The story continues....
although with less pathos this time around... hopefully. This is going to be more of an update for those of you that have been following, or directly demanding updates on Lisa (MsSelfDestruct
).
So, it's been a little over a month since the operation and her recovery from that went really well. She was up, around and HOME in less than 24 hours after the surgery. The biggest hassle were the fact that she had two drains, one on each side, that prevented her from doing a few things. Well, maybe the drains were the second biggest hassle, the first being that she stayed at her parents house for two weeks until the drains came out. We saw each other a few times during those two weeks, mostly to get her out of the house so she didn't go stir-crazy.
Around the time the drains came out (I honestly can't remember if it was before, the same visit, or after) she got the pathology report from the mastectomy... apparently they found a 'speck' of cancer in one of her lymph nodes that was removed during the operation. This meant another procedure where they had to take a section of tissue with a good sample of lymph nodes so that they could check to see if it had actually spread or if the 'speck' was an isolated occurrence. WTF!?!?! The whole point of the radical surgery was to be over and done with it so that she could get on with her life. GRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
Gladly, Lisa is, once again, handling this better than I am and is mostly maintaining a positive outlook. We both know that she is going to beat this damn thing, but at times the more it gets drawn out the more the frustration creeps in.
As a result of the lymph node thing, and a few other factors; things like getting a bi-lateral mastectomy only reduces the chance of the cancer returning to 30%... again i say WTF!?!?! FUCK YOU cancer! You insidious, vile, cursed abomination. Anyway... as I was saying, because of a few things; Lisa will have to go through 3 months of chemo. To backtrack a bit, she went in for the second procedure to harvest lymph nodes last week and once again has a drain in and once again will spend a couple of weeks at her parents. As things are looking now, she should start chemo either at the end of the month or the beginning of April. I should think that the results from the lymph node pathology report would have some impact on the start and or length of her chemo, as well as possibly putting radiation therapy on the table. Right now, until the results come back, it's a return to the waiting game, with the only concrete thing to expect is 120 days of chemo.
Ok, I said that there would be less pathos in this one, so I'll try to keep this paragraph short... One of the big issues that I am having during all this is that there is an adversary that I neither; out-wit, out-fight or out-maneuver. Couple that with my damn archaic 'knight in shining armor' complex, and I feel downright helpless in this situation. Hits like that burrow straight to me self-esteem, since I now feel like I have NOTHING to offer or bring to the table here. Intellectually, I know this is not the case (she has even said as much); I am providing love and support. However, since those are relative intangibles, I have difficulty quantifying them. I must state here, that I am not saying this to elicit validation, just venting. Ok, whining part done.
Thankfully, as I mentioned earlier, Lisa is handling everything like a champ and keeping a positive outlook. With her setting the example, I find I can do nothing but follow. Who am I to bemoan her trials and tribulations when she doesn't even do it. Really the only complaints she has out of this whole ordeal center mostly around her being stuck at her parents house during her recovery. Considering how much she values her freedom and privacy, I'd say that probably the biggest hurdle for her during this whole process.
Well, that's all the news that's fit to print. I am sure there will be another update in a month or so once she starts chemo, but until then...
although with less pathos this time around... hopefully. This is going to be more of an update for those of you that have been following, or directly demanding updates on Lisa (MsSelfDestruct
).
So, it's been a little over a month since the operation and her recovery from that went really well. She was up, around and HOME in less than 24 hours after the surgery. The biggest hassle were the fact that she had two drains, one on each side, that prevented her from doing a few things. Well, maybe the drains were the second biggest hassle, the first being that she stayed at her parents house for two weeks until the drains came out. We saw each other a few times during those two weeks, mostly to get her out of the house so she didn't go stir-crazy.
Around the time the drains came out (I honestly can't remember if it was before, the same visit, or after) she got the pathology report from the mastectomy... apparently they found a 'speck' of cancer in one of her lymph nodes that was removed during the operation. This meant another procedure where they had to take a section of tissue with a good sample of lymph nodes so that they could check to see if it had actually spread or if the 'speck' was an isolated occurrence. WTF!?!?! The whole point of the radical surgery was to be over and done with it so that she could get on with her life. GRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
Gladly, Lisa is, once again, handling this better than I am and is mostly maintaining a positive outlook. We both know that she is going to beat this damn thing, but at times the more it gets drawn out the more the frustration creeps in.
As a result of the lymph node thing, and a few other factors; things like getting a bi-lateral mastectomy only reduces the chance of the cancer returning to 30%... again i say WTF!?!?! FUCK YOU cancer! You insidious, vile, cursed abomination. Anyway... as I was saying, because of a few things; Lisa will have to go through 3 months of chemo. To backtrack a bit, she went in for the second procedure to harvest lymph nodes last week and once again has a drain in and once again will spend a couple of weeks at her parents. As things are looking now, she should start chemo either at the end of the month or the beginning of April. I should think that the results from the lymph node pathology report would have some impact on the start and or length of her chemo, as well as possibly putting radiation therapy on the table. Right now, until the results come back, it's a return to the waiting game, with the only concrete thing to expect is 120 days of chemo.
Ok, I said that there would be less pathos in this one, so I'll try to keep this paragraph short... One of the big issues that I am having during all this is that there is an adversary that I neither; out-wit, out-fight or out-maneuver. Couple that with my damn archaic 'knight in shining armor' complex, and I feel downright helpless in this situation. Hits like that burrow straight to me self-esteem, since I now feel like I have NOTHING to offer or bring to the table here. Intellectually, I know this is not the case (she has even said as much); I am providing love and support. However, since those are relative intangibles, I have difficulty quantifying them. I must state here, that I am not saying this to elicit validation, just venting. Ok, whining part done.
Thankfully, as I mentioned earlier, Lisa is handling everything like a champ and keeping a positive outlook. With her setting the example, I find I can do nothing but follow. Who am I to bemoan her trials and tribulations when she doesn't even do it. Really the only complaints she has out of this whole ordeal center mostly around her being stuck at her parents house during her recovery. Considering how much she values her freedom and privacy, I'd say that probably the biggest hurdle for her during this whole process.
Well, that's all the news that's fit to print. I am sure there will be another update in a month or so once she starts chemo, but until then...
Hey! I am a co captain for the Relay for Life this year where I live. We will be raising money and walking 12 hours over night to raise money to fight Cancer. It such a great fund raiser. I walked it last year and I am very much looking forward to doing it again this summer. Last year my team was one of the top ten for raising money. I plan to top it this year!!! You should see if there is one near you so you can walk in her honor!