99.9% Cured!!!!

As you can see I am jumping for joy because I saw my oncologist yesterday and he said that I am 99.9% cured!! And I don't even need long term medication like tamoxifen. He did advise me to take it easy and give myself "TLC" during the recovery and reconstruction process. So, I am going to take his advise (along with my other doctors) and focus on my recovery. Even though I know the recovery process is both physical and psychological it's much harder to actually practice what I know particularly on the emotional side. I have been moderately successful in letting some things go which has definitely helped me in focusing on what my body needs now but I still need to get better at it. So, I believe this recovery process is teaching me a lot about myself. As my friend Mary quoted in a past post:

"A sacred illness is one that educates us and alters us from the inside out, provides experiences and therefore knowledge that we could not possibly achieve in any other way, and aligns us with a life path that is, ultimately, of benefit to ourselves and those around us."

So, not only am I thankful that I have received such good news about my prognosis but I am grateful to be able to learn new things because of this illness. And, I thank all of my friends, family and colleagues that have provided support during this "learning process". I cannot possibly tell you in words how much your positive thoughts, prayers, etc. have meant to me.

Renie

Pumped and Drained

Here's a picture of me getting "pumped" today at the doctor's office so you can see my recovery is going very well!! Okay....it's not me and I didn't get pumped with weights but I did get pumped with another 100ccs of saline into my expanders today. And, let me tell you, they call them expanders for a reason so it feels like I've had an intense upper body workout (they are inserted under your muscles). Initially Dr. Falcone was going to wait to pump up my expanders until next week but decided to do it today since I am doing well. So, now I wait a month to let them do their work (expanding my muscles and skin so I can get the implants eventually) and then go back for another check up.

And, I am now drain free thanks to my visit to Dr. Falcone this morning and it feels great! He said I was healing well and feels good about my progress (as do I). So, future episodes of "The Drains" have been cancelled (YEAH!!).

So, most of the drama is over for now and I can focus on my "expansion recovery".

Renie

The Really Good News and The Not So Bad News

So, the Really Good News is that the pathology report is negative (Hurray!!) so they didn't find any other cancer and the surgical margins are clear. That means no chemo, no radiation and no more surgery. What a huge relief this is for Bob and me. We were so overjoyed that we went to King David's for dinner after the doctor's appointment and I celebrated with a glass of wine (I ate too!).

The Not So Bad News is that the drains are still in and will be until my next Doctor's appt. on Monday. But, they did put a waterproof dressing on them so I can now shower. So, a glass a wine, a shower....and I'm positively giddy!!

Stay tuned for the next episode of "The Drains".

Renie

2 more down, 2 to go!

Had my first doctor's appt. (with Dr. Falcone, the plastic surgeon doing the reconstruction) since the surgery today. And, (hallelujah!!) had two more tubes removed, so I'm down to two which I hope will be removed on Wednesday when I see the surgeon who did the mastectomy. Dr. Falcone was impressed with how well I was healing. In addition to removing the tubes, I also had the bandages removed and it feels so good not to have tape and drains pulling on me!

It also felt good to get outside for a little bit to enjoy the sunshine we've been having. My sister, Denise, says she brought it from New Jersey (I'll be good and not make a New Jersey joke since she's been doing an excellent job of taking care of me and I am very appreciative). Bob also did a good job of driving to and from the appointment on the city streets without jarring me so much that I would need to have the drains reinstalled! But, the excursion tired me out so much I had to take a nap when I got home.

So, I'm planning on low key evening with a book and TV and will post again after my next doctor's appt.

Post Op Status

So, as you know from Bob's blogposts, the surgery went well and I am doing pretty well postop (thank goodness for good medication!!!). The marquan (like novacaine) pump lasted until Friday when Denise (my sister and an RN) had to remove the catheters. They were so deeply imbedded we had to call the doctor's office to find them and figure out how to remove them. Luckily, the surgical tech who had put them in was there and gave us detailed instructions. So, now I'm down to four tubes instead of six. On Monday, I am hoping to have at least two drains removed when I see the plastic surgeon. I'm getting kind of tired of looking (and feeling like) the bionic woman with all my appartus! But, all in all, I am only moderately uncomfortable and am only using extra strength tylenol to manage the discomfort. I also had a Reiki session on Friday and that helped a lot too (as did Mary's calming and soothing demeanor).

Of course, all of your positive thoughts, prayers, cards, posts and flowers have helped enormously so I thank you for your positive healing wishes. So, I'm off to rest again (who would think that reading, watching TV, and posting to blogs would be so tiring!!).

Renie

Renie saw her surgeon about 8:30 am and was discharged around 9:30 this morning and is now at home. She's doing remarkably well - good spirits and not too much pain (she's still taking pain killers). She's happy to have this part over and looking forward to a rapid recovery. (She wants to be sure that everyone knows those are thumbs up in the picture, not fingers!). ;) She and Kai are both resting comfortably (he'll stick by her side until he knows she's feeling better).

She sees one of her doctors on Monday for follow up and will hopefully have at least two of the four drains removed at that time (depends on how much drainage there is between now and then). Then she sees her other doctor in 10-14 days and should be "tube free" after that. They'll also have the pathology reports back sometime between now and then so we'll know if there was any DCIS beyond what they removed during her first surgery in December. It's all good at this point!

Renie made it through the surgery with flying colors! We went to the surgery center at 10:45 this morning, they took her to the O.R. about 12:45 and the surgery was done by 3:30. Both surgeons stopped in separately and said that the procedures had gone extremely well. She was out of recovery and back to her room around 5 pm. She dozed for a while, then had dinner and was watching "HGTV" by 7 pm! Her pain is not too bad (a combination of Demerol and Percocet is helping with that) and she was in good spirits when they kicked me out at 8 pm. She should be discharged around 11 am tomorrow and will be back home to recuperate. She asked me to thank everyone for your warm wishes and positive thoughts!

Checking Blog

It appears that there are a limited number of emails that can be automatically added to the blog. So, others will have to check on their own. Bob and I are not sure where the link to subscribe to the blog by email went....if any of you know please share your knowledge!

Renie

Almost Ready

Well, I've had my pre-testing, pre-organization, pre-shopping, and pre-anxiety and I think I'm almost ready to go into surgery tomorrow though I'm not really sure you can ever be "ready" for this kind of thing. Many thanks to my friends and families for your words of encouragement and support. I had lunch with my friend Sherie, who unfortunately, is on the same journey as I, and that was tremendously helpful in preparing me (she also looks great!). Plus we had a great lunch (at the Sherwood Inn) and visit. One positive thing about this challenging situation has been the opportunity to connect and reconnect with people. The business of day to day living and working often takes its toll on maintaining relationships so I am grateful and happy to have the time to connect with people.

I do have a request.....strange as it may seem.....I will be going into surgery at 12:15pm on Tuesday and, if you are so inclined, I would appreciate any positive thoughts, prayers, etc. that you can send my way at 12 noon. I have been doing lots of reading on the mind-body connection and I do believe this focused sending of positive energy works. I have also been practicing Reiki which operates on a similiar principle and have found it to very helpful. So, put down that lunch for a minute and send me some positive energy. Thanks!!!

Bob has taken the week off to take care of me and my sister, Denise, an RN, will also be with me for about a week after the surgery (she will be in charge of empyting the four drains several times a day!!). And, of course, Kai, my ever faithful yellow lab will be in his usual position on the bed with me for the first few days.

So, I'm off to finish up a few odds and ends and do some relaxation tapes. Bob will post updates to the blog after my surgery so you'll hear from me later.

Renie

Starting the Journey

To see my full post, just click on the title (e.g. "Starting the Journey"). To receive an email whenever I add a new post, scroll down (after clicking on the title) and click on the "Subscribe by email" link under the comments.

As of today (February 1st) I am officially on medical leave to prepare for my bilateral mastectomy on February 10th. I will be coordinating doctor's appointments, pre-testing, Reiki appointments, etc. and post surgery care until the big day. I am fortunate to have a great support network which includes my family, friends, colleagues and other breast cancer survivors (way too many!). I have been touched by people sharing their stories and information with me.

My students too have been a support. The resounding message from a card I got from one of my classes (where we've been talking about resiliency) has been "Stay Strong, Dr. K." One student even said "we need you with us". So, of course, I have to follow my own advice and theirs and be resilient and strong. There are some down times but overall I feel very lucky to have the DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ) discovered so early and do anticipate a successful recovery.

So, I'm stocking up on books, checkin out "chick flicks" and practicing my relaxation and reiki and figuring out how to use this blog. Bob will post updates right after my surgery until I'm up to blogging so you can keep updated on my progress.

Renie