surgeon said that my tumor will most likely be sent for an Oncotype which is a 21 gene test done on the tumor.  It provides a score for the chance of recurrence and gives a direction about the need for chemotherapy.  Everything is still looking good as far as most likely not needing chemo, but I know the doctors want to be thorough . That test takes 2 weeks to complete.  I am so grateful that I am healing versus still waiting for surgery!  My new exercises went well today, actually felt better than I expected.  I was able to back off on my pain medicine this afternoon but I am hurting a little more tonight, especially when I fell asleep and my dog barked and I jumped really hard.  Ouch! 

Thursday 11/10

I can't believe it's been three days since my surgery.  It's been a time warp.  I slept well again last night, but I still have to sleep pretty much sitting up and I have been waking up quite sore after being immobile for a couple of hours at a time. If you are squeamish about medical things, you may want to quit reading as I am going to describe my surgical site.  I have a long incision across the center of my breast and a smaller incision closer to my armpit where they removed the lymph nodes.  I have a long drain sutured in under my right reconstructed breast and another thin catheter that is attached to a device called an "on-Q" system.  It is a device that continually drips a numbing medicine over the surgery site.  I can't imagine how it would feel without it.  I still am having to take pain medication every four hours but I am hoping today will be a turning point as far as how much medication I need.  I am surprised at the size of my reconstructed breast-it's probably at least half of the size of my other side already.  It's just funny because it's up quite high on my chest wall and my other side is droopy.  I will have a lift done on the left side as part of the process in a few months.  So on the schedule today- a whole new set of exercises that will be a challenge because they will be over my head and stretching quite a bit more, continuing my lymph system massage, and resting.  I hope my clinic is running smoothly and my Zumba classes are going well!

Middle of the night update

I am very happy to report that I was able to stay up in my bed from 9pm-2am.  I overdid it a little last night before bed by getting all cleaned up and unknowingly waiting an extra hour for my pain medication.  I was quite uncomfortable, but I feel better now after getting some sleep, even if it is on and off.  Thank you to all of you communicating updates between family and friends, for the meals I have already received, and even more cards and gifts.  Thank you Barb for the beautiful prayer before surgery.  My biggest props goes to my husband who has been at my every beck and call at the hospital through the night, and even right now sitting next to me.  Thank you Jill and John for raising such a wonderful son.  My boys are doing well and have been very understanding about my limitations.  I have a busy day planned out with my exercises, lymph system massage (who knew?) and hopefully a movie or two!

Home from Surgery

I am happy to report that I am safely at home after my surgery.  It went as well as I could have expected and I am so relieved that it is over!  I don't have a lot of pain, just a lot of pressure.  It kind of feels like I'm really engorged when I was breast feeding.  The plastic surgeon was very happy with my chest muscle and was able to fill my expander with 150 cc vs. 75 cc, so I have more of a breast than I expected.  It's just a lot higher than my left side, but I will have a lift on that side in a few months to make them more even.  Overall, I am very happy with how things have gone and how I am feeling.  I am looking forward to a really good nap soon!

Surgery update

Anne is in recovery now and everything went fine. Her lymph node biopsy indicated no cancer in her lymph nodes. Very good news!

'Twas the night before surgery

The good news is that I am completely exhausted after a weekend trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee to watch my husband row at The Head of the Hooch.  We had such a great time and beautiful weather, but of course the surgery is always in the back of my mind.  I have gone from completely ready and pumped to no, seriously this can't be tomorrow, to I really, really don't want to do this, to I can't wait to (hopefully) be cancer free and back and forth between all of those feelings again.  It didn't help to have my pre-surgery appointment on Friday and have my surgical markings drawn on me with a thick black sharpie!
Tonight we are unpacking and trying to get organized for tomorrow.  My parents are coming up for the week.  The boys seem okay with the fact that my surgery is tomorrow.  They are exhausted too, so I think it helps at least for tonight.  We have to be at St. Vincent's at 12 pm tomorrow for my 1 pm surgery.  I can't eat anything for 8 hours before my surgery, so guess who's getting up at 4 am to eat?!  Heck yeah!  Again, thank you for all of the prayers, gifts, cards, emails, etc.  It really makes me feel like I can do this...I will try to have my husband post for me tomorrow if I am not able to and let you all know how the surgery turned out.