December 2010

Sorry it has been so long since I've updated this blog. The past couple of months have been very busy but that's no excuse - I should have posted earlier! I know that many of you have been wondering how I've been doing.

I had my surgery on September 20th. I had a double mastectomy and a complete hysterectomy and eupherectomy (ovaries removed). Everything went well and I recovered very well. Todd took vacation time and took very good care of me while I recovered. I will admit that my appearance was quite a shock to me once the bandages came off. I will have reconstructive surgery sometime but not sure if it will be in 2011 or 2012. I haven't quite decided on my plastic surgeon yet.

Anyway, back to the surgery results - my surgeon called me a few days after my surgery and told me that the pathology report came back completely clean - no cancer left at all in any of the tissue removed! There was evidence that the cancer had been there, but it was all gone! Yay! Praise the Lord! The pathologist even called her to verify that I really had had cancer at all! My surgeon said that it is uncommon to have a complete pathological response like I did. I know that it's my miracle from the Lord! Even though there was no cancer left, they still wanted me to have radiation. So, from November 10th to December 20th I drove 40 minutes away to St. Vincent's Medical Center every weekday. The appointment only took about 10 minutes each day. The long commute was the most taxing part. My skin did really well and my radiation doctor was amazed that my skin didn't burn (until the last week it when it finally burned). But I told him that it's because I had been praying that my skin wouldn't have a bad reaction. His only response was that praying certainly couldn't hurt anything! I wonder what he really believes.

Anyway, I'm so glad that radiation is over - what a great Christmas present to me - to have all of this behind me - except for the reconstruction of course. I will see my chemo doctor every 3 months and I will also be checking in with my surgeon and the radiation doctor as well periodically so they will all be keeping a close eye on me for awhile. I also have been seeing a physical therapist who specializes in breast cancer patients - she helps so that I won't get lymphedema in my arm because I had quite a few lymph nodes removed so my chances of getting lymphedema are greater. And she helped me to gain back mobility in my arm.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and words of encouragement and for those of you that brought us meals or flowers or gifts. I appreciate all of you and know that I can't ever repay you for everything you have done for me. I wish that I could! I am so blessed!

I pray that the Lord will bless all of you in the coming year!
Love,
Linda