Recipes for living, loving and laughing:Jo, Elliott, Cloey & Zoey's adventures

 3/28/2022 I was getting really concerned but around 9:00 pm the pathology report came in. With it was a  layperson's explanation of what it meant and an apology from Dr Baker because it took so long. Good news first: No more surgery Breast margins are clear Don't need chemo Bad news: The lymph node that was removed had cancer. Because of this I will need my entire breast and armpit area radiated. We were hoping for  partial radiation because if it comes back in a different place in that breast, I could have radiation but now if that happened, it's a mastectomy. Also about radiation. It can cause flare ups in autoimmune diseases so I expect to be in more pain and more tired than tired. We are talking to the medical oncologist tomorrow and the radiologist next week so we'll have a better idea of the radiation schedule. It's possible I could need four weeks instead of three of radiation. We have to get to the east coast as soon as we are told we can leave.  The though...

 Well, My appointment was later in the week but since we were going to go to the beach I made it for today. When the pathology comes back I'll have a phone visit with Dr. Baker.  Alyssa mentioned chemo twice and that freaked me out because that was not on the table and an appointment in July but hopefully we will be on the east coast by then.  I can do a little more but I shouldn't be crazy with lifting.  My test results (not pathology are: Joanne Levy is POD 7 s/p left BREAST LUMPECTOMY and SENTINEL LYMPG NODE BIOPSY . Her pathology was not available at time of her visit . She has no concerns today and is pleased with the results. She states that she only took 1 Percocet after surgery.   OBJECTIVE: BP 122/79 | Pulse 83 | Temp (Src) 97.3 °F (36.3 °C) (Oral) GENERAL: Well developed, well nourished, female in no acute distress. RESPIRATORY: Normal effort. Left Breast /axilla : Incision s are healing well, clean, dry and intact. Excellent cosmesis. ...

 3/15/2022 Although I am on pain meds and a little loopy, I wanted to get my surgery day down before I forget. I don't know if this is the protocol of all breast surgeries, but I saw a lot of people!  At 7:45 I was taken into the pre-op area where I was asked my name and birthdate a dozen times. So many times, that when a woman walked in, I just said my name and birthdate. She laughed and said that she knew my name but not my birthdate. "I'm Dr. Baker." Well of course I didn't recognize her. I only met her one time, and she had a net on her head and a mask and plastic covering her face. She had on scrubs so there was no white coat. In any case I was asked by lots of nurses health questions, got an IV put in with at some point saline and an antibiotic and off I went to Nuclear Medicine and saw a machine that looked like it was from outer space. I wondered if this is also the radiation machine but I didn't ask. Mitch, an RN, spent a long time explaining what wou...

3/13/2022   It will be a long day and several steps.  1. Put iI n the Salvi wire guided by an MRI so the surgeon knows exactly where the cancer is.  2. Get a mammogram 3. Somewhere along the way have blue dye put in me and off to the operating room. Elliott can't stay or even come into the surgical building because of Covid. I was tested again and it was negative.  I must have been called a dozen times by now asking me the same questions and telling me when to show up. I guess it is better than having a clueless team.  Meanwhile Elliott is in excruciating pain. Maybe a pinched nerve? Maybe his spinal stenosis. Finally he is going to Sutter's urgent care facility.  I am glad this was caught early so I can head to the east coast though two months later than initially planned for.  Hoping for not too much pain but I am pretty sure they are taking out nodes and that will be painful afterward. I will be offered Narcan in case I overdose. I will pa...

March 4, 2022  Waiting to get my Covid test next Friday, March 11, we lightened up on our cautiousness.  We went to family dinners, and I played mahjong as well as having three friends over. I still wear my mask everywhere inside such as restaurants (We haven't been eating out; however,) and having the girls over. They were both coughing and sneezing. I should have sent them home So, when I got sick the next day, I wasn't surprised. The "sick" turned into a hacking cough, fever and wheezing. When I got a call from one of the women with whom I play mahjong who told me she tested positive after playing bridge, I got alarmed. A few days later, yesterday, I had a covid test and an x-ray.  The x-ray came back as most likely pneumonia, and I was prescribed an inhaler and an antibiotic. Later in the day this very nice NP called and said I was on her mind. She spoke with the MD and told her my cancer story and he prescribed a second antibiotic.  Meanwhile I wrote to my breas...

 3/1/2022 From Health Online "Left breast Savi or wire localized lumpectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy, possible axillary lymph node dissection with Catherine M Baker, DO" In other words, on March 14th, I will have a lumpectomy and some nodes will be biopsied while in the operating room. Blue dye will be put in me, and it goes to the tumors. That's amazing but it does. Dr. Baker and Elliott and I had a lengthy discussion about my radiation treatment. Since I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sjogren's Syndrome, Dr. Baker thought partial radiation might be the best treatment.  Dr. K., the radiologist talked with me at length even about forgoing radiation. In a 10-year study the control group that did not receive radiation had a 10% chance of recurrence. The radiation group had a 2% reoccurrence. I am going with partial radiation and will have to be off one of my autoimmune drugs for five weeks as well as any vitamins I take.  After my su...