Foob Jealousy

I went to my 6-week post surgery appointment this afternoon and the doctor said everything looks great - let's expand it. I laid on my back on the table and she cleaned the foob with iodine, then felt around for the right place to inject the saline. I held a bag of saline (probably the size of a sandwich bag) which was connected to a tube and a syringe. The doctor inserted the needle into my foob and started filling it up. I didn't feel anything except pressure when the needle was inserted and when she was done my left breast was jealous of the foob. I can't think of something round between the size of a softball and a cantaloupe, but if I could, you could cut it in half and stick it on the table and get the right idea. Of course to get the full effect you can stick a raisin on top to represent the nipple scab that hasn't come off yet, but that may be crossing a line. Anyway, the foob healing is coming along, I'll get expanded again in about a month and can have my reconstruction surgery after the chemotherapy treatment. So hopefully by Christmas the girls will match.

I also met with my oncologist today. He said the bone scan and echocardiogram looked good. (By the way, an echocardiogram is my new favorite test. You just take a nap on your side under a warm blanket while the nice radiologist rubs warm goo on you. So relaxing.) He answered a bunch of my questions, so I'm feeling better about the chemo (knowledge is power!) I am scheduled to start June 23. He also got me set-up on an online system where I can log in and see my lab results and other medical info and email him or the nurses. Pretty cool stuff.

I also talked with 2 different clinical trial coordinators about their tests. One shuts off your ovaries for 5 years with a monthly injection to reduce the amount of estrogen in your body. There's no way I'm signing up for 60 injections, especially since I'm not convinced hormonal therapy helps the survival rate for triple positive cancer. The other tracks ovarian function through a blood test once every 3 - 6 months for 3 years. I might do that one. It won't help me at all, but the information could help younger women decide the right course of treatment if they want to have children after chemo.

So, pretty much good news from the medical professionals today. I'm excited to get started with the chemotherapy so I can put this whole cancer thing behind me.