We have a Surgery Schedule

I AM ready for the next BIG KO! Today reminded me just how confident I am in the team of physicians that are taking care of me. Dr. Silva was thrilled with the progress we made with the chemo treatments. He seemed very pleased that he could not feel or detect any lymph nodes today. He was encouraged by the shrinkage and the improved mobility of the cluster. I have always trusted his strong intuition and he indicated this is where he expected to be...he believes the invasive cancer is gone, he believes he will discover some DCIS (cancer cells inside the milk ducts that do NOT respond to chemo therapy) and some scar tissue of cells my body created in defense. We feel well prepared for the next round in the ring...surgery.

Surgery will consist of a lumpectomy and removal of lymph nodes...yes, a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy. The chemo did work because lumpectomy would not have been a choice if I had surgery in August. Dr. Silva is a huge advocate of conserving the breast. Surgery is scheduled for Friday, January 15, 2010. Dr. Silva will perform the surgery on an outpatient basis. They will take a mammogram and run several tests of the cluster that Dr. Silva removes to ensure they have removed all the damaged cells. The lymph nodes will be tested as well. I will have a drainage tube for a week after the surgery. Once I am completely healed after surgery, I will begin radiation treatments. As of yet, I do not know any specifics about the number and frequency of the radiation.

We discussed several things today, and again, I am reassured that my physicians have similar philosophies and care patterns. I will be talking to Dr. AJ about joining a trial/study for breast cancer survivors. I will start taking a hormone suppressor and Dr. Silva hopes to keep me in menopause which will offer me better protection against recurrence and against the spread of cancer because my cancer is estrogen receptor positive. Dr. Silva seemed impressed that I was able to complete my chemo treatments on the original schedule. I do feel fortunate my levels remained high enough, I did not get so sick that I could not get a treatment, I was not hospitalized, I did not have the nasty numbness and tingling from the Taxol, and I am very luck to have completed on schedule. Now, I hope my health continues in preparation for surgery next week.

This may be Too Much Information, but I simply have to share that Dan is not so thrilled about the breast conserving lumpectomy (nor the menopausal crap, either). Considering the DD bra he gave me for Christmas, I think he had high hopes that HE would get new boobs out of this deal. He's been to Hell and Back for me, with me! I think he was hoping to get some special reward, but that is not the plan!

I do have some pre-op junk to complete this week, so I hope the winter wonderland forecast cooperates and I am able to get all of that out of the way. Thanks for standing ringside with me as I continue this fight. Keep Warm! Safe Travels!