Ninja Lymph Nodes

Does anyone know a good plastic surgeon??

It's time to really start looking at what my "options" are.

Last week I had my mastectomy surgery, or as my five year old puts it (skip if you are sensitive) I had my boob cut off. He wants to know if I get it back any time soon. Gosh, I hope not.

The surgery went well. I had a great team working on me. From the pre-op nurse to the General Surgery recovery floor nurses. With one exception but I'm not going to dwell on that. (my nurses were all great it was the anesthesiologist that was...less than cordial) My surgeon is hilarious. He talks twice as fast as you can listen, even when you aren't sedated, so his next-day visit in my hospital room was really funny. After I had general anesthesia, morphine and two pain pills he came and very quickly pointed at different spots with instructions for each area. I looked up at him and said, "Huh?" My nurse laughed and said she'd write everything down before I left.

When I woke up after surgery I noticed I wrapped VERY tightly with an Ace bandage. My right breast was practically touching my nose. (exaggeration) It really felt like a push-up ace bandage.

I have two drains still inserted on my left side about 6 inches below my armpit. It's like have an irritated sliver and no way to relieve it. It's just THERE. There's no comfort level for them, either. You can't sit a certain way or hold your arm a certain way to get any relief. My pain pills were making me sick and I thought at least one of the drains was going to be taken out yesterday at my follow-up appointment so I was just trying to power through. There's still too much fluid being drained so we're trying again for Monday. Knowing I had to wait that long I asked for different pains pills, he prescribed Percocet. They provided some much needed relief and much needed sleep.

He also told me a few details about my surgery. First, he couldn't find any of the tumor. This means the chemotherapy got rid of the entire thing. It was the size of a softball so that's saying a lot. He told me after the pathology was completed on the lymph nodes and the breast tissue that it was all cancer free. (yippee!!!) And the strangest thing he told me was that there was evidence in the nodes that I had previous bouts of cancer. There was scar tissue left behind. My good little ninja nodes had kicked those cancer cells' hineys at least twice before! He also put me on two antibiotics as there was evidence of an infection brewing. He said after chemo and being in a hospital with a bunch of sick people it's best to have that extra protection because I can't really fight off big infections right now. CLEARLY he didn't remember my ninja nodes, ok maybe they need some help.

I haven't had much appetite since the surgery so trying to find something that looks good and could taste good hasn't come together yet. I'm not allowed to "diet" to lose weight so I'm supposed to have high calorie foods to keep my body fed and happy so it can get better. Then he followed up with, "anything you can eat and keep down is good"

One last thing. My sweet friend Heidi K came to visit on Tuesday. She just got back from a month long trip to Zambia with the Mothers Without Borders group. Her stories will make you cry. She called me a little while after she left and offered to have her cleaning lady come help me with the house. Now, remember, we only moved in a month ago and there are half empty boxes all over the house. I haven't had the energy to get a lot done and I have even less now. So I told her I would love that and if she just could do the kitchen and bathrooms that would be great. Maria came yesterday at 2 and five hours later mopped her way out the front door. OH MY GOODNESS. I couldn't have accomplished in a month what she did in those 5 hours. She started with stripping the beds and did the entire house. She has an amazing talent for taking all the half empty boxes and organizing them in a manner that makes it look like you're going through them systematically. Which, of course, we are. So, if you are in need of a F A B U L O U S cleaning lady (and you live in Reno) let me know, I'll give you her number.

Well, it's time for another pain pill and I don't dare write while I'm under their influence.

I'm going to let my Ninja Nodes get some rest.

Keep the Faith

7/11 Free Slurpee Day....for some

It is true that an illness like cancer will test your faith. And just about every other emotion and thought you have. It does change your life, but mostly in ways you never imagined.

Personally, I've never been so sick and so blessed at the same time. One of my favorite blogs to read is "But Doctor I Hate Pink" (www.butdoctorihatepink.com). Ann describes side effects I'm too embarrassed to mention even though most cancer patients endure them. Truly, you don't want to know. She survived breast cancer and is now fighting liver cancer....ya, she's a fighter.

In the months I've been through chemotherapy and now heading into surgery, we have been abundantly cared for and loved by friends, family, church members, and total strangers. And I only tell you this because today I got to give back just a small portion of what was done for us. I debated telling this, and please understand I am not bragging. It just felt good to be able to give back.

Hannah needed an xray on her elbow that we thought she broke while we were moving. After the appointment and at the end of a very long day we stopped at a 7-11 for a free slurpee. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon. As I got out of the suburban with Ethan (5) I was approached by a young man who wanted to know if he could wash the windows on it in exchange for some food from the store. Not thinking I just said, "Oh, I think the windows are all right but thank you." Ethan and I went in and got our free slurpees. But I couldn't get that request out of my mind. It's different that he asked for food instead of money.

As we left the store he was still sitting on his bucket I asked if he had eaten anything that day. He said, "No". I told him to hang on, we'd get him somthing to eat. He looked surprised and told me thank you, that he had been yelled at all day. As I walked back in with him I told him to get whatever he wanted. (After all, how expensive can 7-11 get??) He ordered two steak tacquitos and I encouraged him to get something to drink and that he should at least get a cookie or some chips or an ice cream. He got an ice cream. While he was getting his food I noticed at least 20-25 more people come in the store for free slurpees and in the middle of all this noise I heard a little voice in my head start reciting the story of the Good Samaratin.

We walked out and he thanked me again. Said he was sorry. I told him not to be sorry and that in the last 8 months my family had been blessed so much by the many kindnesses from so many people that it felt right to do something for him. He smiled and sipped away at his drink.

Later tonight we got a call that Hannah's elbow is not broken....

Surgery is next week on the 19th. And I know that my family will be watched over and taken care of by family, friends, church members and total strangers, yet again.

Keep the Faith