Recovery update!
I'm here! And I'm doing okay!
Surgery was Monday and seemed to go okay. They only took one sentinel node out, because only one lit up from the radioactive material they injected. Apparently the current practice is not to take as many nodes as they can, but just to take the sentinel node(s). And as only one sentinel node showed up, then that's what they took. We'll know on Friday if that was positive for cancer or not. If it is positive, then chemo and radiation for sure. If it was negative, then no radiation, but they still have to send the cancer itself out for a test to see if I should still do chemo.
Anyway, surgery went well. I came home on Tuesday right around noon, so less than 24 hours after surgery. I've been eating and drinking as I can. I'm not in any pain on my chest -- mostly just a headache from caffeine withdrawal, I think. So that's been getting better as I've been having tea.
I've got the follow up with my surgeon on Friday morning and hopefully I'll get the drains out at that point. And that's really it.
So far, I'm okay with being de-breasted. I mean, I haven't seen under my dressings yet. They come off on Friday for the first time, so right now I've got a binder on and then the dressings under the binder. But it's not a huge shock to look down and be flat. I never had any body dysphoria when I had breasts, but I haven't had any yet so far without breasts, so that's unexpected and cool.
And that's the state of the Sarah. On Friday we find out one yes/no on whether I'll need chemo/radiation. If that's no, then there's still another round. So that'll be the next update.
Surgery was Monday and seemed to go okay. They only took one sentinel node out, because only one lit up from the radioactive material they injected. Apparently the current practice is not to take as many nodes as they can, but just to take the sentinel node(s). And as only one sentinel node showed up, then that's what they took. We'll know on Friday if that was positive for cancer or not. If it is positive, then chemo and radiation for sure. If it was negative, then no radiation, but they still have to send the cancer itself out for a test to see if I should still do chemo.
Anyway, surgery went well. I came home on Tuesday right around noon, so less than 24 hours after surgery. I've been eating and drinking as I can. I'm not in any pain on my chest -- mostly just a headache from caffeine withdrawal, I think. So that's been getting better as I've been having tea.
I've got the follow up with my surgeon on Friday morning and hopefully I'll get the drains out at that point. And that's really it.
So far, I'm okay with being de-breasted. I mean, I haven't seen under my dressings yet. They come off on Friday for the first time, so right now I've got a binder on and then the dressings under the binder. But it's not a huge shock to look down and be flat. I never had any body dysphoria when I had breasts, but I haven't had any yet so far without breasts, so that's unexpected and cool.
And that's the state of the Sarah. On Friday we find out one yes/no on whether I'll need chemo/radiation. If that's no, then there's still another round. So that'll be the next update.