Pins and Needles

This will be a succinct summary of what’s gone on since my last post and what my calendar squares are being filled in with. No, I haven’t stopped taking affirmations out of the bowl and, yes, they are as stupid as ever. This week’s gem: Once you face your fear, nothing is ever as hard as you think. What does that even mean? Which fear? What do I think is hard?

The breast MRI done on November 13 showed that there was no residual tumor remaining. The following day I had an appointment with the breast surgeon, Dr. Hui, and she outlined her plan to do a lumpectomy and sentinel node removal of 3-5 lymph nodes. An RFID seed needs to be implanted some days ahead of the surgery and will mark original depth of the tumor; this will be used to guide how much tissue must be removed during the lumpectomy.

This past Monday, I had an appointment with the oncologist. She was pleased with the tumor response to chemo and immune therapy. I’m pleased to have no further infusions in my immediate future. Though I’ve faithfully encased my hands and feet in ice packs prior to and during the chemo segment of every set of infusions, chemo-related neuropathy has resulted in my feet and, to a lesser degree, my hands. Only time will tell if there will be improvement in this constant numbness/burning/pins and needles feeling. My acupuncturist is hard at work on this and remarked that he sees a significant number of patients seeking help with neuropathy. Due to my continued weakness and fatigue, Dr. Beckwith placed a referral for a type of physical therapy called oncology rehab to help with the physical de-conditioning that has resulted from treatment.

Schedulers from various M Health departments have accounted for most of my incoming phone calls this week. I’ll start physical therapy next week and will go weekly until my surgery, which will be December 18. The RFID seed will be placed December 9. Both Dr. Beckwith and Dr. Hui will see me during the second week of January. I’ve been given the green light to see my dentist in early January, which coincides with it already being time for another quarterly dermatology exam. Just because one is being treated for breast cancer doesn’t mean the hunt for more melanoma or other skin cancer can be put on hold.

We will have a quiet Thanksgiving as I’ve been advised to take extra care to avoid exposure to illness. Two weeks ago at our daughter Rachel’s marvelously fun wedding, I threw caution to the wind and went without a mask. Being able to communicate clearly with so many loved ones and not feeling suffocated behind an N95 was totally worth the cold I caught. However, the timing of my surgery based on the last dose of chemo is crucial; a surgery delay could result in the tumor growing again. Our daughter Allie is planning to deliver a holiday meal, and we’ll FaceTime our family and say hello.

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, as well.