I’m home (by Lyn)

I have more day to day info at my personal blog, but I wanted to post here that I’m home from the hospital after surgery and give an update.  I had a modified radical on my left breast, a bi-lateral on my right breast, and a full hysterectomy all at the same time on Oct. 2nd.  I wish I could say it went smoothly, and is going smoothly at home recovering, but it was tougher than we expected.  The hyster surgeon ended up spending an extra hour operating on me due to scar tissue from my c-sections that had somehow glued my uterus and bladder to each other or my insides, or something.  My bladder took the blunt force of that part of the surgery and had to leave the catheter in for 4 days to let it rest.  I was supposed to go home after 2.  Then I ended up getting a nasty bowel infection while in the hospital.  I was released on Weds. the 7th, and in the ER on Friday the 9th due to the infection getting worse.  Then Friday night my bladder started leaking (this was just this weekend) so here I am trying not to move my arms too much yet unable to use my tummy because of the bowel infection, and now my bladder LOL.  I was a sight!!!  At one point Saturday I was laughing so hysterically at how pathetic the situation was.  But lo and behold, Sunday brought some relief and I did feel a little better yesterday from all of it.  My infection is still not gone, but it is improving and I just called the doc about my bladder and he sees me tomorrow.  He told me at the appointment in a little joking matter ‘if I break it I fix it’, so I fully intend for him to fix it!  I get my right drain out this afternoon, my left is still not ready and will probably be at my appt. this Friday.  I don’t have alot to say on the emotional aspect of what I’m feeling about not having my breasts, I’ve been so consumed with all the unexpected pains to think on it much.  I’ll get there I’m sure.  I’m still in alot of pain, I heard that the mastectomy doesn’t hurt that much because they cut alot of nerves with it, but my left side does hurt the most out of all of it. When the pain ebbs, the infections are gone and my bladder is fixed, maybe I’ll be able to say it was worth having it all done together but for now I’m undecided.  My advice to anyone contemplating having such a radical surgery is this:  don’t do it the week after you finish 5 months of chemotherapy.  Give yourself a few weeks to recover from chemo first.  I’m convinced that my compromised immune system is what has made this so much harder.

On a brighter note, my pathology reports came in.  4 lymph nodes positive out of 15 and only trace ‘miniscule’ is the word the surgeon used of cancer left in the breast itself.  I have Inflammatory Breast Cancer, so it’s a little different in that it was spread all over the place as opposed to being 1 tumor.  She said there was no live cancer visible to the eye, and only under the microscope did they find the little bit they did.  It was all dead cancer/scar tissue.  She was very confident that she got it all (one plus side to having chemo the week before) and had definite clear margins.  She was thrilled as was my oncologist, and said that now I can consider myself cancer free.  Hmm… that sounds too weird yet.  Maybe after radiation and my next scan…

I will start radiation in about 3 weeks, and instead of the 6 weeks of once a day daily rads originally planned, my oncologist is suggesting a regime of twice a day rads for 3 and a half weeks.  Apparently studies are showing that it has excellent results with IBC patients.  I haven’t met with a plastic surgeon yet, nor the radiologist, I’m just trying to get through the next 2 weeks without any further setbacks.  Wish me luck.