It's been three weeks since the surgery and I'm doing great! I've decided I have to quit apologizing for not keeping this up.....basically I pretty much suck at it!! My goal is once a week....I'm getting closer, this is the 2nd blog this month!
Surgery was a breeze. I have amazing friends and family that came to the Piper Center just to wait with me until I went back to prep. It was a perfect diversion... they're so smart...I wasn't even thinking about why I was there. When I did go back for prep, I met the anaesthesiologist and told him I needed something for nausea, then talked incessantly to the nurse....that's what I do is talk, talk, talk, when I'm nervous. LLoyd, Mom, and Aunt Georgia came back to say by...well maybe not by..., but to wait with me. As they were leaving the anaesthesiologist came back with a little round bandage to put behind my ear for nausea..... What? I told him I needed the big guns...? I don't remember one thing after he put the little bandage on! I woke up in my room...Lloyd was making sure the nurse knew they were to let me stay as long as I needed....whether the insurance said I could or not. I woke up saying...oh, don't mind him...he's kinda gruff on the outside, but really fuzzy on the inside!! The nurse liked me immediately. The nurses at the Piper Center were awesome, even so, my poor mom slept on an expanda-chair and tended to my every need. When Toni, the day nurse, came back in the morning, she said...."There's no way anyone will let you stay another night. You're getting around and looking to good to stay". So... they sent us home with Valium, Vicadin, an antibiotic, and four drains. Drains are.....icky.. that's the only word I think I should type. I had to wear this lovely camisole thingy with pockets to carry around gunk my body was discharging through little tubes into these little grenade looking things. The first week, my mom had to empty them twice a day.. ...her facial expression demonstrated the fact that she feels the same way as I do about drains!! That week is now kind of a blur, I think I pretty much stayed in bed and my mom waited on me. I'm positive she was pretty much sick of me by the end of the week. I think the drains were the most disturbing part of the whole surgery thing to me. I got two out the first week and the other two the following week. I have to wear this really ugly granny bra 24/7 for.....who knows....I still have it on! Dr. Gawley said everything went well and looks great. He put 300ccs in the expanders during surgery. I guess that's normally not done, normally that would take two "fills".....I guess that's what you call it??... When I went to Dr Freedman, my favorite surgeon, he said the surgery went great, the lump was considerably smaller than it was before chemo. He took out 12 lymph nodes and only 2 were positive. All good news...we already knew the lymph nodes were affected but are pretty sure we got it all. I will have to get radiation, basically as a precaution. When he did his exam he said that every thing looked really good....no .... I mean it, he emphasized...I've seen a lot of this and this looks great!...Okay...really...do you know how hard I had to bite my tongue to not say..."hmp...maybe you should consider NOT sending people to Dr. Scissor Hands with the Lips!!!
The radiation doctor, ....I'm not sure what the official title is....but Dr Kuske, is a leader in the field...He wrote the book on radiation...even if he does say so himself!! Lol! Actually, he is awesome and I think he really did write the book! I like him and his staff a lot. He squeezed me in before the week of Christmas so I wouldn't have to wait till next year....something my "best friend", Dr Meng would never think of. I haven't seen her since October.... He, Dr Kuske, was super kind and took all the time we needed. The only thing I didn't love is that he loves Dr Meng, but he and my GP both said it's not a good idea to switch mid treatment and she's good at what she does.... Soooo, here's the scoop. I meet with Dr. Meng Monday, the 3rd. I should start chemo as soon as possible. I'll do 4 treatments, one every three weeks. A week and a half to two weeks after my last chemo, I'll go see Dr Kuske. It will take him about 10 days to set up the radiation protocol, then I'll get radiation 5 days a week for 6 1/2 weeks. I figure that I'll be done around May, at which time we will have a "WooHoo, I'm Going to Live" party! Dr Gawley won't exchange my expanders for the implants for a year after we complete the radiation. I saw him today. He, again, said everything looks great and that I'm healing fast. He put more fluid in the expanders. Everyone has told me it feels like an elephant sitting on your chest. I don't know what I'm going to feel like tomorrow, but now, it just feels like I had a good pec work out. I told him the whole schedule with the chemo and radiation, but said we might have to shorten the year because I want the new girls by my 50th birthday! He was sure we can work it out! Hmm, I sense another party....that is if I'm not at Mardi Gra....I've had to flash my chest to so many times to so many people I might as well get a bunch of bling in the form of beads for it!!
Hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas!!! I finally got a few cards out this year....I buy them every year, so I basically had a whole hallmark drawer to pick from.... If you didn't get one, please send me your address....I've got my mac all set up for next year! Okay,... maybe I do have a little to much time on my hands! Let's all pray for a Healthy, Happy, Awesome 2011! That's what I'm wishing for all of you!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Who is that Hormonal Beast?
I did it again....Now there is ssssoooo much that has gone on I don't even know where to start!! I have really good intentions to keep this up....and really have no excuses,.... but... I'm going with my brain is some foreign mass in my head. To complete a whole thought is the ultimate accomplishment, and if I don't write things down the second it enters this mass then it dissipates. It won't be back for hours...If at all!! I think I'll just hit the high points.
Monday, the 15th. I met with Dr. Freedman, my surgeon. He is by far my favorite Dr. ... He never searches through your chart while talking to you, gives you all the info you need then says "it's your decision".... What a concept. We got things buttoned up for surgery. All I need now is a plastic surgeon!! I keep hearing awesome things about Dr. Gawley.
Tuesday, the 16th was an amazing day. My mom had talked with Dr. Fountis (Sophia) at the Greek Festival....They talked about all of us going to Saint Anthony's Monastery in Florence. When I talked to Sophia, we decided that the week of the 15th would be a good time to go. That was a month ago and I hadn't though of it again (refer to paragraph one!) Monday night she called and said we were going on Tuesday! Oops! So, after I cancelled my Dr. appointment for the day and met Sophia, we drove to Florence. It was just the two of us .... my communication skills obviously should not be classified as skills...because my mom couldn't get away last minute. On the way there, Sophia told me all about the monastery and the monks...I really had no idea what to expect. It took a year before she got in to see Elder Ephraim....that must not have registered, because I knew I was going to get to see him and surely embarrass myself! Sophia always bought a book at the bookstore when she went in and consequently learned a lot in a year. I had the best time getting to know her. She is so kind and easy to talk to. She has taken several people to the monastery and has witnessed many miracles. The monastery is an oasis in the dessert. It's beautiful, lush, and one of the most tranquil places I've ever been. We went to wait to be seen by Elder Ephraim. While waiting, a bus full of Canadian Greeks arrived. Let's just say it was quite amusing and I was really glad I had my evil eye bracelet in my pocket when I was the third or fourth person in! Elder Ephraim looks like light. I don't even know how to explain it. He has light dancing in his eyes. He doesn't speak English and I forgot every Greek word I ever knew the second I sat down..... I was just smiling...kinda like an imbecile....Sophia was translating and when he asked me why I was there I said I didn't know!?? Despite myself, he said a prayer over me, I was forgiven for all my sins and he gave me his prayer rope....right off his wrist! I was truly honored and didn't feel worthy, but really didn't understand the magnitude of the simple act. Sophia was crying, I thought he gave it to me because she had brought me there and he obviously loves her, but she said she had never seen him do that before. It's like having a holy relic. The other day I almost had a heart attack because I accidentally wore it in the shower! I truly feel blessed and can't thank Sophia enough for the experience and her kindness. I'm still not really sure why he gave me his prayer rope, but I do know that if a day goes by that I don't use it, I feel REALLY guilty!!
Friday, the 19th, I went and saw TJ, Dr Meng's assistant. I did a little (or maybe a lot of) complaining. I just appreciate people who walk their talk and don't really care for people who don't... I wasn't looking for a best friend, just an oncologist. I don't want to deal with wondering if I'm getting the right information. TJ is awesome and gets the whole walk/talk thing...he's my new contact. I'll try not to drive him crazy. All in all we have some great results. The chemo is really working. The original size of "my lump" was 4.8 cm and now it's 10 mm. That's better than normal results, so things are looking great. My hemoglobin was really low so now I get a new super stingy shot to try and raise it. Evidently there's a reason I've been such a slug!...More good news!
Tuesday, the 23rd I met Dr. Gawley. I love him and his office staff. My mom even loves him!! He went over all the steps, showed me what things will look like, what's possible and what's not. What a concept! AND there will be minimal scarring...kinda like what a plastic surgeon would do!!! So, I don't really know what the heck has happened since then...It's all kind of hazy. Surgery is on the 7th...Yikes, that happens to only be 3 days away. We put up the Christmas Tree up over the weekend. Today I went and got all the "paraphernalia" I'll need. I got my prescriptions filled, I might test the vicadin just to make sure it works! Other than that, I'm not really sure what else I need to do. I feel like I have all this stuff to do, but don't really know what to do?a lot, but not on anything productive or Christmassy...as in presents. I'm really cranky and hermity ...I'm not sure why anyone would want to spend any time here, but I'm mad at everyone for not coming by....I want people to call, but don't want to talk to anyone!!! What the heck! I've turned into a hormonal beast! So, sorry if anyone has seen this ugly beast emerge. I'm working on getting it under control.....Will write again when I come out of my surgery coma!!
Monday, the 15th. I met with Dr. Freedman, my surgeon. He is by far my favorite Dr. ... He never searches through your chart while talking to you, gives you all the info you need then says "it's your decision".... What a concept. We got things buttoned up for surgery. All I need now is a plastic surgeon!! I keep hearing awesome things about Dr. Gawley.
Tuesday, the 16th was an amazing day. My mom had talked with Dr. Fountis (Sophia) at the Greek Festival....They talked about all of us going to Saint Anthony's Monastery in Florence. When I talked to Sophia, we decided that the week of the 15th would be a good time to go. That was a month ago and I hadn't though of it again (refer to paragraph one!) Monday night she called and said we were going on Tuesday! Oops! So, after I cancelled my Dr. appointment for the day and met Sophia, we drove to Florence. It was just the two of us .... my communication skills obviously should not be classified as skills...because my mom couldn't get away last minute. On the way there, Sophia told me all about the monastery and the monks...I really had no idea what to expect. It took a year before she got in to see Elder Ephraim....that must not have registered, because I knew I was going to get to see him and surely embarrass myself! Sophia always bought a book at the bookstore when she went in and consequently learned a lot in a year. I had the best time getting to know her. She is so kind and easy to talk to. She has taken several people to the monastery and has witnessed many miracles. The monastery is an oasis in the dessert. It's beautiful, lush, and one of the most tranquil places I've ever been. We went to wait to be seen by Elder Ephraim. While waiting, a bus full of Canadian Greeks arrived. Let's just say it was quite amusing and I was really glad I had my evil eye bracelet in my pocket when I was the third or fourth person in! Elder Ephraim looks like light. I don't even know how to explain it. He has light dancing in his eyes. He doesn't speak English and I forgot every Greek word I ever knew the second I sat down..... I was just smiling...kinda like an imbecile....Sophia was translating and when he asked me why I was there I said I didn't know!?? Despite myself, he said a prayer over me, I was forgiven for all my sins and he gave me his prayer rope....right off his wrist! I was truly honored and didn't feel worthy, but really didn't understand the magnitude of the simple act. Sophia was crying, I thought he gave it to me because she had brought me there and he obviously loves her, but she said she had never seen him do that before. It's like having a holy relic. The other day I almost had a heart attack because I accidentally wore it in the shower! I truly feel blessed and can't thank Sophia enough for the experience and her kindness. I'm still not really sure why he gave me his prayer rope, but I do know that if a day goes by that I don't use it, I feel REALLY guilty!!
Friday, the 19th, I went and saw TJ, Dr Meng's assistant. I did a little (or maybe a lot of) complaining. I just appreciate people who walk their talk and don't really care for people who don't... I wasn't looking for a best friend, just an oncologist. I don't want to deal with wondering if I'm getting the right information. TJ is awesome and gets the whole walk/talk thing...he's my new contact. I'll try not to drive him crazy. All in all we have some great results. The chemo is really working. The original size of "my lump" was 4.8 cm and now it's 10 mm. That's better than normal results, so things are looking great. My hemoglobin was really low so now I get a new super stingy shot to try and raise it. Evidently there's a reason I've been such a slug!...More good news!
Tuesday, the 23rd I met Dr. Gawley. I love him and his office staff. My mom even loves him!! He went over all the steps, showed me what things will look like, what's possible and what's not. What a concept! AND there will be minimal scarring...kinda like what a plastic surgeon would do!!! So, I don't really know what the heck has happened since then...It's all kind of hazy. Surgery is on the 7th...Yikes, that happens to only be 3 days away. We put up the Christmas Tree up over the weekend. Today I went and got all the "paraphernalia" I'll need. I got my prescriptions filled, I might test the vicadin just to make sure it works! Other than that, I'm not really sure what else I need to do. I feel like I have all this stuff to do, but don't really know what to do?a lot, but not on anything productive or Christmassy...as in presents. I'm really cranky and hermity ...I'm not sure why anyone would want to spend any time here, but I'm mad at everyone for not coming by....I want people to call, but don't want to talk to anyone!!! What the heck! I've turned into a hormonal beast! So, sorry if anyone has seen this ugly beast emerge. I'm working on getting it under control.....Will write again when I come out of my surgery coma!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)