My Drains are coming out!!!

Yay! My drains are coming out tomorrow! They are each draining less than 30 ml per 24-hour period, so it is time for them to remove the Jackson Pratt Drains. I've had them for just over 2 weeks now...hell, I've had one on the left for 4 weeks so far. So, at 1PM, they are coming out. I will be going over to Tampa to see Dr. Cox, who will be removing them for me.

Aaah...no more drain lines or bulbs to try and hide through creative wardrobing. No more danglies. Woo hoo!

Lumpectomy Surgery Follow Up Appointment tomorrow AM

Well, had the date wrong initially, but the follow up to my surgery is tomorrow. I am thinking the drain will stay in...it's fine but weird. That and the port under my skin are the most uncomfortable parts of this scenario right now. Becky is staying a bit longer tomorrow so that she can accompany me to the appointment. She leaves after 6 PM (I will definitely miss her!)

The only things I've noticed from the surgery are: some minor edema in my ankles and left hand; and I keep getting "goosebumps" on my left arm (strange?) Otherwise, just a lot of fatigue; however, I remember this being fairly typical considering I've been through other surgeries. This is pretty minor in comparison to the abdominal stuff from a few years back.

I will get the final pathology reports tomorrow on the tumor size, grade, and the lymph nodes. This will factor into the staging of the cancer. Will have to do PET scan and bone scan to make sure there is no other spread (outside of the lymph nodes we know about--and those are hopefully ALL, dammit!)

Lots of stuff! Just need an appointment with the Medical Oncologist to start making decisions about chemotherapy. More soon!