The second surgery would be the Sentinal Node Biopsy, and would take place at the same time as the mastectomy. The Sentinal Node Biopsy is a rather new procedure used to test the lymph nodes for malignancy, and is only performed by more experienced surgeons. Approx. 24 hours before the surgery, the tumor is injected with a radioactive dye, which is then drained by the tumor into the lymph nodes. This then tells the doctors which lymph node(s) is the primary spot which drained the tumor. Sentinal, then, comes to mean first or primary. It tells us which lymph node or nodes the cancer cells would likely travel to first. A radiologist then takes pictures of the underarm/breast area and those chief lymph nodes show up bright and clear. The surgeon uses these picture during the procedure to know which lymph nodes to remove. During the surgery, the surgeon will sometimes also take a few extra surrounding lymph nodes if he/she suspects there may be spread. Some physical signs of spread that the surgeon can detect are swelling and clumping together of lymph nodes (and I'm sure there are other signs that I'm unaware of). Once the lymph nodes are removed, they are then sent to a pathologist to be tested.
The secretary also gave me some pre-operative directions. Today, I would have to get routine bloodwork, have the radioactive dye injected into the tumor, and go to a "pre-admission clinic," where a nurse goes over what to expect from surgery and provides information about it. I was not to eat or drink anything after midnight (ugh! I hate this). Tomorrow, I was to show up at noon to have the pictures taken. Then I would have to register to be admitted. Yes ... I was being admitted. This would be my first time EVER staying overnight in the hospital. The thought of it made me cringe. You see, I am the type of individual who loves to be "on-the-go" ... sitting around and doing nothing (even if t.v. or a book is involved) is not my cup of tea.
I was to be challenged in every sense of the world. If I can overcome all the personal battles that this disease brings me, I can overcome ANYTHING.
(I decided to start adding some sugar and spice to The Pink Diaries. As I was taught in the Education program, visuals are ALWAYS a good thing (haha). This is me a couple days after I was released from the hospital following the 2 surgeries. I know ... I'm getting ahead of myself, but you all know I'm tough, right?)
3 comments:
Hi Melanie;
I was hesitant to comment at all- I only found this blog by accident (using weird random searches- an idle habit of mine)- but I had to say how deeply impressed I am with your strength and fierce resilience. I won't say I was surprised, (remembering your personality), but I'm humbled by how honest and raw your account is, and the strength of will you've shown in making the hardest decisions imaginable with such clear vision.
Shade and Sweet Water,
Miles
Melanie,
My name is Erica Miller and I'm from Pictou County, you don't know me, but a friend of mine and yours told me about your site and I thought I'd take the time to read it seeing how I have gone through an experience almost like yours, but in another sense totally different. I'll make this short seeing how I know how busy you must be.
When i was 17 yrs old I had had surgery on my feet for bunions. About 1 week after teh surgery I woke up frmo a nap and I was extremely dizzy and my vision was cloudy. Not knowing what was wrong I called my mother to tell her. She tought I may have been to wrapped up with the pain that i forgot taking my anti-depressants (diagnosed with depression when i was 14), and when i don't take them i get really dizy so i thought that may have been the problem. I let her go and took my pills, falling back asleep thinking when i woke up I'd feel better. Sad things is, is I felt worse. I waited for my mother to come home from work to tell her I wasen't feeling any better. We waited it out a couple hours and then went to the outdoor (as we call emergency), and got in right away. Seeing how sick I was from being dizzy they checked me out and noticed my eyes were jumping, which was making me dizzy. They automatically assumed it was a BRAIN TUMOR. I jsut thought to myself I am soo young why is this happening to me. I then thought my life was over and I just wanted to die there.
All night there were soo many doctors hovering around me doing this and that, having no idea what was going on. Anyways, they get me into a CT scan. They couldn't fully put the die into my vein because my body was so stressed out they cuoldn't find a vein. Getting to my point, they send me to halifax right away the next morning to see a neurologist. She checks me out and send me to get an MRI (magnetic resourse imagine, i think thats what it is). I do that then go right back to the neurologist. I get right in right away seing htat they thought I was the priority patient at that time. As soonas i walked into the room, I knew something was wrong. She then tells me very calmly that I was MS(Multiple Sclerosis), having no clue what she was talking about she then told me it was a brain and spinal cord disease. I really didn;t knwo what to think at that particular time. My mother and father being there with me jsut look over to see what my reaction was. I didn't cry, can you believe that. I wanted to be strong for my parents. I look away from them and say nothing. Trying to hide my tears I listen to what the doctor is telling me. They cannot diagnose me until I have a second ATTACK as what they told me. I leave the doctors office not saying a word on the drive home. They then automatically put me on steriods to get ride of my attack as they call it.
Almost exactly 1 year later I have the second attack. They give me 4 choices of drugs to take which are needles that I will have to take for the rest of my life unless they find a cure. I chose a drug called Copaxone because it has less side effects, the only downfall is I have to take it everyday, unlike the others is everyother day or once a week. The doctors thought that was a great choice for me because I am so young.
I am now 24 years old and just starting to deal with my disease. Reading yoru blog has gving me the utmost respect for you and how you are dealing with this. While reading your blog I have cried and smiled because you haave givin me hope for myself. I know it is still giong to be a long road for you, but I have faith that you will get through this. Me also. There is alot I haven't told you in my letter to you, but I want you to know that because of you I have made it a point in my life to get myself think more about what I have to do to help myself. you seem like a wonderful person and I hope the best for you!
Erica
Hi Erica,
Will you email me your email address? Mine is slasht@hotmail.com
Thanks :-)
Melanie
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