Sunday 6/12/11
We have been lucky enough to meet some amazing people since I was diagnosed and started treatment. Our friends Greg and Melissa introduced us to Michelle and her husband Todd. Michelle is a young breast cancer survivor. Michelle and I recently spoke by telephone and hit it off immediately. Today we meet up with Greg, Melissa, Todd and Michelle for lunch at Cyclone Anaya's. We had a great lunch and afterward Michelle and Todd came over to our house for a drink. Michelle and Todd's view was very refreshing and much like Matt and I they have approached treatment as a team, attending appointments together and speaking of Michelle's doctors as "our doctors". Matt and I often refer to my treatment team as "our treatment team" or "our doctors". Melissa is heavily involved with an organization called young survival coalition, it is great to know that an organization such as this exists to help educate and support young breast cancer patients.
Website link: http://www.youngsurvival.org/houston
Matt and I have spent the day talking to family about my upcoming surgery. Matt will call our families and let them know how everything went.
Monday's plan - Matt and I will report to the hospital at 6 am and surgery is scheduled to start at 7:30 am. There will be 2 surgeries and 2 surgeons - one who will perform the double mastectomy and lymph node removal, and another who will place the tissue expanders and drains. I have been told that I should expect to be in the hospital overnight - discharged on Tuesday if all goes well.
Matt will also post an update here when possible (I am not expecting that this will be possible until Tuesday).
On a serious note:
When faced with the reality of major surgery it is important to make sure your paperwork is in order. So Matt and I have each written up a Last Will and Testament as well as a Living Will. We had our friends Chris and Heather come over and witness our signatures. This is a very serious time and while most people would be freaked out to help with something like this - Chris and Heather took it in stride.
Saturday 6/11/11
Today Matt and I decided to ride our motorcycles. We didn't really have any specific destination in mind, we caught a coffee at Starbucks and then rode to Houston Super Bikes for an adjustment. Then we ran a few errands on the motorcycles. Matt gave me a few riding pointers and I was able to work on improving my riding skills. Since I will be "out of commission" for a while so we cleaned house and spent the evening relaxing at home.
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| Morning of our ride (our bikes outside the window) |
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| Nothing like a juice box to cool off on a hot day |
Friday 6/10/11
Today was my last day of work before my leave of absence. Recovery from the surgery takes 4 - 6 weeks and looking back on my professional career I don't think I have ever been out of work for this long. This is a good reminder to myself of how serious the surgery / recovery is. I sent a note to my friends at work letting them know that I would be out and I was flooded with tons of well wishes and positive energy, which I really appreciate!
This evening we went out for Sushi with a couple friends Chris and Heather. This is the first time I have had sushi since being diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Chemo treatment compromises your immune system - so as a patient undergoing chemo you are advised to stay away from raw foods (including but not limited to sushi). We had a great time and I was reminded of how much I missed eating sushi.
We headed home after a quick night cap at Chris and Heathers' house. The days before surgery can be stressful, and it is always good to spend this time with friends.
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| Ridiculous picture of myself with a random hat at Chris and Heathers' house |
Stay tuned for more SuperMonkey Adventures,
Nancy
Aka: SuperMonkey
"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."
- Winston Churchill
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