Update on my Journey

Good Afternoon! I decided I was feeling well enough to update you on the progress of my journey. Firstly however I need to make a disclaimer I have received some feedback about me doing this blog. " your just trying to get sympathy "your not the only woman to have breast cancer" I just want to say, if you don't want to hear about my journey then go visit another blog or don't read my story. I am not trying to bring anyone down, or to gain sympathy, everyone has a story. I am doing this as a way for me to heal. By processing my journey on this blog it makes the journey a little less lonely. I also it will help make someone else who is going through a similar journey feel less alone. Now the Update I went for my pre operation testing last Friday and my Surgery was this past Monday. The surgery went well without complications. I was at the hospital by 7:30 am to start my pre admission process. The first step was to go to the radiology department where they injected my breast with radioactive dye. The technician explained the process. He stated the doctor would give me a local anesthetic to numb the area before he injected the dye. He did , this was the first needle involved for the day. Then he explained that when the doctor injected the dye it would burn. It did. He stated the burning was caused by the fat being separated from the other tissue. To the best of my knowledge, the purpose of the dye injection was to provide my surgeon a map to my lymph nodes. After the dye was injected, I was then transported by my hubby to the woman's center for a mammogram. They proceeded to squash my already sore breast like a pancake. Because I am a member of the itty bitty tittie committee, they had a hard time doing the mammogram. The second part to the mammogram was to once again use a needle to numb my breast just to insert another more permanent needle. Once this needle was inserted it stayed there and I was transported back to the hospital, with a Styrofoam cup over the needle that was inserted into my breast. I was then taken back to radiolgy where the technician spent about an hour taking pictures of the needle attached. I was then transported back to the pre surgery room where the heart monitor and the oxygen finger thing was attached. They also inserted an iv which again was another needle stick. I waited to be rolled back for my surgery. I waited and waited for about four hours with this needle in my breast. The nurse finally told me I had missed my surgery time because the previous processes took so long. The doctor came in also and told me he had an emergency he had to help with which also delayed my surgery. Finally I was taken back to the surgery room. The only thing I remember there was they put me on a table and told me they were giving me medication. I was gone. I came through the surgery just fine. The problem I had was waking up from the anesthesia. That took me about three or four hours per my husbands report. I always have difficulty waking up after surgery so this was no surprise. The doctor came in and talked to me. He stated he has removed some parts of the lymph nodes or the whole node I do not know for sure. He stated the hospital testing did not indicate any cancer in the lymph nodes, They are sending it out to another lab for her testing to be sure. He stated he made sure he got a large area around the cancer and the cancer itself. He allowed me to come home since he did not have to place a drain. I came home to recover. I did not go back to work until this morning. That was a mistake. I had to leave by noon because I was just not doing well at all. A lot of pain and still very weak. I go back to see him on November 5 th. I will get the results of the other test of the lymph nodes. He does not think there is anything to worry about, he just wanted to be sure. I guess I will learn the next step to this journey then. I tell you my friends, I have been truly blessed. This could have been so much more worse. I have a sweet doctor who I work with that is now probably going to die from this terrible disease. She has a very aggressive kind and really giving the battle of her life. You probably noticed the rainbow in the photo above. This photo was taken that Friday that I did my pre admission work. I went to work that morning and this is what I saw as I got out of my car. Rainbows and lets me know he is walking this journey with me. Continue to pray for me and every woman who is suffering from this disease.