Surgery and Me

It has been a week and a day since my mastectomy surgery. I'm pleased to say I went back to work on Wednesday and have been working partial days since. Feeling the need to get back to some semblance of normalcy, I was happy to get back to my office. Today was my first day in court and I experienced no difficulty during the 2-hour court session. Still haven't worked a full day, as I am trying hard not to overdo it.

Word that I've been diagnosed with breast cancer and have undergone surgery is gradually spreading among my friends. (Of course, this blog has largely been responsible. It occurs to me that this is an easy way for me to talk about it). I am grateful that so many people have commented, wished me well, and have shared something of their stories of friends and family who have experienced a cancer diagnosis.

My surgeon told me I would might have some lingering numbness in my right arm (where lymph nodes had to be removed). Only time will tell, but the arm is gaining sensitivity. Right now, it is an aggravation and I wouldn't mind the numbness lingering for a while! My perception is that my underarm is being scraped raw, yet there is no redness or visible sign of irritation of the skin. Everything my underarm touches feels a lot like sandpaper, even my bare, soft skin. I suspect there is some nerve damage and am hoping the hyper-sensitivity is reduced with time.

Because the cancer had spread to lymph nodes, I'll require radiation as well as chemo-therapy. To prepare for chemo, I'll have to have a medi-port installed. It will be placed under my collarbone and will have a tube attached which is threaded a few inches into a large vein in the chest. That out-patient surgery is scheduled for the day after Christmas. It should involve a short, 30-minute period of general anesthesia and a rather small incision so I'm hoping for very rapid recovery afterward. As I understand it, this medi-port can remain in place throughout my chemo-therapy and will be used to draw blood when that is necessary, as well as to inject those nasty chemicals that are designed to kill stray cancer cells all through my body. I suppose a small vein would be damaged far more than will the major vein connected to the medi-port. The skin lying over the port is punctured, along with some sort of membrane in the port, to remove and inject what is needed. Cool, huh?