Met with the surgeon today to lay out the surgical plan. We are still planning for a lumpectomy and auxiliary node dissection of the lymph nodes. She ordered another MRI scan to help her determine the margins around the tumor to remove. Once that is complete we will set a date for the surgery but right now looking at the third week of August. Following the MRI I will have another mammogram and ultrasound just ahead of my surgery. Some good news and bad news, I don't need my ovaries out as my genetic testing was negative (huge relief) however they are planning to take ~15 lymph nodes from under my left arm which is higher than the 3 we were planning and will involve drains for ~1.5 weeks after surgery as well as some PT. It will take up to ~1 year to determine how this impacts numbness and swelling in my arm, but should have full muscle movement.
Surgery will be at MGH Boston where they will conduct the procedure, and also remove my port, and I will stay overnight for observation. After that I get to come home and will be out of work for about a week in recovery. It takes ~10 days for the surgical path report to come back then I will meet with the surgeon again to review the results and remove the drains. If the margins are clear I won't need additional surgery.
If timing works out I will have my surgery the third week of August, start radiation the third week of September, putting this behind me by Veterans Day in November. I will likely have to take the Tamoxifen (estrogen suppressant pill) for ~5 years after this ordeal but all this should put me at <5% chance recurrence of the disease.
While the Taxol chemo did take out my eyebrows, some eyelashes, and my nose hair, surprising to find the hair on my head is starting to grow back. I am now showing peach fuzz. I'm ready to get back into a workout regiment as well ahead of surgery to give me strength for the upcoming phases of this triathlon.
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