Isaiah 41:10
Well the surgery is over! Thank Goodness! Praise the Lord! I am SO thankful that this part of the process is over. It really feels like a MAJOR step towards progress!!
I had the surgery last Wednesday (19th) and everything went well. I was in the hospital overnight and got to come home on Thursday (20th). I have been very surprised that I have not been in much pain. I have a total of 3 drainage tubes that make me very sore and I have to move extremely slow. I am wrapped up and have to keep it that way until I go back to the doctor on April 1st. Everyday the drainage tubes have to be emptied 3 times. That is not painful for the most part but can be uncomfortable. They are attached just under my armpits. Just imagine having that skin clamped and have to keep it that way 24/7...not comfortable at all. We have had a home nurse come to help clean the area and just do an overall check-up. She will be back a few more times. I don't know if it is a possibility, but I am really hopeful that she will say the tubes are ready to be taken out sooner than my April 1st appointment. Have I mentioned how uncomfortable the tubes are?! Ughhhhh....!! Ok enough of my whining!! No matter what, I am taking one day at a time and am so thankful to have reached this point so successfully. Here is a picture of what the drainage tubes look like. I have 2 on the left side and 1 on the right side (very bulky!). There is a 'grenade' and the tubing. You still cannot even see all of the tubing....
The surgeon seemed very pleased with how the surgery went. She said that she did NOT see anything suspicious in the breast that had the cancer in it and that all of the tissue looked normal. Hallelujah!!!! She also removed one cluster of lymph nodes and said that they all looked normal except she could tell that one had been affected. It didn't look like it had cancer but it was a little 'different' than the rest. It wasn't something that she was alarmed or suspicious about. I can't remember her exact words but she was very happy with what she saw, and with what she didn't see!! This gave us a great deal of comfort! They will still send everything to pathology and we will get a more detailed report when we go back to see her. I just cannot say enough about my surgeon, Dr. Margenthaler. She is wonderful!!
We have continued to receive such support and love from so many people. Our meals have been taken care of by many of our church family/friends for the two weeks after the surgery. This has been wonderful and so helpful! And so delicious!!
I have not said much so far but I really have to brag on Mike and my girls, Kailey and Cassidy. Throughout the entire process they have been such a source of strength. I KNOW this has not been easy on them, but oh how they have made things easier for me. Mike has juggled his work, my appointments, household work, and now taking care of these drainage tubes and bandages. Even though many have helped us through everything there are just some things that only he can do (or he wants to do). He has also done a lot of research about every phase of this process and remembers the details far better than I can! The girls have also been so wonderful! Dealing with this along with balancing college, jobs, and just being a young adult can not be an easy thing but you would never know it when you are around them. Their faith has provided great strength and comfort for them but Mama Bear still worries that they are okay. I hate that they have even had to go through this and I know that they wish I didn't have to go through any of it. However, we all know that God has and will continue to bring great things from this experience. As of the time of surgery, we have been battling breast cancer for 6 months. We have all tried to stay positive and I think we have succeeded with this for the most part despite some unusual negative circumstances that have also occurred during this 6 month time period. I have never blogged about those things and I won't go in to detail about them now either, but I just want to express how blessed I am to have Mike, Kailey, and Cassidy. We are a team. We go through everything together. We will also celebrate victory together when this is all a distant memory! I am proud of them for how they have given God the Glory every single day! If you want to see a true picture of God's grace (giving what we don't deserve), and God's mercy (not giving what we do deserve), then look no further than my life. I am well aware of how blessed I am and how God has blessed me with His grace and mercy!
I am still just overwhelmed with how people have shown us so much love throughout every single step of this journey! I am thankful and forever grateful! My next step should be radiation although I do not have any details about this yet.
Thank you everyone!
God is SO Good!! All the Time!!
