post surgery update

Hi all! Watching the Lakers fight on (Game 1 vs. Rockets) and trying to update to you all...

I went to my post op today! I am soooo glad - I have been in the apartment for a WHOLE week and I have been so bored. Ive managed to get caught up with all the NM (thats Twilight Saga: New Moon, for all you non-twihards) hoohah and I am seriously considering spending all my money to visit Vancouver and stalk Rob Pattinson. OK - just kidding :)

Anyway! I got my pathology report post surgery and the doctor says everything went well and they got all cancerous tumors out. The left 1 cm tumor has been confirmed negative for cancer. The right cancerous tumor has been removed and so have some of my lymph nodes. They did a 6 in incision so my underarm/side boob is hollow - its hard to look at (better description: deformed) but I am just glad that the rest of it is still there and there are no more scary cancerous tumors in my body. They took a pretty good chunk and they said that all margins are clear so hopefully the likelihood of recurrence on the same spot wouldn't be so high. Im sure the deformity can be fixed later on with reconstruction... The only thing that we are waiting on are the results of the lymph nodes - originally they told us that it was weakly positive for cancer but when they removed them now, they said that they found 0/4. My surgeon has asked them to recheck just to make sure. This is the critical one since lymph nodes will determine if the cancer should spread to the blood/bones/other parts. She said there isnt any need for a 2nd surgery - I am GLAD!

The only thing Im not -glad- about is the hollowness under my armpit/side boob. It looks gross, I get so weirded out looking at it because its just... gone! :( I know Im overreacting and I should be thankful that I still have my boobs (and I am!) but the deformity is making me self-conscious. Cant wait until I can get reconstruction. -sigh-

They are also sending me to one session of physical therapy because my right arm is weak. Im not in pain but the nerves were affected so it is uncomfortable to move it sometimes. I have my appointment with the oncologist in regards to my chemo treatment next week. So we shall see when I would start...

I am reading this book called the Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PHD and I really like it so far. My boss bought it for me after he found out I had it and it is very informative and positive. Im barely into Chapter 3 but I really liked this: Statistics are information, not condemnation. pg. 13 - I hate reading statistics, especially the not-so-good ones that pertain to breast cancer to younger women but I am growing to live with them...

Anyway... the Lakers lost! Back to my book...