Results from the one-year goodbye-to-breasts-and-lymph-nodes-surgery appointment

Nothing but….
Thank you to http://www.thetimeshareauthority.com/2012/12/27/good-news-you-are-due-a-well-deserved-timeshare-rental-vacation/ for the photo of my future.

 

Up on time, out the door on time, at the front door of St. Mike’s on time, thanks to Nik! Yay!

Appointment with Dr. Jory Simpson—kind, smart, compassionate, calming, handsome—went swimmingly. It’s all good.

Bloodwork before seeing my oncologist, Dr. Christine Brezden-Masley—kind, smart, compassionate, encouraging, beautiful—during which I tried to have a read on my Vitamin D level added in, only to find it costs $110 (!!! what?!?! all the forums I’m on say be sure to get your Vitamin D levels done! who pays for that? not OHIP, so I’ll just be taking my 2,000 IU daily and hope for the best). After plenty of “me time” in the waiting room (I had a laptop, but my arm and hand are killing me…. ), my appointment with her went really well too. See answers to my questions below.

1. What’s with this damn fatigue, really? It is what it is. Your body went through catastrophic systemic trauma from the cancer itself, two months of testing, four months of dose dense chemo, operations and procedures, radiation—your body needs time to heal. Cut yourself a big break. Everyone is different.
2. How much longer will my right breast keep shrinking? Likely done shrinking now, but ask your radiation oncologist (August 12).
3. Will my finger- and toenails ever return to normal? Not sure (the Beau-Reil lines are gone, as is the koilonychia, but they are still lifting off the nail beds and every type of nail polish bubbles up off them. Yuck. I need to find a cancer-experienced manicurist. Anyone?)
4. Can I have my radiation tattoos removed, and are there any special instructions? Don’t see why not, but ask your radiation oncologist (again, next appointment with him is August 12).
5. When do the docs start counting survival? At diagnosis (the doctors’ or my self-diagnosis, which are eight weeks apart? of adenocarcinoma or the real deal—triple negative breast cancer? I’m taking the date of my first chemo treatment, since up until then I was doing nothing to fight the fu**er. Asterisks for my mother and mother-in-law 😉
6. Is there anything special about survival with triple negative breast cancer that isn’t covered in the media? Nope. The first three years are the ones to beat for recurrence.
7. Will I be getting any extra MRIs or scans since my tumour was never found? Nope. Just standard mammograms, next one in October. Which seems a bit nonsensical since no mammo or MRI or ultrasound or mastectomy found the tumour in the first place, and triple negative rarely comes back in breast tissue anyway.

So, Dr. Brezden gave all my head and neck lymph nodes a good manipulation, and we had a good chat about how difficult it is not to wait for the other shoe to drop. That’s my nagging feeling, which I am sure that having a hormone to take would allay, but who can say? My cancer is still in remission. I’ll see her again in December, Dr. Simpson, my oncology surgeon, in October.

Onward and upward, fatigue, chemobrain and lymphadema are the enemies of the moment now. Survivorship is the goal.

Lymphedema, my BFF, and I borrow clothes!!!

My new lymphedema compression sleeve and glove.

Well, I borrowed from her, but I’m lending her nothing.

• Diagnosis: Nov 6, oncology surgeon Dr. Jory Simpson
• Assessment and first treatment: Nov 20, Lindsay Davey, Toronto Physiotherapy
• Compression garment measurement: Nov 24, Mancie at Mansueta
• Drove to Toronto Physiotherapy to pick up original ADP papers: Nov 24
• Drove to St. Michael’s Hospital for my oncologist Dr. Christine Brezden-Masley to sign off on ADP papers: Nov 24
• Drove to St. Mike’s to pick up ADP papers, all signed: Nov 26 (thank you Adiba!)
• Compression sleeve and glove fitted: Nov 27, Mancie

So, the sleeve and glove are over-the-counter, fitted to my measurements as closely as possible. The two pieces are $234.oo. Once the government agrees to my diagnosis and need for custom pieces, the government program with cover 75% of the cost. The custom stuff costs three or four times the over-the-counter stuff. Ug. That’s how I understand at least, so I will wait for the approval to order the custom set.

Getting it on in the shop was a breeze, getting it on at home was a horror. Tessa did it. If she wasn’t home, I don’t think I’d have got it on without tearing my left rotator cuff or something. It hurts like stink getting it on, but once it’s in place it feels fine. Good, in fact, like I’m doing something about this stupid condition.

And don’t they look fine?

 

 

I am hanging on to one little scrap of vanity and self-care, since my hair is a wreck, eyebrows are sparse and my mood is crap. I can still paint these nails.