December 18, 2014 - One Week Post-Op Visit With Surgeon.

It has now been one week since my surgery and I am scheduled to see my surgeon today. This is the first day that I have put on street clothes since surgery. Of course I am trying to find something to wear that will hide my paraphernalia - haha good luck with this one I am thinking! My daughter, Candy, had given me a double breasted sweater with pockets when I was first diagnosed that proved to be my golden ticket today! Perfect fit and the tubing and drains stored away nicely right into my pockets! It unbuttons at the shoulder so it will also be great to wear for my chemo treatments! It is 5% cashmere so it feels as great as it looks! Good job Candy! 

This is Dr. Peter Turk, my surgeon. He is extremely skillful as a surgeon and was highly recommended to me by so many people. He has strong interpersonal skills and interacts in a very calm and confident manner. He listens and patiently answers questions and truly shows concern and care for me as a patient which is so needed when facing any illness. He was very pleased with my progress and removed every other staple across my chest and removed the two inner drains leaving me with only the two outer drains! So my pockets are only half full now! lol.  My pathology report will be finalized later today and he said he would call me later at home with the results. Another reason I am so satisfied with his care - his follow-up and he doesn't make me wait until the next office visit to get results. "Waiting" can be brutal when it comes to cancer and he and Dr. Mitchell both know this and do their best to shorten/eliminate the "waiting game" for their patients. I leave with my written appointment for December 29 in hand. I get his call later that afternoon to give me GREAT news! All lymph nodes are negative for cancer and the only sign of cancer was the small (less than 2 cm) tumor with very wide cancer free margins! All breast tissue from both breasts was examined and no other disease was found! According to the findings of the report, there is no spread of cancer! I am at the halfway mark of my second leg of this journey and am beginning to feel like I am writing a gratitude journal. God is Great and All is Good!