Elizabeth & Brendan

Test result=low risk group=NO CHEMO!!!!!

BFD put it best with “It’s a Yom Kippur miracle!”

At around 6:00 Dr. Tabesh called and I tried to figure out whether calling after hours meant good news or bad news. I answered and she was quick to say the news was good. IMHO, the news was great. Based on the test results and being on tamoxifen, there is a 6% chance the cancer would return in 10 years. Chemo would provide no additional benefit.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brendan and I popped open a bottle of champagne and are drinking!

The first week of work is behind me and it was good and bad. What I realized is that I was working slower than normal which is to be expected but frustrating for me. I am still doing some work from home next week which is good.

We are still waiting for the test result and I am hopeful we will hear by Wednesday. And am praying we are finally told that all I need is hormonal therapy but am preparing for chemo. Of course I will keep my faithful readers updated.

Eli was left to wonder the first floor of our apartment for 7.5 hours and was great. We came home to no shredded tissues (a favorite of his which led to the bathroom door always needing to be closed), no cords chewed (happened only once but we put all the computer cords away), no socks on the couch (he loves to chew things like socks so all tempting laundry was hauled upstairs). So we have turned a corner. We will still probably crate him during the week for a bit longer but my confidence in Eli grew yesterday.

Also our landlady stopped by to drop off the lease and Brendan answered the door. Eli can get excited when people come by and lavish them with an overwhelming amount of love. But Eli not only sat next to Brendan while Mrs. Monagle pet him but also showed off his paw tricks.

I am finally going to a BC game tomorrow.  BC vs Wake Forest.

Now the only question is do we crate Eli or leave him out?

Here is Maggie the Puggle.

Here is Maggie with Eli – they were playing nice.

Here is the adorable Eli.

We have Maggie the Puggle staying with us and Eli’s jealous side has been showing. Usually, he follows the other dogs around but we have noticed that he will follow Maggie and then push her out of the way when they get to me or B, the food bowl (empty so as to not cause a riot), the tennis ball, the couch, etc. He also has growled at her when she has gotten to close to his things.

Also the noise level has increased and not just the tapping of an additional four paws on the wood floors but the barking. Maggie barks at things outside which causes Eli to finally decide to bark. We have had to explain to Maggie several times that “We do not bark in this house.” I think she is getting it. She also jumps up on things which causes Eli to copy and again we explain how things are to Maggie and remind Eli of the rules.

This has quelled my desire for another dog. Neither Eli nor I can handle it.

While I was at the hospital Alett and Hugh kindly took in Eli much to the chagrin of their two dogs and cat.  Luckily everyone survived.

And while I am not repaying the favor of dog sitting directly to Alett and Hugh, we are paying it forward.  We will be watching Maggie, a friend’s puggle.  Maggie and Eli go to day care together but Maggie seems to be cool for Eli.  She is like a senior to his eager to please freshman.

It turns out that I will be working from home the days she is here.  Hope it all goes well.

So I can’t lift my hands up as my elbows are supposed to be below my shoulders.  At home this has not been that difficult to maintain.  Glasses that go on the top shelf are left for Brendan to put away.  I can bend my head down enough to wash my hair.  The problem arises when I am in the bookstore and the third book in the Twilight series is on the top shelf.  What is a girl to do?  I NEEDED that book.  I go get one of the “employees only” step stools and step on it.  Voila!  Eclipse is now mine.  Score.

Today was kind of big day. I finally looked down at incisions on my chest. I had already looked at the stomach area a few days ago but have aptly avoided the top half of my body.

The reason I decided to look was because I was taking my first shower since August 24. Sponge baths are not the same. The shower felt great and I could have stood under the cascading water for hours.

The interesting point of me not looking is that I probably should have sooner. Brendan said I should have just to see how things have dramatically improved from the first week (bruising, redness, the dermabond, etc). But I was reading a journal article sent to me by my sister-in-law Wendy (it was Nursing and was about how to help treat breast cancer patients after surgery) and it talked about how the nurse should have the patient look at the incisions and be there to explain everything fully so as to minimize the emotional shock. The Brigham didn’t do that and in hindsight maybe they should have. Or maybe it is something they should have at least offered.

(I may go take another shower today it was that amazing.)

With all this talk of returning to work, I want to plan the next vacation (assuming the rest of the news we get is consistent to what we have been told thus far).

So where do you think we will end up going?