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Showing posts from March, 2025

Lymph Node Surgery & Recovery, Plus the Pathology Result

I had my lymph node dissection on Friday, March 7. After the double mastectomy in September, when the pathology report came back, they realized the tumor was much bigger than originally thought and therefore I had no clear margins. My surgeon said she would need to go back in for the lymph node surgery just to be sure. My medical oncologist suggested they do the chemotherapy first to give my body some time to heal and that's how we've traveled this path in the way that we have.  We got to the hospital on Friday at 8:30 am, preparing for a 10:30 am surgery. My surgeon is VERY detailed and meticulous though so the surgery before mine went longer than expected and I don't think they wheeled me in until about 1:30 or so.  Around 11 am or so they did give me the nerve block which I will reiterate is the best thing ever. Firstly they give you the joy juice which knocks me right out and thus I have no idea what they are doing, which is just fine with me! I woke up afterward and wa...

An Ode to Jeff

 I have said many, many times on this cancer journey that Jeff deserves a high five and at least a million dollars. I stand by that. Since 2010, he has been on a mental health journey with me that he did not ask to be on. I cannot even count how many times I have told my therapist that I don't know if I would be strong enough to support someone on a mental health journey the way he has supported me on mine. When I'm really down, I'm not a very nice person to be around. I can totally fake it until I make it at work and professionally, but at home during those times? Yeah. Not pleasant. At all. And there are times I have lashed out at Jeff and put expectations upon him that I know now were completely a) unfair and b) unrealistic. And what does he do? He just keeps pushing forward; he holds my hand (literally and metaphorically) when I need it, helps me get myself back to Rationale Raye and just keeps on keeping on. He's the stability I never had as a child. My parents liv...