Calm Before the Surgery
Hi everyone!! Things are moving quickly as we approach another milestone on this defeat-cancer side quest. First some positive news to share -
My WBC are on the rise and in good order - I might even fuck around and eat some sushi! Seriously, I haven’t been able to eat sushi while on chemo and I am having a hankering ;)
Last Tuesday I had an MRI and the results showed an “excellent treatment response” and “no residual MRI evidence of malignancy”. Sooo according to the imaging, the chemo melted away the tumor! My breast is the most normal size and shape it has been, my nipple is no longer inverted, and the discharge stopped around the second to last infusion. Chemo was killing the tissue and it was exiting out the nipple, equal parts “ew” and “whoa”. Cancer is so trippy on so many levels and the human body is pretty wild.
That said, no residual evidence of malignancy on an MRI is not the same as a tissue biopsy. The outcome we hope for is a pathological complete response (pcr) meaning the chemotherapy totally melted the tumor and eradicated all signs of malignancy. When I have my bilateral mastectomy (bmx) surgery, they will test the tissue where the tumor is/was and test for cancer cells. My closest lymph node will also be dissected and a sample sent for testing during surgery. If the pathology shows no cancer cells, I get to hang on to most all of my lymph nodes under my left armpit - this is the outcome that I am hoping for. If the pathology shows cancer cells in the lymph nodes, they will go back and take/test more lymph nodes - rinse and repeat - until the pathology shows no cancer. We have lots of lymph nodes throughout our body that help us move fluid around and out of our bodies and can also move cancer cells to other parts of the body, which advances cancer to metastatic late stages. Taking the lymph nodes that have cancer is a critical step to preventing spread and recurrence but does increase my risk of developing lymphedema in my life time. Once lymphedema is triggered it never really goes away, you just manage the symptoms. Some patients never develop lymphedema, others do - just depends. So, fingers crossed on that one.🤞🏽
Surgery will be about 5.5 hours long, give or take, and I’ll spend the night at the hospital. Two weeks after surgery (8/15), I’ll go for another surgery with my plastic surgeon to place expanders. Expanders essentially serve as breast placeholders and will maintain the breast pocket and pliability of my skin while I go through radiation and immunotherapy.
Here’s the August run down of stuff:
Thank you for coming along for the ride, reading these words, and sharing your energy with me. Having so much love in my corner as I face the scary unknown is a powerful comfort.
… on to fight the next Boss.
Love,
V
My WBC are on the rise and in good order - I might even fuck around and eat some sushi! Seriously, I haven’t been able to eat sushi while on chemo and I am having a hankering ;)
Last Tuesday I had an MRI and the results showed an “excellent treatment response” and “no residual MRI evidence of malignancy”. Sooo according to the imaging, the chemo melted away the tumor! My breast is the most normal size and shape it has been, my nipple is no longer inverted, and the discharge stopped around the second to last infusion. Chemo was killing the tissue and it was exiting out the nipple, equal parts “ew” and “whoa”. Cancer is so trippy on so many levels and the human body is pretty wild.
That said, no residual evidence of malignancy on an MRI is not the same as a tissue biopsy. The outcome we hope for is a pathological complete response (pcr) meaning the chemotherapy totally melted the tumor and eradicated all signs of malignancy. When I have my bilateral mastectomy (bmx) surgery, they will test the tissue where the tumor is/was and test for cancer cells. My closest lymph node will also be dissected and a sample sent for testing during surgery. If the pathology shows no cancer cells, I get to hang on to most all of my lymph nodes under my left armpit - this is the outcome that I am hoping for. If the pathology shows cancer cells in the lymph nodes, they will go back and take/test more lymph nodes - rinse and repeat - until the pathology shows no cancer. We have lots of lymph nodes throughout our body that help us move fluid around and out of our bodies and can also move cancer cells to other parts of the body, which advances cancer to metastatic late stages. Taking the lymph nodes that have cancer is a critical step to preventing spread and recurrence but does increase my risk of developing lymphedema in my life time. Once lymphedema is triggered it never really goes away, you just manage the symptoms. Some patients never develop lymphedema, others do - just depends. So, fingers crossed on that one.🤞🏽
Surgery will be about 5.5 hours long, give or take, and I’ll spend the night at the hospital. Two weeks after surgery (8/15), I’ll go for another surgery with my plastic surgeon to place expanders. Expanders essentially serve as breast placeholders and will maintain the breast pocket and pliability of my skin while I go through radiation and immunotherapy.
Here’s the August run down of stuff:
- July 31st: Visit to the plastic surgeon for surgery markings.
- August 1st: Skin sparing bilateral mastectomy surgery.
- August 13th: Follow up with my Medical Oncologist.
- August 15th: Expander surgery.
- August 20th: Mastectomy post-op with my surgeon.
- August 30th: Expander post-op with plastic surgeon.
Thank you for coming along for the ride, reading these words, and sharing your energy with me. Having so much love in my corner as I face the scary unknown is a powerful comfort.
… on to fight the next Boss.
Love,
V
You got this girl ❤️. Love you, sending you hugs 🤗
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