Surgery update & changes...

I am in the process of "organizing" again for my last round of chemo.  I had really good news about surgery today and wanted to share.  

I am currently scheduled to have two surgeries on March 3rd - a mastectomy and a right axillary dissection.  I have been quite concerned about having my lymph nodes removed (right axillary dissection).  Although the secondary cancer was found in my axilla lymph node(s), the primary tumor is in my right breast.  Removal of the lymph nodes if often for diagnostic purposes to determine whether chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy will happen.  I am already finishing up chemotherapy and in the process of scheduling radiation therapy this Spring.  There is a very good chance that if I had this surgery - followed by radiation therapy (which was the plan) within 5 years I will start to have long term mobility issues in my right arm.

So, I scheduled an appointment with my surgeon for next week (just in case we needed to change what surgeries we are doing) and met with my oncologist today.  I prepared my arguments against having this surgery and hoped to be convinced otherwise or confirmed in my own assessment.

My oncologist listened to me as he was looking through my chart then looked up and asked me to stop talking.  "My turn to talk" he said.  He then explained that he agreed that I shouldn't be having this surgery.  The lymph nodes that were cancerous have shrunk and are not detectable by touch.  My MRI in December reported that surgery had removed the nodes (radiologist assessing the images assumed surgery had already taken place as there was such a marked difference).  Chemotherapy is doing what it should and Radiation will "mop up" any possible stray cancer cells and deal with them.

So, I will still have a mastectomy on my right breast, but I will not have the second surgery as well.  To be honest it was this other surgery that I was more concerned about, as the mobility issues can be quite severe and they are for life.

A breast, frankly, can be reconstructed.  That I can live with.

Pausing...

Celebrating Matthew's 40th B-Day with Tina

I am sitting in Starbucks with a good drink, good music and catching up on some work.  I realize that there are few days when I have the energy and drive to get a significant amount of work done.  I miss this.  I am plugging away and looking forward to different or renewed rhythms in the coming weeks and months.

We had a visit from Tina (Matthew's sister) last week and enjoyed both the distraction and a chance to visit with her.  Tina is "good people" and we had some enjoyable down time together.

I am winding up this week as I feel the need to be productive and tackle as much as I can for work and home before my final chemo treatment next week.  I have surgery scheduled for 10 days after my last chemo - so don't expect to be "well" again till mid March or later.

I am ready to have the chemotherapy behind me.  

Sunny Vancouver

Family at the Sea Wall in West Vancouver

It is Tuesday morning and I am getting prepared for chemo treatment #5 today.  Matthew is home as Maddie is sick, so it is a bit of a busier house this morning.  I am feeling the anti-nausea drugs start to relax me already and to be frank the sunshine helps as I get ready.  It always helps here in Vancouver.

We had a beautiful sunny day on Sunday.  Finding a parking spot near the beach was worse than the mall at Christmas as everyone was out walking and enjoying the day.  We joined my Mom & Dad and Max the puppy on a family walk.

I am feeling the increased impact of the drugs as we get closer to the end of my chemo.  I do not recover as quickly and I feel weaker each time.  I am still getting back to 70% or so in the last week, but it is still a slow climb.  I met with the plastic surgeon and my oncologist yesterday, so all is on track with surgery March 3rd, and radiation following my recovery.

Maddie & SJ at the beach

Ethan and I did a presentation on Cancer & My Family for his Grade 4 class this week.  This was a great time for he and I to create some presentation slides, do a little research, and talk a fair bit about our family experience and what we would share with his class.  Ethan does a fair bit of his processing out loud so this was a helpful way for him to gain a bit more understanding and reflection on what is going on in our family.  My dad was home, so he came along and video taped the presentation.  Ethan was thrilled to have this "feature" in his class and have his Mom and Grandad at school with him.

I spent a few days at InspireHealth - an Integrated Cancer Care Centre here in Vancouver last week.  It is the only centre of its kind in Canada and I met people from across the country looking at complementary cancer treatments.  It was quite a learning experience and I look forward to continuing my learning and involvement with this group.