I met with my surgeon yesterday. The last time I had seen her, I was still pretty weak and couldn't get up on the exam table. She said I needed to get my strength up enough to be able to use the exam table step, which was why a good chunk of physical therapy included stairs and is why I got so excited every time I conquered a staircase. I was ready to show my surgeon what I could do now. I walked with confidence into the exam room only for there to be no step on the exam table LOL! They checked my blood pressure and it was normal so we were off to a good start. My surgeon walked in and could "just tell by looking at me" that I felt better. It also took her a minute to find the lump; with my cancer being Triple Positive with the HER2 protein, it reacts really well to treatment, and even after just the 2 rounds of chemo, it had shrunk! She approved moving forward with the surgery and I wanted the first available date. I got the call today that surgery will be next week! We're moving forward with the single mastectomy and removal of the first lymph nodes. They'll also be placing the skin extenders for the future reconstructive surgery.
Timeline:

• Wednesday, April 25
  • Physical therapy--keeping my strength up!
  • My primary doctor--pre-op clearance and follow-up on high blood pressure (headaches won't go away yet).
• Tuesday, April 30
  • Oncology Psychology appointment
• Thursday, May 2
  • 6:45am at Nuclear Medicine for nerve blocker shot
  • 7:30am surgery check-in
  • 9am estimated surgery start--should take about 2-3 hours

I'll be spending the night at the clinic in recovery. I can't have any visitors during my stay but hopefully they give me good enough pain meds that I won't be lonely LOL. Dan, my parents and sisters will be there for surgery and I am so thankful. I'm nervous but ready!