Liftoff Stays On Schedule...

Dr. T. Best called yesterday to inform me that the biopsy from April 26th came back negative. There is no cancer in the right breast, but some other lobular stuff is floating around in there. This other stuff is normal tissue. I asked her if this normal tissue can turn into cancer, and she said no. She also said that any chance of getting cancer in the right side will be cut in half by the Tamoxifen, a pill version of chemotherapy that I will take for five years. The Tamoxifen is taken in addition to IV chemotherapy and radiation.

With no extra cancer, the surgery remains scheduled for May 18th. I will go to the hospital on the 17th to get injected with some nuclear dye. Yep, nuked again. The dye lights up my lymph nodes so that the doctors can see them more easily during surgery. Nothing better than glowing armpits. (Why is Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life" going in my head right now?) This process of injecting the dye will take about 5 minutes, and then I go home. On the 18th, I check in at 6:00 am, with surgery scheduled for 8:00. No, I am not taking the train this time. Chubba gets to drive me and sit for hours and hours. Maybe the nurses will give him a floor show too. Heck, if he's not a deer in headlights, he'd probably join them.

I lost track of the countdown...I think 11 days.

On Thursday night, Molly, little miss keep-it-all-inside, confided in me that she is scared because she said that I am "sick with pneumonia and asthma and cancer." Through her silent tears I was able to convince her that the three medicines will cure me of the pneumonia and asthma; and after the surgery I won't have any more cancer in my body. At least I think I convinced her. I must be scary to only have the understanding of a 9 year old.

Whacky thought for the day...
What is the difference between worrying and stressing?
Bridget and I were trying to figure this out. We came up with the idea that worrying is in your head, and stressing involves the whole body.