Good news for a change!

Yesterday morning Jenny picked me up and we went to the doc's office where I got a second core biopsy. Dr. S. had some kind of special Frankenstein-looking machine that looked really scary to do the biopsy with, but was just as easy as the last time with the hand-held thing that Dr. Z did. Not a problem. They gave me these 2 mini-mini-icpacks to put on the spot. They are a little smaller than handwarmers but just the cutest little things that will no doubt become the ity-bitty ice packs to go on baby boo-boos.

Now the sentinel node bipsy was a much bigger deal. It made for a very, very long day. You enter the hospital get processed in to the "waiting pens" which has the feel of lambs being led to the slaughter, and I'm the lamb. The nurse here, who's name really was "Fink," I swear, talked to me like I was a child of 6 and the tone of condesension that would give King Faissel a run for his money. We were at the hosptal at 9, by 1 Jenny was famished when they took me away to get the dye shot. Now this part is a little intresting because I hadn't imagined where they'd put the shot, but it was right into my nipple. Now that you've stopped holding your chest, no, it wasn't as bad as one can imagine. They did give me a shot of lidocaine to numb the spot before putting in the dye. They took me back to the holding pen, and then about 45 minutes later the surgeon arrived, but was talking about being hit (not in her car but personally -- her body flew through the air 5 feet -- no this is not a hallucination) by a Hummer. Now I don't know about you, but hearing your surgeon talk about being hit by a Hum-V just before she is going to use a very sharp knife on you, is not reassuring! Apparently, however, it didn't seem to phase her, and I'm hoping when I take the dressings off, we will find that she does have nerves of steel.

I was Jenny and Eric's guest last night as a precaution, but am back home now holding down the bed. I very much appreciate their hospitality, but I'm glad to be back in my own bed. The cats don't seem to have cared that I was gone for a day, but the goldfish were glad I came home to feed them.

The really excellent, good, fabulous news is that Dr. S examined the sentinel node and one other node and did not find any evidence of cancer infiltration to the lymph glands. At this time, it appears the cancer is contained to the tumor and hasn't sent cells out to the rest of my body via the bloodstream. Very, very good news.

I do have to add that Nurse Fink was offset by the nicest nurse I'm come across that wasn't my daughter. She was sent by the hospital to just answer questions about anything going on with me, and she was genuinely helpful. I forget her name, but she was just kind and helpful, and a total surprise of good advice, and she even brought presents for me!

It was a long, long day for a pregnant lady to babysit me, and it was 7PM before they released me after surgery. It was a little after 9 when we got to Jenny and Eric's place. I ate 2 grilled-cheese sandwiches and then totally crashed!

This is a big deal out of the way now. Monday we can actually start treating the tumor! I'm looking foreward to poisoning this piece of death out of me.

Sore today but not too bad. Not sure about church tomorrow. Driving while on pain meds just doesn't seem like a great idea, you know?

Maybe typing while on drugs doesn't seem really logical either, but it's the best I can produce through the haze.

I hope the new biopsy gives more definitive results next week. We'll see.