Tuesday, I had over 200 CCs of fluid drained off my left breast. It wasn’t as painful as I expected because my breast is mostly numb anyway. I was quite surprised by the amount of fluid she drained off though, but Dr. Brian didn’t seem concerned. She said it probably wouldn’t be until Monday until she had my cultures back.
Wednesday, I went to the infectious disease doctor. He didn’t seem to fear anything either since I haven’t been running a fever. His initial thoughts are this is fluid buildup caused by lymphedema. That usually causes the arm to swell, but I have to be different. I’m always the one that does things uniquely. š
Today, I went back to get my blood drawn again. It’s been two weeks since my last chemo. I had hoped for “clean blood” (normal levels), but my red blood counts are the lowest they’ve been in months. They will rebound. It just takes time.
I also meet with my oncologist’s PA to discuss what’s next, but this pesky left breast put everything on hold.
Then, it was back to the plastic surgeon to check in on my breast to see if it’s behaving or not. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is NO. Dr. Rumalla thinks another 150CCs of fluid has built back up on my left breast. It’s hot to the touch, red, and painful, so it has to go. Having emergency breast surgery tomorrow is not how I envisioned starting my 4th of July weekend. Bummer! Losing my breast again, even if it is fake, isn’t going to be easy on my psyche. But the hardest part was telling my kids they can’t go back to their old stomping grounds and run free in the country shooting guns, camping in tents, and blowing up their own fireworks. We all live for our time in the country with our family and friends, and 4th of July is one of our family’s favorite holidays. Double bummer!
But in every dark moment, the light is shining. So here’s some sunshine:
*Jon’s off and can care for me.
*It’s only my left side and not both sides.
*Chemo is over.
*I’m off work for the summer.
*I already have a Courage to Conquer Recovery Tee to maintain my drain.
*I know appearance doesn’t define me.
*The pain will decrease and I will heal.
My faith in God grants me peace and gives me courage. I don’t know what all the surgeon will discover, but I don’t need to know. I only need to know God holds me in His hands. He has a plan, and it is good.
2 Corinthians 5:7 – For we live by faith, not by sight.
courage2conquercancer 