Good News

Well, Chemo #2 has been MILES AND MILES better than last time. I've focused on staying hydrated, which may have helped. I've been able to eat pretty well every day and have mostly been alternating between watching things and napping since Saturday night, including from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Sunday. I guess I needed that! Obviously, I may not be out of the woods yet, but I hope I am. So far, so good. I get tuckered out easily -- if I go up and down the stairs, etc., so I need to remember to take it easy even when I feel not so bad. 

Daniel's 40th birthday was Monday and, needless to say, this is not how I envisioned him spending it. No complaints out of him, though, and he managed to go out with a couple of friends after dinner, which made me happy. 

Despite the fact that I didn't imagine leaving my bed today, I made it to my appointment with my surgeon, Dr. Benitez. She said I'm looking great and responding to the chemo, which is great just a few days out from my second infusion. She said visually things look better and the dense tissue is breaking up. I've learned from being in some breast cancer groups online that this is not a given, so the fact that after one full treatment you can see and feel the difference is definitely good news. 

We've set a date for my surgery -- the Monday after Thanksgiving. A lot will happen between then and now. I'm planning on doing bilateral surgery (both sides) for various reasons. It's up to us and covered by insurance regardless. First up is meeting with a  plastic surgeon in a couple of weeks to discuss reconstruction. I'll also be getting an MRI to make sure 100% that my left breast is free and clear so Dr. B knows exactly what she's getting into for surgery. 

Between Dr. Benitez and Dr. Sherbert (the plastic surgeon), we're looking at surgery lasting 3-4 hours per side. The additional recovery time isn't much different whether you do one or two sides. During surgery, they will do a dye test so they can see exactly which lymph node or nodes my breast first feeds into and will remove them. They will test them right there in the operating room to (hopefully) confirm that they are negative for cancer cells as they appear to be. If so, they'll leave the rest. If they show signs of microscopic cancer cells, they'll remove the rest of the eight and the fatty tissue under my arm. 

Anyway, lots of time to deal with all of that. Now to just keep plugging along, going to my infusions and hopefully staying healthy in the meantime. James is returning with the sniffles tonight from her weekend of fun with Aunt Sarah's brood and Gigi and I've learned my lesson. I'll be keeping my distance. I'm tired of keeping my distance from my husband and kids, but I know it's best for all of us in the long run. Hopefully it will clear up in the next couple of days and we can all have some fun together starting this weekend.