Rosie's Cancer Journey

I had my lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node removal and biopsy yesterday, and all is well!

Before I started treatment last fall, they placed a clip marker inside my left breast and lymph nodes in my arm pit area on my left side so they could locate the cancerous treatment after chemo.

Yesterday morning, the radiologist did an ultrasound and mammogram and injected me with blue dye so they could see the lymph nodes coming from the tumor in my breast. About 5 hours later, I was moved into surgery. They gave me general anesthesia – my first experience with that. I didn’t feel scared until the last minute. I started crying as I went under. All of the emotions decided to come out and the last thing I remember were the surgical team reassuring me and me trying to redirect my focus on Jeff and my kids.

They had a hard time finding the clip in my lymph node before surgery but the blue dye helped locate it in surgery. They removed two lymph nodes with dye, and in the notes it said it was possible she removed more surrounding those two. Then the surgeon removed the area where the cancer was in my breast. And they didn’t see any other cancer while they were in there!!!

I came out of surgery to recovery where Jeff met me there and we called the kids. Soon after, we were on our way home.

I still have my breast and will not get reconstructive surgery. I took pain medicine last night but I’m going to see how I do without the strong stuff today. I have exercises to do daily, no lifting over 20 lbs. The blue dye they injected me with has turned my urine blue! I’m off work at least until my post-op appointment happening one week from this Tuesday, when I could get cleared to come back to work early. The last week of March, I have a follow up with my oncologist and that’s when we discuss starting radiation. The first week of April, I continue my immunotherapy infusions.

Snowing on the way to the hospital

Waiting for surgery