Surgery Update

From Dad,

"Our of surgery and in recovery. Dr. said all went well and found no visible cancer. Said tissue was very healthy and she should have an excellent recovery."

The King of Pop and a surgery update

Mom's in surgery at the moment. Estimated to be about 2 hours. Dad's with her and said quote "She loved the Michael Jackson meds they gave her".

Food planning

For those of you who so helpfully offering to bring meals and such to the house, someone recommended a great site, and was kind enough to set it up for us, so we can do this 21st century style (Thanks, Mrs. Elsass!). This web page shows when people have already scheduled to bring something. Please feel free to use it to find an open time to do a dinner, if you were planning on doing so, which is so very much appreciated.

http://www.foodtidings.com/SignUp.aspx?ScheduleGuid=90eb267b-bfc0-4739-8460-b2298f0dd17a

If you were looking to do that and don't want to deal with the site, go ahead and email me at jadean12@aol.com.

And if you brought a dinner 7 years ago for the last time we did this and never got your dish back, guess now's a good time to go ahead and ask!

And finally, in celebration of almost the last teeny bit of cancer leaving mom tomorrow (though the radiation will get any bits left behind) here's a little tune.

Coming up

Mom's surgery is Thursday. If I may give an emotional status update, Mom... she is doing so amazingly better than I think is humanly possible. Not to say that she is not worried/scared/uncertain. But she is handling all of those emotions with such strength. She's been so busy I think much of the feelings toward the surgery hasn't sunk in, but she's facing it with stunning bravery and resolution. I'm sure she'd love to hear from people leading up to and following the surgery as she gets used to it all and gets through those first days of uncomfortableness. We will of course keep you updated on the developments after surgery and how she is doing, so though there hasn't been much news since the end of chemo, stay tuned since things will be picking up again, unfortunately.

Prayers appreciated as always!

On to the Next Stage of Treatment

Well, the doctors finally agreed to a plan, and I am scheduled for more surgery on March 31. It's basically a repeat mastectomy, the surgeon will remove the reconstruction they did 7 years ago this month!. They will wait after radiation several months before they reconstruct the reconstruction. Not looking forward to the whole ordeal, but the doctors said this should control the cancer locally and eliminate any microscopic cancer that they can't see, so this is their best weapon for a cure. (Of course, in the back of my head I'm thinking they also told me that 7 years ago) Logically I'm ready for this, but I gotta admit when they called me with an actual surgery date, it did depress me a bit to have to go through this all again.

Not Much New.....

It's been almost 4 weeks since my last chemo, and I continue to feel good, more energetic, and happier. I started exercising again, well, OK, just a couple times, but that's a move in the right direction. I have lost 15 pounds since I started chemo, but since I'm feeling better, I'm eating more, and I'd like to keep that 15 pounds off for good. Still in a holding pattern until I see the surgeon next week and he tells me what the MRI tells him. Most of the other doctors seem to think more surgery is indicated, but the surgeon himself says "we don't do breast MRIs very often on people who have had a mastectomy" so he wanted to consult with the radiologist, so that's what I'll hear more about next week. I had originally hoped the surgery decision would be made about 3-4 weeks earlier than it WILL be made, but I guess I get a little "feel good" time in between phases of treatment, and that's not all bad.

I took Kristin's Girl Scout troop to Savannah Ga (home of Girl Scouting in the US) over the long weekend (took Becky too) and really enjoyed getting away with them, enjoying the sun and being outside a good bit, seeing the girls enjoying themselves, laughing with the other moms, and just really feeling a little better.  I got a bit more tired walking around than I remember from the last trip, but being 3 years older will do that to you too!

Last Week After!

Not a bad week. A little tired, things taste a little off, a little moody (well, Jim might say very moody, but he doesn't read this blog anyway), but not too bad, and the best part is - LAST time! I go next week for an MRI to see how things look POST-chemo, and then the next week to the surgeon to determine what's next. I still have to go back to the oncologist for a hormone therapy every 3 weeks, its an IV drip like chemo that I've already been receiving along with the chemo, and I'll continue to receive that drug every three weeks until October. But the chemo is complete, and this hormone drug doesn't have the side effects, so that phase is definitely behind me, and I am so glad! Thanks to all for your support and your prayers, and please continue to keep praying as we figure out what comes next.