Sorry
I've been MIA the last couple of weeks - it's been crazy and chaotic, as you
can well imagine. I'll try to recap as best I can...
Update on my situation:
I went on December 8th for my ultrasound and mammogram. When the breast
surgeon sent the RX over, they only wanted to have the u/s and mammo done on
the left side. However, the folks at Valley Radiology were adamant that
we should do both, which I felt much more comfortable with.
I went in, not sure what to expect - I've spoken with folks that have horror
stories about their mammograms, and (as always) went in expecting the worst,
esp b/c I'm not exactly well endowed. However, I have to say that the
tests were both easy, painless, and quick. I went in for the mammogram
first, and while it isn't something I'd like to have happen daily, it was a
fairly easy test. The mammo tech was funny when I mentioned how easy the
test is - she reminded me that, compared to having a camera stuck up your rear
end yearly, a mammo WOULD seem easy! :)
I then went into the u/s room, and the tech was great, showing me what she was
seeing on the screen, and explaining the difference between breast tissue,
muscle, and skin. Very cool, since the only u/s I've ever paid attention
to was when I was pregnant - thankfully, she didn't see any babies!
LOL!
Now, par for the course with me, this test was not without an unusual
result. The u/s tech seemed to concentrate on a particular area of my
right breast (not the one with the lump...), and after she left to examine the
pictures in more detail, they took me in for another mammogram picture. I
was, obviously, VERY nervous at the time. All I kept thinking was, I came
in for the left, they found cancer in the right, and I'm done for.
*sigh* Luckily, the mammo tech was smart enough to realize that the area
of concern was in the same region as my port scar, and marked the scar with
something to differentiate the scar tissue from the breast tissue. And,
thankfully, the area of concern ended up being built-up scar tissue, and
nothing more. They sent me home with my pictures and a note deeming me
normal (how funny!).
On the way home, I was flipping through the radio stations and, appropriately
enough, the song "If You're Going Through Hell" by
Rodney Atkins came on. You may remember that this song was very
popular the summer I was going through chemo, and became my rally cry. It
seemed perfect that this song came on right after I went through all of
this. Again, amazing things happen when you least expect
them.
So, all in all, I'm back to being cancer-free, far as we know. January
will bring another PET scan and more worrying until I get the test
results. Hoping for good news.
December 13th was my two-year mark for the end of my chemotherapy. Hard
to imagine where I am now, as compared to two years ago. I worked out
with my trainer that night, and pushed harder than I have before. It
helps, having the comparison and the history to help me get through
mentally.
I posted on facebook today that my trainer helps me realize that, often, the
limitations I feel are self-imposed, and it's amazing what I can do when I
don't have the time to talk myself out of it. True in a lot of situation,
would you agree? Think about it....
Later:
Again,
apologies for being late in getting this posted. But, better late than
never!
Dad is home, recovering from his surgery, which took place last
Wednesday. He is doing well, and recovering beautifully. I don't
think he's agree with that statement, but I see improvements each day.
He's moving around better, eating well, and his mood is great.
My brother Jim and his fiancee Tom came into town on Tuesday, right before the
surgery, so they got to spend a little time with Dad before he went in.
Wednesday brought some tense moments, but the doctor is very confident that he
got all of the cancer.
The next couple of days were hard on Dad, obviously, and hard on Mom as she was
trying to juggle the boys, Dad, etc. (She's so strong and
amazing....) Friday came, and Dad was given the all clear to come
home. He's been resting at the house all weekend, and yesterday went to
the doctor's for his surgical follow-up and to get his staples out. I
think that will help in the healing process - those are NOT comfortable!
We spent most of the day on Monday at the house, and while I'm fairly certain
we wore Dad out, we all enjoyed the time we had.
Dad got confirmation yesterday that his tumor was indeed cancer, and stage
three at that. It was a shock to everyone, b/c we know from experience
how close that is to stage four. The doctor did say, with complete
confidence, that he's sure the cancer was contained and they got it all in the
surgery. There is no need for chemo or radiation, which is a
blessing. And, Dad doesn't have to go back to the drs until May, for his
6 month check-up. Truly, a Christmas miracle!
Jim and Tom leave today to head to Christmas celebration with Tom's family in
the Carribbean (nice, huh?), and I think we are all looking forward to a quiet
holiday weekend. While it's wonderful to have family in town, it's been a
week of chaos and craziness, so the downtime will be a blessing for all of
us. Levi is sick (with a cold, and he's workinng in Tucson - good times),
Mom is apparently sick (probably wore herself down with everything this week),
and I'm going to the store today to stock up on Vitamin C and other
immune-system building supplements. :)
Will update more as I have information, but for now, thanks so much for the
prayers and good thoughts. They have helped enormously, and we are all so
grateful.
Comments:
I'm
gonna ask a totally stupid question, but what do they mean by stage 3? In
lymphoma, the difference between stage 2 and stage 3 is that in stage 2, the
cancer is all on one side of the diaphragm (in my case, above), and in stage 3
it is on both sides (so in another lymph node, for example). I had assumed,
until I read this post, that that was true for all cancers, but I guess not?
Regardless, I'm glad he's doing well and the docs think they got it all — both
good news!
December
22, 2010 at 2:10 PM
