Yesterday was a really busy day. Things were done to me that I didn’t expect. My day began at 7am. I went to the Mammography lab in the professional building associated with the hospital. I really didn’t know what they were going to do, but I found out pretty quick. They were to "localize" the tumor. That meant that by using ultrasound, they inserted a wire into the tumor. It is really strange to see a wire protruding from your breast.
Then I was off to imaging where I got to sit for about an hour to wait for the technician to get there, as well as keep the time frame for the surgery. I knew they were going to inject me with a radioactive substance to find the sentinel node. There is a window for the injection of the substance and the time in surgery to find that node. That is the node that will be the one that is the most likely to trap any cells from the tumor. What I did not know was how much that would hurt. Even though it was a tiny needle, the location and depth of insertion made it hurt - a lot!!
They then took some "pictures" of the immediate injection site and what things looked like then. I knew I would have to wait for an hour, but I expected to go back out to the waiting room, but they put me on my stretcher to send me to the outpatient surgery area. They thought, and correctly so, that I would be more comfortable there.
After a bit I was taken back to imaging for more pictures. The technician was finally able to locate the sentinel node, and I was whisked back to surgery because the surgeon was there and ready. Vitals were done, the IV was put in, the anesthetists came in, and I was off to surgery!
My recovery was harder that it has been before, although I have only been under general sedation four other times. I had a real problem regaining my senses, or at least it seemed to me. My real pain was my knees! That was really strange. In a few minutes, however, the breast let me know it had been violated.
The best news is that the tumor was completely excised, and the sentinel node was clear. With any luck, this will not be a blog about fighting cancer. I hope to go back to just relating the doings in my family!
If this post didn’t make a lot of sense, I am on heavy duty pain relievers, and I am flying high..
2 comments:
you most likely have a beautiful family and amazing friends...but if i were with you i would sit by your bed and hold your hand in mine...and probably sing you small snatches of stickgame songs:-)
Excellent news!
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