12/9/08 2nd Surgery

sorry long email

Thanks for asking so I thought I would email because i will be "loopy" after surgery today.
Peggy told me last time I emailed at 2a.m. after my first surgery. That hydrocodone is crazy stuff. I don't remember a lot of things. I guess it's good I have people around me. Who knows..I could get in my car and drive to work...ha
And Melvin said on the way home from the hospital at midnight(they wanted me stay overnite but I said no) we were first to come upon a wreck and i went to jump out(the peoples car was overturned) and he said no ...you stay here. (that was the morphine) They used jaws of life when they got there but everyone was ok later.

Monday with Dr Smith at Graves Gilbert. I was there for 2 hours and we discussed everything. First, I had a lump and 12 lymph nodes removed for testing the last time. 4 out of 12 were positive for cancer. I have the type of breast cancer called Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. And estrogen makes my cancer happy. He believes that Dr Daniel can get "clear margins"(tissue around the lump and lymph node area) today and I will not need a third surgery which would mean mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.
I will need chemo first then radiation and hormone therapy together. I don't know how long for each but chemo every other week and radiation daily. It will last through summer and I should be done by fall. I am not at low or high risk but moderate. I will start chemo after recovery from todays surgery...if I don't need a third(+ and pray). I am suppose to ask my surgeon today about a port for my chemo treatments. It's inserted in the chest wall and they will not have to find a vein each time. The chemo gets in the blood stream faster because it is near the heart or something. The port will not be inserted today.

So....I pray that Fridays results will be no more surgery. If I have to then ok but I just don't like the drainage tube.
I'm ok..this is what I have and this is what I have to do. I think it will take 3 wks for my feeling to come back in my arm and I hope to be back at work the first week of January =). And then I will work around my chemo.(hint, hint, Jeremy and Mindy)

Oh, my surgeon is Dr Daniel in BG and he did Nicks surgery in 91 when he was a month old and he removed a fibroid lump for me in 94. He prayed before surgery then and he still does. I am thankful for him too and wanted to share that in case you ever need a surgeon.

I need to be there at 1 today....and I'm ok.
Love to all,
Teressa