really good news

well, i'm back.
this whole typing with my left hand isn't that cool...but at least i'm sitting up now.

yesterday was a day full of good news.

i qualified to have the drain, that eric so lovingly described, taken out!! once it's draining less and less, it can go. which, thank god!! that was a really disgusting part of this whole lovely process. so my parents and i drove to kaiser, got that taken out.

then, ss we were all finishing dinner, dr. haun called with the pathology report from the surgery. some poor soul's job is to look through the parts of people that get taken off...to evaluate what was going on in there. yuck.

so. very good news:
1) the lymph node was officially negative for cancer. i'm still trying to get clear on all of this...but i believe that means that it's almost official that cancer did not travel to the rest of my body.

2) dr. haun was able to get very good margins around the cancer areas - 8mm. which means that it's very likely i will not need radiation.

3) the cancer is still registering that it's estrogen/progesterone receptor positive. which is a good thing. this means that the cancer was fueled by estrogen. which means if i take an estrogen blocker, it'll help starve any cancer that's left over.


all of this is very good news. i'm still feeling very cautious about getting too happy or relieved, though. i still have questions about my treatment. and until those are answered (when i meet with oncology), i'm going to be a little on edge. i'm still so worried i'll have to have chemotherapy.

and in terms of how i feel?
let's see...the nurse yesterday asked me if i could touch the top of my head with my right hand. nope.
i have all these stretches and exercises to do that hurt...and also really stretch me emotionally. like standing facing a corner, putting both of my forearms against the walls, the leaning towards the corner. someone has GOT to be kidding me with that one. no way can i do that.

i also just still have pain, twinges, stinging feelings around the incisions. and i'm still taking vicodin, which is helping a lot.

so...that's the update directly from the invalid herself.

now i have a follow up appointment with the surgeon next thursday.
sometime soon i have my first oncology appointment to talk about treatment options.

so...although we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the node is negative and all the other good things...there are still some potentially difficult things to come. i guess that's what i'm feeling now - SOME relief, but still holding back so much waiting for the treatment.

xo