Sept 11 - bad news - one margin not clean
Sept 17 - 2nd lumpectomy surgery
Sept 24 - Good news - clean margin
Sept 24 - Surgery to insert savi cather
Sept 25- Oct 2 (5 days with a weekend in between)
8:15 am - ct scan and radiation
2:15 pm - ct scan and radiation
Oct 2 - surgery to remove catheter
Oct 2 - 3:00 pm - get on with the rest of my life
Now to figure out how to get over this experience and get on with my life.
5 day of 2x day radiation does some seriously strange stuff to your body and your mind - possibly the surgeries were easier because the assault to the body was done while unconscious. Nothing like having the doctor approach you after a radiation treatment with a Geiger counter (is that what it's called) to make sure that no radiation is left in my body - the term 'toxic waste' comes to mind.
Now that it's over, I can freak out - while that thing was in my body and my whole life centered around trying not to go crazy because I have tubes sticking out of an open incision in my body 24/7 . I actually can't believe that anyone would say that life goes on normally - maybe they are made out of sterner stuff or maybe they want to remember it that way.
Not me - didn't really expect it, but it makes sense to break down after the crisis - I was humorous and a stepford patient during all of this, but after I had the last radiation treatment, and the catheter removed, I sat in my car and cried for almost an hour before I could drive.
Since they were not giving tshirts away as a souvenir - I have my savi catheter. I tried to get some pictures to scale to show the size of this thing - amazing what you can handle when you have to.
And of course Ben is always happy to be the subject of a picture :)
Thank god for my dogs and my friends - don't know if I could have survived this without them.
Now to pick up the pieces - it feels a bit like humpty dumpty.
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You can do it Bev! Peace & Calm and Valor are on their way to help as well! As always please let me know if there is anything we can do to help! Love you!
ReplyDeleteThe pic of the savi next to your hand is gawk-worthy. You remain my hero.
ReplyDeleteI know you are not trying to be funny but I literally snorted at your "since they were not giving tshirts away..." I'm so sorry you had to go through this, wish there was more I could do. I got the geiger counter too and don't try to go through the airport you'll set off every alarm there is. Apparently. I had a note and that barely got me through.
ReplyDeleteHang in there, I do believe it gets easier. Also good luck with the juicing, the hardest part was figuring out what to do with all the pulp! And cleaning the juicer. PITA. Also that Dr I mentioned is Dr Morse.