Kendalan turns 8!

It seems like a long time coming, probably seemed like it took forever according to Kendalan.   But the day finally arrived.   Kendalan is 8 years old!   She got what she asked for and we have heard about what she wanted for M.O.N.T.H.S. now!    She wanted an Ipad mini.   Well that is what she got and she is happy, ecstatic and giddy!!

I have to admit that I really failed in the Mommy department the day of her Birthday.   I guess I was thinking how much her gift was and so my mind kind of slipped about taking treats to school that day. So the next day we took cupcakes, juice and punch to school for her to share with the teachers and kids.

Then Haven spent the night Friday with Kendalan and Tessa and as Haven's grandma was having a garage sale most of the day Saturday I decided to surprise the girls with a trip to The American Girl Doll Store Saturday afternoon.    We also went to Joe's Crab Shack to eat lunch for Kendalan's birthday.   Is she spoiled or what??!!   Of course, we made Kendalan perform for her meal at the crab shack!!   She tried to get out of it...but it was a no go for us.

Then off to the AG doll store where each girl was allowed to pick out an outfit.   They made out like bandits!

Tap tap tap??

Just wondering if anyone is out there?   I know that my posts are pretty dud, but come on peeps (as my daughter calls you) throw me a bone here?   Is anyone really reading this blog?  

It was a tough day today.   My incision areas were throbbing even with the pain medication.   I was starting to think that the pain meds were a placebo that the doctor ordered.   I thought that he felt that I should pay in pain, that pain would wake me up to what my diagnosis is.    Hello Doctor...I know...I have cancer!!   Duh!   I understand and I think that I have been doing what I can to prepare for it.   I know that some people have surgery and return to work the next day.   I have already said that I am a wimp!!   I do not tolerate pain well at all!   I know that some pain will push me to do more things and "work" through the pain.    I think I have been doing a pretty good job of that.   Just today the pain was M.I.S.E.R.A.B.L.E.   Felt like they had left one of the wires in there and it was poking me every move I made.    Of course, it did not help that I fell asleep on the couch with the laptop on my lap and my feet on the floor.   Oh My...I didn't know my legs and ankles could be so SWOLLEN!!  

So I have taken all my meds tonight and I WILL be in bed before my sleeping pill kicks in and puts me in sweet oxymoron land!!   I hope that all the swelling is gone and I am hoping that I am in a much better mood tomorrow. 

Please please...leave a comment.  or two.   Honestly they don't have to be nice.   Nice is kind of overrated and after the comments I received about Linzi and our decision to put her in respite, I think that I can handle snarly comments.    I know that Linzi happens to be doing very well at her new home and I am so glad that she is.   She could still be sitting in China.

Surgery

April 19th was a long day.    I couldn't eat or drink anything, which actually didn't bother me too much.   They kept me busy enough that I didn't have time to dwell on it.

First stop was at the Women's Center to have wire markers inserted so the surgeon would know where the lesion was.    They basically numbed me in the same area that they did the biopsy through.   Then the radiologist inserted a wire "marker" into the area.   He was guided by the Ultrasound machine.   When he was removing the needle part of the wire the wire pulled back out with it.   So he had to insert another wire.    Then the wires were secured to my skin with bandages and tape so they wouldn't move around.    Just before I left the Women's Center they injected a form of radiation dye into the area.  

We then headed over to the hospital so I could check in.   After I changed into their lovely gowns they gave me a ride in a wheel chair down to radiology so they could track the dye they had injected earlier. The techs said that not only did the dye do exactly what it was supposed to do, they said that I have very lovely skin!!   The lymph nodes were showing up very well on the xrays!   They said that older women do not get as good of xray because the lymph nodes are harder.

Then it was time to go back to the pre-post room (107) to wait for my turn in surgery.   I was scheduled for 2:15pm and we were completely shocked when Dr. Sachs came in at 12:40pm and said that they were running ahead of schedule!!   The anesthesiologist was right behind him with a bunch of questions for me to answer.   They started an IV and away I went to OR room #9.    We clocked in there at 12:49pm.    The room was very cold and they brought me a couple of warm blankets.   I moved over to the operating table and the anesthesia woman said she was going to give me something to relax me.   It did that!   I felt like my tongue was swollen up and I was kind of slurring my words.  Then they put the oxygen mask over my face and asked me to take some deep breathes.   The next thing I knew I was in recovery!

I was still pretty loopy, but I was in pain.   They asked me to rate my pain and I said it was an 8.   They gave me something which I later on found out was Morphine.   I told them that Morphine didn't work on me and then they gave me some Fentanyl.   Ahhhhhh...I started feeling relief!!     Then it was time to go back to the pre-post room to recover.   Ice chips were very welcome!    My nurse said that the next time I needed something for pain that she would give me what the doctor was going to send me home on to make sure that it worked.   It wasn't too long when I needed to get up and go to the bathroom.   I could tell that I was pretty tender on the left side.   I also have the prettiest blue urine!!

I received my discharge paperwork and we were walking out of the building about 5pm!   It was sure nice to be home!!   The Colvin's brought the girls home from Fight Night about 7:30pm.

This is the pretty colors I am sporting on my left side.   There is no drain!!   And the lymph nodes were CLEAR!   That will hopefully mean that I might have less chemo and hopefully no radiation!   I will find out all about that on April 30th when I see Dr. Hashmi again.

Silly Rabbit

Tricks are for kids!!   And so are Easter goodies.   Silly Rabbit had to work Sunday morning and so she hopped through the house and left a few goodies on the table for the girls.   No names on the items as this Thumper knows that the girls will have their idea who gets what.   Seems they were all on a sugar high for their Dad and no fights over the goods.

We traveled to Wamego, Kansas to the annual Tulip Festival Saturday.   We had gone to this a few years ago and was excited that Sophie called and asked us to meet them there!    Lots of photo ops and the younger girls had a great time playing in the bouncy houses.    The older girls were just a little bored, but you can't win them all.   I reminded them that family time is important and they really didn't have too bad a time!!

A funny thing happened while I was trying to get my physical completed for our adoption (which is now not going to happen unfortunately).   I saw my doctor's ARNP.   Don't get me wrong, I really like the ARNP.   She is much more thorough than the doctor.   She asked me a lot of questions and she did a breast exam.   Honestly it was the first breast exam that I have had in a couple of years other than the self ones I do when I remember.

She also told me that it had been a while since I had a mammogram.   She said that they would make me an appointment to have one.   Soon after I had it done I received a phone call that they had found a density on the mammogram and that they wanted to do an ultrasound of that area just to see.   The day I went in for the US they also were set up for a biopsy.   The radiologist said "Why don't we go ahead and biopsy this since you are all ready here."   I had some other things on my mind and really didn't think too much of it.    Then when I received a phone call from the ARNP saying that she wanted me to come in for the biopsy results...I started getting worried.

The news was not good.   I have triple negative breast cancer in my left breast.   I saw the oncologist and now tomorrow I see the surgeon.   I will have at least a lumpectomy and after the surgeon gets in there it could be a mastectomy.   They will also put a port-a-cath in my chest wall so 10 days after surgery I will start chemotherapy.   I will have chemo for 6 months.   When I am about done with chemo they will start daily radiation on the area.   The good news...we caught it early.   The lump is under 1 cm in size which makes it about the size of a pea.   (That is me, the princess and the pea!)