"Unexpected Weekend Trip"

So, that wasn't exactly the weekend that I had planned. Let me back up. After my chemo on Wednesday, I went home to rest until I noticed that my port was hurting and even more uncomfortable when trying to go to sleep. So, I went into the clinic on Friday morning. After a chest X-ray, a dye test (which was painful) and a CT scan, I was told to go to the hospital. My port had a crack/a leak and had to come out. This was not welcome news, especially since I'm not done using it yet!

The surgery team came to my hospital room and told me it would be a "no big deal" 15 minute procedure to take the port out. I, personally, do not like the idea of being wide awake and nothing but numbed while someone is cutting on me! I could tell they were having problems. A nurse then came in to hold my hand while they worked. They went through a whole bottle of lidocaine because I kept feeling it! About 45 minutes after they started the "easy 15 minute procedure" it was done and the doctor declared it the hardest one he has ever taken out. Great. They stitched me up, gave me pain pills and put me on an IV med. I was hoping to come home then.

Instead, I had to miss Kaylee's first ever basketball game on Saturday afternoon because they made me stay two nights! Due to the possibility of chemo leakage, I had to be given three rounds of some antidote medication about 24 hours apart. I got the last one just before Sunday evening and was then allowed to go home! I'm sore and tired (no such thing as sleep in a hospital). Now, I have to see a doctor to figure out what we do about the rest of the chemo treatments. I won't be getting another port, that much I have decided.

"Kill the Cancer, Step 1"

It's finally time to start killing the cancer! I wish I felt more excited about it. It's surgery day! See, that doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "It's free pizza day!" Oh, don't get me wrong, I can't wait to get cancer out of my body (of course, free pizza would be nice too).

I will start the day at 7:45 a.m. (quite late in the medical world!) at the cancer center where they will do a pre-op procedure called "needle localization." They tell me it is much like a biopsy. The idea is to put a long, thin needle into the breast and stab that tumor so the surgeon has a nice guide to the spot on which to operate. Then, they will kindly tape down the part sticking out as I make my way over to the hospital for the surgery.

The actual surgery is supposed to take place at 10:30 a.m., but I'll be busy doing all those fun little things they do to get you ready! I can't wait to get the paper gown! I'm even more excited about the I.V. (okay, okay, I know I keep whining about this).

Once surgery is underway, they will do a sentinel node biopsy (remove some nodes to check for cancer spread into the lymph nodes), then remove the actual tumor and surrounding normal tissue, and while we are at it she is going to install a chest port to be used for my Chemo. All in all, it sounds like...well, to be honest it sounds like what has been keeping me up at night. So, I can't wait for this day to be over! I also don't want it to be over because that means I have to recover and move to the next treatment phase (which I also lose sleep over). Just being honest.