Author: Michelle Beck

Michelle is out of surgery and in recovery. She is doing much better this time since it was not General Anesthesia that she had. She has had some crackers, some water. Really wants a diet coke, and is asking for pain meds right away. I talked to the Dr. and she said that it went very well and they took what they wanted to, plus just a little bit more to be sure that it was all gone.

Today’s procedure finds both Michelle and I in a much more jovial mood. We both understand more of what to expect, and what the outcome will be. I stayed with her until they wheeled her away to the OR. I may or may not have taken a picture of her all tucked in the bed. Her surgery is slated to start a little past 12:30 so very soon now. I talked to the Dr, and the films all look good. I will post an update once she is out, and I have talked to the Dr.

Today is going well so far. Had my pre op stuff done and now just waiting with my heated blanket which looks like a raft and the cool socks they give you. I think my surgery is at 12 pm, but. one of the nurses thinks it is at 1:30 pm. I am rooting for 12 pm. The hardest thing at the moment is the thirst and hunger since I could not eat or drink after midnight. I just told Nate I would give him $1,000,000 for a big diet coke with lots of ice. He said no. And I miss my kiddo.

All checked in at Good Sam for the events of the day. Let the fun begin! Actually today will not be so bad as I know what to expect and the surgery will be shorter with lighter anesthesia so less recovery time in the hospital and easier the next few days as well. One more step closer to being done!

Apparently, I have not purchased enough pink ribbon items over the last few years so I have to work a little harder during my current journey. Hold that thought. I KNOW that I have it so much easier than most breast cancer patients and I am one of the lucky ones and am so very thankful.

I am just annoyed.

I had a mammogram on Wednesday (and a very big thank you to my technician who was extra gentle to my very tender self) and the damn missing clip was found. One would think, “OH, you found something that was missing. Yay!” But, no. The biopsy clip must come out. Normally, it is removed as a part of the surgery in the tumor. I think it just liked me and wanted to stay so it hid. My Dr. says no, it has to come out. All this means that I go back in next Wednesday, 2/27 to have it removed. It will be a much easier surgery, 30 minutes and they don’t even use general anesthesia, instead using the stuff which makes you fall asleep like when you have your wisdom teeth out. I am a little nervous about this, but she promises that I won’t be awake and won’t remember anything.

They say laughter is the best medicine, but a weekend in Las Vegas is pretty good too! Thanks to my wonderful Mom for keeping J for us, Nate and I, along with our good friends, Joleine and Mike, got away for 2 days. We drank, went to the P!nk concert (amazing!!!), ate, drank, laughed, went to see Ka by Cirque de Solei (how the hell do they do all of that stuff?) and maybe drank some more.

Now we are waiting to go home and our flight is delayed. Boo. We had a great time, but I miss my kiddo and need some Jackson snuggles and am ready to go home. It seems like waiting is now what my life is and it annoys me. This week, I have a mammogram on Wednesday 2/20 to again search for the missing clip/marker which was not found on the MRI. I have an appointment with my surgeon on Friday 2/22 to go over the mammogram results. If the clip is not found on the mammogram, then I will move on to the next steps, whatever they may be with the medical oncologist. If the clip is found, it needs to be removed. If they have to go in and remove it, that will be on Wednesday 2/27. It will be a much less invasive procedure, but still surgery.

So, we got some good news. I was not expecting to hear anything until next week, but my surgeon called at 5 pm yesterday and said that there is no cancer showing in my MRI. WWWWEEEEEEEE.

Apparently though, I am still a bit of a mystery. The clip/marker which normally tags the original biopsy site is not visible on the MRI. It was not in the mass removed during surgery, so it may have been suctioned out during surgery, stuck to a piece of gauze or a surgical instrument, etc. as they are tiny. Oy. My surgeon really wants to double check to make sure the clip is gone as it may have tiny cancer cells stuck to it, so I am going in for a mammogram the week of February 18 to look for the clip another way. Another test and more waiting, but not seeing any cancer on the MRI is huge!!

I had my follow-up MRI this morning. I am very thankful for Valium. It is a beautiful thing and helps me get through it. Being slid into the tiny tube and told not to move for 30 minutes while this awful clanging is going on is just awful. Bless my son as he sat calmly and watched a movie when we got home while I rested and I was able to nap while he did later until the fog was out of my head.

Now it it back to the waiting game for the results from my surgeon. I don’t expect to hear anything until next week. Thankfully it is a kid weekend and we have lots of plans so I won’t have time to sit and worry.

The pathology results are finally in. Whew. The good news: my lymph nodes tested negative. Yay! Woohoo! The cancer has not spread out of the breast area. No CHEMO!!! I can finally make an appointment to get my hair cut and colored. The Cruella De Vil grey stripe can finally go away. I refused to go spend $$ on my hair if I had the possibility of losing it.

The Eh news: the mass which was removed does not show any cancer (it could have all been removed during the biopsy) but it also does not show the typical results of a mass which had been biopsied. The net net is that my surgeon wants me to go in for an MRI to check out the area again and see if there is cancer left behind.

So, I had my surgery post op and . . . no pathology results. BOO. They are usually back within a week and the Dr. called them this morning, but nothing yet. I am going with the no news is good news theory at this point. As opposed to the various bad news options (cancer left in the margins = more surgery or positive lymph nodes = chemo and who knows what else).
My surgeon will call as soon as the results are in.

I do have another appointment scheduled with the medical oncologist for next Wednesday morning. He is the one to help determine the next course of action once the results are in (radiation, hormone therapy, etc.). There will also be a radiation oncologist mixed up in here somehow as well. On one hand, it is a bit of a pain to see so many different doctors, but really, they are all specialists at what they do, so that is good that I am getting the best care possible.