Dr Appt Update aka the Future's SO bright!

Ok, HE doesn't think that the skin discolouration is anything much. He suggested old bruising. Dunno. I will continue to monitor it, but it isn't increasing in size. I got to see my xrays, almost as exciting as baby's first ultrasound! There is lots of regrowth happening in there, there is a calcium overgrowth around the hole that looks yucky, because its lumpy, but is what its supposed to be doing.

Current (and new) gameplan:

1- finish antibiotics next week.
2- see ortho dr again on Nov 11th.
3- if no sign of infection rearing its ugly head again, following the end of the antibiotics, then he will pull the picc line (WOOHOO!!!)
4- if no sign of infection, we will do paperwork to get me a date for surgery (WOOHOO!!!)
5- surgery plan now appears to be something like this:
-two small incisions, one near the shoulder and one near the elbow, and one moderate incision
- more debridement and reaming inside the humorous
- a steel rod placed within the humorous
- no bone graft

The main issue with bone grafting appears to be the risk that the body will reject the donor graft, resulting in more loss of bone, and more surgery. So, he would prefer that it go this way. It appears that the bone is content to heal itself (I would hope that this is because the Immunotec www.immunotec.com is helping!) so he is happier with a rod, and then monitor it. He anticipates that if there are no complications, I should be able to come home after a day or two in the hospital. There will be a period that I am NOT to use the arm at all, but following that (two or three weeks) he doesn't even think I will be needing a sling for most of the time. Certainly, if I am out walking for a length of time, or doing something that means that my arm can't take a break, I will be needing to use the sling, but for the most part, I just might be sling-free!

There will be more parts added to this plan. I don't know when they will be doing radiation. But we are now looking at having the surgery over and done with by Christmas. And as Martha would say "and THAT'S a good thing!". Lots of Physio in my future, including relearning how to walk and move without constantly hunching to protect a shoulder. But the future looks bright, and I need a new pair of sunglasses! LOL

Skin Discolouration?

My supposed "good arm" is the one that has the pic line running in it, which is how they are putting the antibiotics into me daily. I have been complaining about it a little for a couple weeks now, that there are some tender areas in the upper arm. The nurse has been watching for any signs of a blood clot, and there aren't any, so we have just put it down to me being a little grumpy with the whole thing. But today we noticed that I have some dusky discolouration on that arm. At first, I got a washcloth and scrubbed my arm, thinking that it was dirty. But its not dirt. So the nurse called the hospital and they have bumped up my appointment with the ortho surgeon to tomorrow. He will take a look at it, and maybe nix the whole antibiotics thing (I only have a week and a bit to go). And hopefully, he will still take the xrays of the surgical arm, so that we can see what is happening in there!

NO DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS?!!

I just looked at the schedule for the next two weeks, and noticed something alarming! I currently have no DOCTORS appointments scheduled for the week of Nov 2-7! How weird is that! I am sure that some will come along, but for right now.......wow....what will I do with myself! lol.

A Christmas Survival Kit

1. A stick of gum to remind you to stick to it.
2. A candle to remind you to shine brightly.
3. A chocolate kiss to remind you that you are loved.
4. A match to light your fire when you feel burned out.
5. A Tootsie Roll to remind you not to bite off more than you can chew.
6. A pin to remind you to stay sharp.
7. A Smartie to help you on those days you don't feel so smart.
8. A Starburst to give you a burst of energy on days you don't have any.
9. A Snickers to remind you to take time to laugh.
10. Confetti to remind you to have fun.
11. A bandage to fix things that just will not work.
12. A bag to help you keep it all together and give you food for thought

Update on the Afghan thing

The children's dad is now apparently NOT deploying to Afghanistan, but IS moving to a new job, albeit still in Ottawa. I hope it all works out for him. I still half expect that phone call from the airport, or Afghanistan, telling me that he deployed after all. That is the way that it sometimes works in the military. Its often the way it works in our relationship. He knows that another surgery is coming up, and knows that I need him to help out.

UPDATE- post oncologist appt!

Ok, so here's the skinny on it all. Yes, there was an anomaly in the breast MRI. It was a 6 mm area that was lighter than "normal". It could be anything, but does not look "tumourish". Next step with this is an ultra sound with a radiation doctor type, and if he can NOT get a clear and impossible to argue with picture, then he will do a needle biopsy. But my oncologist does not feel that this is a cancer lesion.
2. she is still not convinced on the whole breast cancer cells in the arm mean metastitized breast cancer school of thought. She is still prepared to treat it as an anomaly and keep an eye on me, but only if they can show her more of what they are calling breast cancer cells. When they go into my arm to do the reconstruction, they apparently have to take more bone, and she wants to see breast cancer cells in that bone before she will be convinced. She has talked to the ortho surgeons involved and the pathologist and asked the question "is it possible that this was a contaminated biopsy?" Of course they all insist that there is no possible way that anything was mixed up or cross contaminated. This from the same people that managed to give me a staph infection during a routine day procedure biopsy! The oncologist argues that a diagnosis of met breast cancer is of such huge life changing proportions that they have to prove to her that a) its breast cancer and b) its metastitized. She will not treat this by the book.

Next steps:
-I am on the antibiotics for two more weeks.
-I see my ortho surgeon next week for xrays and to find out when he is thinking about doing the followup surgery. He needs to be really convinced that the staph infection is totally gone before he will go in and start putting parts in me.
-I need to get this Ultra sound and possible needle biopsy done. No date for this yet.


So. Mentally, I am in an ok place, right now. I had a few days of really bad anxiety, and pity parties, but I am over that. I am somewhat stronger physically than I have been, I have enough energy to do some errands, I have even had a couple days that I didn't need to lie down in the afternoon. My arm is not hurting me unless I really overdue it. I have almost full mobility with it, but am not using it to lift or push things. I got my hair cut last wknd, and have actually worn lipstick this week. Things MUST be improving if I am pulling out makeup! LOL. I have discovered that it isn't being lazy for me to go online to order my kids' jackets. Its being practical and energy conscious, both my energy and the planet's. If this keeps up, I just may do my Christmas shopping the same way! LOL. Just have to teach nosy Greggo to stop reading address labels!

God is in charge.

Oncologist visit tomorrow

I am seeing the oncologist tomorrow morning. She will have the MRI report and the report from the gynecologist. Hopefully, I will get a timing for a biopsy of the lesion they found. I hope that we are going to come up with a more definitive game plan, a direction, and get moving on things. Tomorrow, I also pick up my LAST WEEK'S supply of antibiotics!!! WOOHOO!!! The pik line will stay in my arm for a while yet, but it will be so wonderful to not be dragging this machine around with me all the time! Just a bit more than a week to go. And the highlight of next week will be the xrays to show whats going on in my arm. That, and Halloween, of course! Ryan tells me that Greg will have to take them around treat or treating this year, as I can't help carry the loot. I will stay at home, and hand out the goods. I even built the idea of a sling into my costume, and will dress up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and hide the sling with the mandatory Dorothy basket!

The children all went for dental appointments. Adam and his very inquisitive nature had many many questions about the xrays that they were going to take of his teeth. The hygenist has a daughter who is autistic (I saw her on Monday, and had brought her up to date on my kids, and was brought up to date on her daughter). It was a perfect partnership, she is accustomed to talking to a child who thinks very laterally, and enjoys watching children learn. She showed Adam all the aspects of the xray machine, and then took him and Ryan in with her into the booth where they develop the film, and explained all the steps. Ryan thought it was kewl, especially the plasters of people's teeth that he got to see, but Adam was thinking thinking thinking. Had some really relavent comments and questions. It was so neat! I know that I, personally, often get caught right up in a discussion with a child, but it really delights me to be able to observe it happening with somebody else.

And here is a first for me! I just booked my next dentist appointment, and was able to say that the day didn't matter, because it was in Sept, and I wouldn't need to make childcare arrangements for the first time in a decade! Ryan will be in school full time in September! Ok, so its practically a year away, but it was still a moment for me!

I hope everybody is happy and healthy, and washing their hands lots, and taking their potions, to avoid these awful flus that are starting up.