Thursday, October 28, 2010

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Today I had a follow up visit with my surgeon. He was pleased with how my scar has healed and he was also pleased with the amount of movement I have in my right arm, and with the fact that it isn’t swollen. It can still swell in the coming years, but so far, so good. I asked him if he had removed all the cancer, but he didn’t want to tell me that he did. He went on to explain that one of the margins was fragmented, but he believed it was a false margin. He also explained that breast cancer can show up in other parts of the body. What this all means, from what I understand, is that my treatments are complete for now (besides the Tamoxifin I am on for the next five years), but that doesn’t mean they are over. Of course, we were always aware that the cancer could come back, but after his explanation, I’m not sure if it’s even taken care of for now. We take our comfort in the fact that ultimately, everything is in God’s hands.

The plan is that in April, I will have another mammogram done at the Cross Cancer Institute, and then I will see my surgeon again when he has the results of my mammogram.

I phoned my medical oncologists office the other day to arrange an appointment with her. Originally she had said she wanted to see me three months after I was finished with my radiation oncologist, but she had thought my radiation oncologist would see me for the last time three months after my radiation was completed, not six months. She didn’t want me to wait the six months for another appointment, so I have to see her on January 28th.

That’s all for now…have a great evening!