Another Doctor's Appointment and Pathology Results

Well, considering everything that's happened in the last few weeks, I think today's doctor's appointment went well. He said that the lumpectomy was successful in removing the tumor and that they got clean margins...yay, no more work on my little boob! The lymph nodes though are another story. I will go in tomorrow at 9:15 AM (Gwinnett Medical Center - Day surgery) for a Right Axillary Node Dissection. He'll remove as many nodes as he needs to (he said it all depends on the patient, how the nodes appear, etc) and this time they will put in drains. They may keep me overnight at the hospital, it just depends on how I'm doing after the procedure. I'll have the drains in until my follow up which will be March 19th (the day after Dave's surgery)...so 10 Days with the drains. This may be a little uncomfortable, but I'll get by.

I do get an official diagnosis for the type of cancer I have: Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma. Apparently, this is the most popular type of breast cancer out there, I've seen statistics saying it's anywhere from 52% - 70%...so, I've finally made it to an "in crowd", not really the one I was hoping for, but at least I'm confident in the fact that a LOT of research has been done and there are many proven treatment methods. I was also told it's Stage II, could be better, could be worse, but that's what it is.

He did say that radiation will be the way they'll treat my breast cancer, for which I am thankful. I really wasn't too excited about getting chemo, especially after seeing everything Dave went through, although I know mine isn't anywhere as bad as his was. So, suffice it to say, I'm thankful the lumpectomy is over and done with and I'll be glad to get tomorrow's procedure behind me as well. We don't know about the treatment plan yet, again, just taking one day at a time here...

I can't tell you enough how much we appreciate everyone's support, encouragement and prayers during this time. Yes, it's overwhelming, but with the support of so many, the experience is much more tolerable. We're blessed with many friends and family members who make this whole experience more bearable.