Tests, Drains and Drugs...oh my!

HI!!! I am so happy to be back blogging and feeling this connection with everyone.

I am doing great. I have to say, as much as I feared it, I really enjoyed my hospital stay. I was in a beautiful room with kind nurses and a completely awesome bed. Sleeping on my back sorta sitting up is MUCH easier in a hospital bed than at home.

My sisters have been completely awesome...!!! It has to be so hard to be on their side of this cancer. They love me and do not want me to have to go through this. I am so incredibly blessed to have all of them. Megan and Suzanne being here was truly a gift. My kids adore them both so this time was very special and some lifelong bonding took place. We will all be sad with missing them. But Michele comes in this weekend so we will have a nice time to look forward to.

I saw my surgeon, Dr. Grant, to have my yucky, painful drains checked. In typical Grant fashion he casually mentioned my pathology report while removing one of the drains. LOL (I do love him). My brain did not really comprehend what he said but I had already had a hint about good news from his sweet nurse/assistant...she was giddy and could barely contain herself. He said there was still some small DCIS cancer remaining in the right breast (it is the lesser of the evil cancers…not invasive). So my response was, of course, “Okay, let’s get going….what do we need to do. Let’s get rid of it!” He laughed and said…”it was in your right breast. You don’t have a right breast anymore”. So, really, technically, I am TRULY cancer free now. YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I go in again Monday to hopefully get rid of the rest of these dreadful contraptions coming out of my chest wall and from under my arm pits (sorry to be gross…but the drains are not for the faint of heart…lol). Then Tuesday I will spend the day at the chemo infusion area to get the first treatment of the next phase over with. And I see my oncologist that day so I am excited to hear if she is as happy with how things are going as I am.

I am off any and all drugs (pain killers, sleep aids, chemo pills, etc) as much as possible now. Yeah!!! This is such a big deal to me. I really want to detoxify my body. I am drinking tons of water in the hopes of flushing my whole system out. I want to be back to the old Maureen in the sense that I have no need to take anything except the rare Advil. My body still has evidence of the chemo doing its thing. My fingernails all look like I slammed them in a car door...kinda purple/red/blue/black. Actually a couple people have said it looks like black nail polish...very "in" right now :) . But the feeling is nearly back in all my fingers and toes from the chemo. This is huge. Some people don't lose the neuropathy for months. I still feel like my fingers in toes are asleep and it makes some tasks, like typing and buttoning buttons, more difficult but I feel it is better and that is SOOOO encouraging. The deep bone pain and really extreme muscle aches have been very difficult for me because I am so impatient. I want to feel 100%.....now! lol It does not work that way. But I am getting better everyday and doing my best to savor each victory. As far as my actual surgical site, it is doing great too. Once I get the drains out I will really feel like I am on my way!!!!

I have SO INCREDIBLY MUCH to be thankful for. Everyone of you checking in with me on this site has played a part in my healing. All of our family friends and my friends and the children's friends...near and far...have been a part of my care team. There are not enough words to express my gratitude!!

xoxo