Post Surgery: September 3, 2005

I was scheduled for out-patient surgery on Wednesday, 8/31 to :

• remove irregular tissue from my left breast
• remove the additional cancer in my right breast
• biopsy an enlarged lymph node in my right breast

Just before surgery, I had my 3rd MRI so the doc could insert wires that would guide the surgeon where to operate. The nice thing was that the MRI scanner used on this visit was an open tube so I didn't panic, like I did during the first MRI scan in the closed tube. In addition to the MRI, I had a mammogram prior to surgery.

For the real bad news:
The enlarged node was indeed positive for cancer cells, so additional tissue including the nodes were removed for further dissection, so I was kept overnite with a drain inserted (will have until next week).

I'll have to admit, after sampling several local hospitals, Stanford's one of my favorites.. the food wasn't the greatest (except the fruit!!!) but the room was nice & QUIET (esp. for a hospital)..
My next appointment is scheduled for Thursday, 9/8.. with all hopes I will receive the pathology results from surgery.

A more tiny bad news:
The results from my CT Scan came back with mixed results.. my liver is fine, but they saw some "tiny" flecks on my lungs. I need to reconnect with my oncologist, but from the sounds of it, they will take a "wait & see" approach since the spots were very tiny.

And it gets worse yet:
To make things more interesting, this afternoon I was in a car accident. I was hit from the rear & pushed into the car in front of me.. the damage appeared minor to my car, until I tried to drive.. the tail pipe was pushed into the tire, so it had to be towed. The guy who hit me had much more damage, his entire hood buckled along with his side fenders. The Mercedes SUV I was pushed into seemed to have minor bumper damage (comparable to my front end). There were no injuries reported at the scene.

But!
I am strong. And I know that "This too, shall pass."

Keep in Touch!!!
I know I haven't been the best at reaching out, I have been pretty overwhelmed, managing all that's involved with a cancer diagnosis. I really appreciate those of you who have contacted me, it means more than words can express to feel how much you care.