Surgery Update

Surgery went well, they took one lymph node. It was very clear this was the one sentinel node, based on how it took up the dye. I guess you can also use the dye to make a guess about cancer in the lymph node, and everything looked good for me. Of course, pathology is the final assessment - it will take a day or two to get those results.

The incision is small and doesn't hurt - I can't even tell where in my armpit it is. As for the port, that's starting to hurt a bit as the meds wear off.

I had the choice to not go under general anesthesia, so did that. I didn't notice any difference. (;

One of the final things they do prior to discharge is a chest x-ray to check the port placement. And turns out I have a pneumothorax - they punctured my lung with a needle. Which meant I couldn't go home. Off to the 7th floor, where I was admitted for overnight observation.

Picking up where I left off last night. The pneumothorax has not shrunk, and has maybe even gotten a bit bigger. My oxygen saturation is still high (upper 90s as opposed to 100 prior to surgery), but it's not very comfortable when I move around. The armpit incision also started hurting, but that was taken care of with a bit of vicodin.

Pneumothoraxes (pneumothori?) can resolve on their own, or they can insert a tube in your chest to suck out the air. I'm currently waiting for the surgical team to stop by during rounds to see if yesterday's surgeon thinks a tube is required. Also if it will impact chemo, which is scheduled to start at 8:30 this morning.

Already I'm behind on my meds - I was supposed to start a steroid yesterday to help prevent nausea. You take it the day before, the day of, and the day after each chemo infusion. I also haven't eaten anything for about 30 hours, first due to surgery prep, and now in case I need surgery again. My stomach is rumbling as I write.

Hopefully I will get some more news soon.