Appt with Surgeon

I met with the surgeon today to get my stitches out and have her check the lump I'm concerned about.  She walked in and said "stop looking for lumps, let's just get the port placed in your chest on Monday and get you started on chemo on Tuesday."  I said, "I can't help but worry about new lumps," and she said me she wasn't dismissing my concern, we just need to get chemo started.  She assured me that the sensitivity and issues in my arm are completely normal.  To keep moving it and working it to get mobility back.  The last thing she said was, "no cold, no infection before Monday," and I said "and no new lumps."  She laughed.  I really like her.

Oh, the stitches....the sutures in my axillary incision were removed as I gritted my teeth and imagined chemo would be tougher.  The sutures about an two inches below, where she did the lumpectomy, are still in place.  The WONDERFUL nurse said the knots were too deep to get a good grip on them.  She tried and OUCH. So, they will take them out during my surgery on Monday.  I'm good with that.  A little Versed and Phenergren to ease the pain first and zip them right out!  

I'm a little freaked out about the port placement.  I'm glad to have that term "placement" in my vocabulary now related to the port.  I kept thinking of it being installed or inserted and felt more like a piece of machinery.  Placement sounds better.  The surgeon gave me a better idea of what will happen.  She will place a "portacath" into my subclavian artery just below my clavicle, or collar bone.  She said if she has a hard time placing it in the subclavian she might have to make an incision in my neck to get to my jugular vein.  All of my anatomy and physiology classes are paying off!  I'm so thankful to have a degree in health education and public health!  So, my son, Conor thinks the portacath sounds like Robert Downey Jr.'s character in Iron Man.  He had that white glowing "port" in his chest that made him so strong.  Conor said I need to get the DNA of Chuck Norris, Samuel L. Jackson, and Morgan Freeman to kick cancer's butt.  I loved that, but I'm thinking about DNA from strong women, like Martina Navratilova (athletic, BC survivor), Sheryl Crow (I wish I could sing, BC survivor), and Cokie Roberts (news anchor, BC survivor).  Strong and smart women.  I also thought about Wonder Woman, the Bionic Woman, and Mrs. Incredible.  Superhero women.  Real women are the better role models, but I loved the Bionic Woman when I was little!

Now, it's time to meditate, and try to quiet my mind...