Elizabeth & Brendan

Since I am up and about and I am bored, I have begun to have discussions about returning to work.  So come Monday, I will be back in the office.  Sort of.  I will be working a few hours in the office and then some from home.  I will work this modified schedule for a few weeks while I get used to the daily grind.

Work is not pushing the issue and my boss has actually selected to co-workers who are to police the number of hours I am in the office each day and make sure I am not pushing myself while she is out.

I should have picked a Monday that was not following an 8:00 pm Giants game.

Good luck to Alett, Hugh, Keith and the rest of their teammates!  They are running the Reach the Beach relay – 200 miles in 24 hours.

Crazy people.

Last drain is out!

Today was doctor day.  I had an appointment with Dr. Carter in the morning and Dr. Guo in the afternoon.

Dr. Carter’s visit was just to make sure things were okay and as she said “[She is] the lowest on the totem pole” but she still wants to follow up and stuff.  She thinks I am recovering remarkably well.  She just wants me to come back at the beginning of next year.

At Dr. Guo’s. I got the last drain removed (yay!!!!!) and already notice a difference in my already improved mobility.  I just have to go back to him in 6 weeks to check the progress of things and schedule the next steps.  I was asking him questions about physical activity and such and I can not do ab exercises or run for 2 more months.  He was quick to point out “It has only been 3 weeks.”

On the mobility side, I was dropped off at Harvard Vanguard Kenmore by B and then went to the first appointment then walked around, shopped and ate lunch before walking over to the Brigham for the second appointment.  I then walked from the Brigham all the way to the Kenmore T.  I should sleep well tonight.

On a side note, I started Twilight this morning and I can’t put it down.  It so speaks to the 14 year old that is inside me.  I love it and I love Edward.

So the Guiding Light is one of the original soap operas is going off the air this week.  As a child, I remember my mother watching this show as well as Ann.  I continued to watch it but added Days of Our Lives into the mix.  But at heart I am a CBS soap fan.

So I started to watch GL again last week and thanks to the Internet, I am fully caught up on the newer characters and it is like I have been watching forever.  Reva is still around as well as Rick and Philip.  Heck even Melinda Sue is back.  So I am back to watching GL and will bid it farewell on Friday.

There is one memory I have of watching Guiding Light with Ann that for some reason I remember.  I had to have been around 6 or 7 and we were watching GL.  Rick Bauer and Roxie Shayne (Reva’s sister who is now in a mental institution) had spent the night in someone else’s bed and all of a sudden said person was coming home.  So they had to get up and change the sheets.  Now remember I am 6 or 7 so I turn to Ann and ask, “Why are they changing the sheets?”  Ann replies “They probably made a mess and need to change the sheets.”  But me being me, I pushed it further with “But they just slept in the bed.  What mess did they make?”  I don’t know Ann’s response to that last bit.   I understand now why they wanted to change the sheets.

So these last couple of days I have been venturing out of the comfort of the apartment.

Saturday I went for a ride to the vet with B and Eli (who is now good in the car compared to when we first got him).

Sunday B and I went to John’s and Caroline’s to watch the Giants game (Go Big Blue!) and while I was still in my pajamas and riding in the back of the car, it was a nice outing.

Today I met Larry and one half of the 2-H club for lunch at my favorite place: Eat at Jumbo’s.

This is all good since I will probably be returning to work soon.

After getting diagnosed, some people asked if we were getting a second opinion. Our thoughts were no.
For one, is another opinion going to tell me I do not have cancer? And if they did, would we believe them? And two, we were driving the treatment decisions. We decided for a bilateral mastectomy. Dr. Tabesh had not even finished describing a lumpectomy before I said “No – they are both coming off.”

So really what would a second opinion give us. Maybe peace of mind but we really liked our physicians and a new one may not be as trusted by us.

Brendan brought up the idea of a second opinion prior to this last visit with Dr. Tabesh. And then after our visit, we remembered why we don’t need a second opinion. She is great. Everything she says she thoroughly explains and it is in line with the copious research I have done and the experiences of other family members. Also, she will answer any question we have even if it is weird (those usually come from me). She is a big proponent of personal contact and always calls back when I call in questions or if she just wants to check in with us.

I am also off of the pain meds during the day.  I still take one before bed.

Just got back from the oncologist and discussed treatment options. And everything is pointing to Tamoxifen; however they want to look at the actual genetic make up of the tumor to see if there is a high/medium/low chance of recurrence – Oncotype DX. If it is medium or low, treatment is tamoxifen, high is chemo. Basically the reason for further testing is that it is a grade 2 tumor which is a bit of a red flag but not very alarming. And since the doctor has the technology to look into it further she is suggesting it.

The good news is was that the doctor was optimistic and upbeat. She typically is a bit clinical and has a GREAT poker face – never saying that it is likely to be this or that. But she seemed to think that tamoxifen is the likely outcome. We will know in about 10-15 days…

These past few days there have been some updates.

1) The decrease in drains have increased my mobility. I have now walked up to the Square and even to Dunks a bit further down.
2) I am now sleeping our bed.
3) I have been left alone for a few hours when Brendan was at work and Kim had left.
4) Brendan has returned to work.

We may even venture out to friends’ this weekend but we will see.  Also a long walk of the dog is on the agenda.

Today is the day we finally go to the oncologist to discuss the pathology reports and next steps.  Next steps meaning treatment plan (hormonal, chemo, etc).  We are hoping the better than expected news continues today and to the end of next week.