Day 169 - 3/27/19
Surgery Day.
Today is Phase 2 of my treatment plan--a lumpectomy. This is an outpatient procedure to remove the area where the cancer tumor was on my breast. I will also have lymph nodes removed and tested for any residual cancer cells. The surgery is roughly about an hour, but it is a lot less invasive than a mastectomy, and the recovery time is only about a week.
.... So I'm eager and ready for Phase 2 to be completed. Once this part is over, we'll be moving on to the radiation phase, and I'm so ready for all of it to be done. I think I'm just anxious about seeing how my new "normal" is going to look. The hardest part about all of this is the wait... And then the hurry up and wait some more... I've never been a patient person, when it comes to certain things, and this is definitely one of those things that I am very impatient about.
I woke up after the surgery--still in the recovery room--in a WHOLE LOT of pain. As I'm coming to, I remember telling the nurse that the pain was unbearable. I think she asked me the pain level, and I murmured something about an 8 or 9. The next thing I know, I was waking up again and the pain was gone. That was the GOOD drugs! :)
At some point, shortly afterward, I was wheeled back to my temporary room with my family. The nurse gave instructions about aftercare, and shortly thereafter, I was released to go home.
This feels like progress. I know I've still got a little ways to go, but every step is bringing me closer to being cancer-free. I'm happy to be going through all of this with God's grace. I love you, Lord. Thank you for being with me every step of the way!
"He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength." (Isaiah 40: 29 ESV)
Day 171: