Surgery Complete.
Yesterday, 3/23, my breast cancer was removed along with the 2 sentinel lymph nodes under my arm.
While the day was very long, the staff at Maimonides Breast Center and Maimonides Pre-op Ambulatory were very solicitous.
The worst part of the morning was finding a parking spot in Borough Park - took so long - and that should have been an omen for the day ahead.
The first appointment was at 11am - where they injected radioactive blue dye into the breast. The goal was for the dye to travel to the Sentinel Lymph Node.
This procedure was not pleasant but necessary.
The Sentinel Lymph Node is the first node that cancer is likely to spread from a primary tumor. Important to ensure that the cancer was indeed isolated and did not spread to nearby lymph nodes:
- A negative result suggests that cancer has not spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs.
- A positive result indicates that cancer is present in the Sentinel lymph node and that it may have spread to other lymph nodes (cal regional lymph nodes) and possible to other organs. This will help the doctor stage the cancer and develop an appropriate treatment plan.
The next hours were spent in pre-op alone. (Thanks COVID). I arrived at 12;30 and was told that the doctor was currently in surgery and had 1 additional patient before me. Well, the first surgery took 2 hours longer than expected (unfortunate but I was told successful) so my wait was long.
I was taken into surgery at 4:30pm
The Doctor, The Resident, the OR Nurse, the Anesthesiologist, worked together like a well-oiled machine. And in such a caring manner. When I arrived I was asked to lay on the operating table with my arms spread eagle. (Being the season of Lent, this symbolism was not lost on me, and I offered up my fear in prayer). Within moments, they had my blood pressure cuff in place, pulse oximeter attached, compression guards on both legs, circulation monitor on my thigh, and IV in my arm for anesthesia (the only pain I felt all day). I was not intubated until I was under anesthesia. The only residual effects of the intubation are an irritated scratchy throat and a lovely blister on my upper lip from where the tube rested during surgery (could be worse).
The doctor came over to ask how I was, grabbed my hand in both of his and said, “this will be over before you know it - you are in good hands”. That’s the last thing I remember.
I am told the surgery took longer than expected due to the second sentinel node but everything went well.
I woke up in recovery at 6;30pm to a very attentive Post-op Nurse - and my loving husband, both equally happy to see my eyes opened - for two very different reasons. The nurse because I was the last patient of her day - my husband for obvious reasons.
After 2 boxes of apple juice and a very unstable donning of street clothes, I was wheeled out of the hospital at 7pm. A very long, but successful day.
Now I recuperate at home with my extremely attentive family. Drew came home for emotional support and to assist wherever he could. Krissy stayed the night to make sure my needs were tended to (like only a daughter can). Both allowing my husband and I to get the rest we needed after an emotionally and physically draining day. (Plus Krissy and I got to watch sappy RomComs together to distract me from the pain).
Next steps: I await the pathology results on the tumor (which is sized to determine next steps), the margins (which were removed to ensure containment), and the nodes as noted above. The tumor is sized to determine treatment via radiation or chemo. All indications are that the tumor is less then 1cm in size - indicating radiation only. If larger than 1cm, additional treatment via chemo might be considered. As reference, the tumor measured to be approximately .7cm when it was identified. Growth to 1cm, in 4 weeks, would be a concern.
Post-operative appointment is scheduled for April 5th. Until then, doctor’s orders are to minimize usage - not lift anything (at all) for 2 weeks and generally care for one’s well being.
It will be interesting to see Bob help me cook meals next week.
Thanks to all for following my journey - which has been a traumatizing but successful one to date.
