Patty's epic adventure

1/30/21  Today is Saturday and both David and I had our second COVID vaccinations today.  We had an appointment and it went slicker n' snot.  No lines, nothing.  Just walked in and sat right down.  Pretty cool.  David had no symptoms last time.  My arm was pretty sore for several days and I was really fatigued the second day.  So, we'll see if anything happens this time.   I rode home in the 5th wheel on Thursday.  All snuggled in bed.  It was bumpier than the cab of the truck, but the mattress and all the pillows were really forgiving, so it turned out to be the best option for traveling 213 miles.  It was pretty cold, tho......  I was fully dressed in long sleeves and jeans, had on my jacket, was inside flannel sheets, a blanket and a really thick comforter.  I was contemplating doubling up the comforter over me about the time we rolled into the driveway - it was that cold. David unpacked 9/10th of the RV and c...

 1/27/21 Today is Wednesday and I had a full morning of appointments here in Houston at MD Anderson. I need to have physical therapy and I will do that when I’m home. David and I are planning on leaving tomorrow morning and taking the RV back home. I have an oncologist in Tyler and I have an appointment with her on Monday morning. At that time, chemo will be scheduled. It looks like chemo will start in maybe two weeks. I will have a port put in when I get back to Tyler. Chemo will be once every two weeks for the first two months. After that, it will be every week for four more months. So, a total of six months of chemo. Then I will have two or three weeks after chemo before radiation begins. I will have radiation every day, Monday through Friday, for six weeks. My treatments were all extended and altered a little bit after all of the doctors saw my latest pathology report. Radiation will be in several areas, because it is “highly likely” that I have cancer cells in surrounding lymp...

 1/26/21 I saw an occupational therapist yesterday and the rest of the day I was in a world of hurt. Hoo-boy!  She did a number on me. I’m feeling better today, tho. I will do the exercises she gave me at home. The loss of all the lymph nodes and cutting through all the nerves is far worse than the incision site; but it will get better with time. Tomorrow morning I have two appointments. The first one is with my radiology oncologist and after her I will see my regular oncologist. Things have changed since I first saw them - lots more cancer was found. So, I have a long list of questions and have high hopes that I will get all the answers I need. I will be there perhaps 3 hours and will update my blog later tomorrow. We have a lady bug infestation in our RV.  David is on a seek-and-destroy mission today. One flew down my shirt this morning and after that, they were no longer “cute”. It was a one-handed retrieval that probably amused any neighbors looking into the RV window...

  1/24/21 Today is Sunday and we just made it back to Houston. Another 200 miles, but this time in a three-quarter ton diesel pick up. It was easier than going home, but it was no picnic. I was sure glad when we finally got here. I have an appointment tomorrow at 1:30 PM. Then two appointments Wednesday morning, back to back. I will get a lot of questions answered at those on Wednesday morning. My diagnosis changed considerably when they found all those lymph nodes were  involved. I am now stage III C. So, treatment may be different than originally planned. I just don’t know yet. There is no stage III D. From there it goes to stage four, and we certainly don’t want to hear that. My stage is curable, but stage four is treatable, not curable. it was sure nice being home for a few days. Our neighbor, Bonnie, brought us over a meal and that helped us out a lot. I had a surprise visitor yesterday evening and she brought some goodies for me, too. Sure did make my day. Thank you, Pau...

 1/21/21 Today is Thursday and we made it back home successfully yesterday afternoon. I’m not gonna lie, the trip was downright miserable. Even though we were in the Cadillac, the constant bumping did a real number on me. When we got home, I went to bed and slept for three solid hours. David did the laundry and went to the grocery store while I was sleeping. I felt much better when I got up. He made us some dinner and it was the first time that I ate all day. I was hungry! He had to stop twice on the way home for me to get out, but other than that, our trip was uneventful. It sure is nice to be home. We will have to go back to Houston on Sunday. I am dreading the trip back, but I do have a few more days to heal, for sure. Unfortunately, we have to go back in the pickup, because we’re going to need it to haul the camper home again. If I was miserable in the Cadillac, I don’t think a three-quarter ton diesel pickup is going to be very enjoyable. I took a shower last night and David c...

 Addendum: So, I got up the nerve to look in the mirror today since my bandages were removed. Well, with the exception of the bandage over the hole where the drainage tube came out. They are pretty wicked looking, I gotta say. The segmental mastectomy is  also called a partial mastectomy.  And it’s true, they are no longer twin sisters. I have a big sister and a little sister now. I was thinking I’m gonna need a sock or something for stuffing, but then I remembered they make these little silicone thingies to insert. Then they will look like twins again. There is a silver lining in this cloud. When we’re in the pool, playing smash ball, I will have the perfect place to hold the little squishy balls until it’s my turn to serve!

 1/19/21 I got all my bandages off today and my drainage tube removed. There were 12 inches of tubing inside of me. It was a bit uncomfortable to remove, to say the least. But, I’m really glad it’s out. They covered up the hole with a bandage and I will keep that on until the fluid stops leaking out. The hole should close up by itself in about a week. I’m not supposed to exercise yet. Just rest. I don’t have another appointment until next Monday, so we were thinking about going home tomorrow for a couple of days. I’m not really looking forward to spending four hours in the car, but it would be nice to go home for a little while.

 1/18/21 Well, tomorrow might be an eventful day for me. I hope. I think I can get my drainage tube removed at 10 AM. My output has been pretty low the last few days, so I think they will agree to remove it. Every morning we strip the tube to move the fluid down into the bulb. My side is so very tender where the tube comes out of me, So it will be a big relief to have it gone. We empty the bulb and pour the contents into a paper measuring cup. That total is put on a daily log and then I take my temperature and log that, too. We do the same thing right before I go to bed each night. Once the tube is removed, I don’t think I will need any bandages anywhere. I have Steri-Strips on my incisions, and they will fall off eventually. My surgeon gave me a small, heart shaped pillow the last time I was in her office. I put it under my armpit it helps the pain immensely. I love my pillow. I sleep with it there all night, too. It will be a lot easier to sleep without the tube and the bulb atta...

 1/15/21 My follow up appointment was this morning. I have to keep my drain tube in until next Tuesday because it is still draining too much fluid. I could’ve gotten it out on Monday, but they’re closed for the holiday. They gave me more supplies and some stuff that should help with the pain, so I’ll just tough it out a few more days. Turns out I had 43 lymph nodes removed. 43! I had thought it was 20 and that seemed like an awful lot to me. Out of those 43 that were removed, 33 of them had cancer. I am definitely an overachiever. They got all the cancer from my breast, so that was good. I was told recovery from this operation would take 4 to 6 weeks. After that, I will start chemo, then radiation. I’m staying in Houston because I have at least two appointments next week. Traveling is painful, anyway. We are in a beautiful RV park, so it is very pleasant to rest here.

 1/14/21 Not much news to report today. Couple of days ago I got over a half a cup of fluid from my drain bulb. The doctor told me to quit exercising altogether and just rest. I did as instructed, and my drainage dropped considerably. The healing process seems like it’s going so very slowly for me. I know it’s not, and it was major surgery, but I’m so impatient. I walked another 1/2 mile yesterday, but had to stop midway to sit down. Courtney and Warren came to visit in the afternoon, and that was delightful. David continues to take excellent care of me. He’s doing the cooking, cleaning, and laundry, also. Courtney took a bunch of our laundry home yesterday and David will go pick it up today. He’s over there visiting today. I convinced him I could spend some time alone and not get into trouble. I have my cell phone on me, anyway. The drain coming out of my side is causing me the most pain, and I will be glad to be rid of it. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow morning at 11 AM, so...

  1/12/21 I contacted the doctors office today because my fluid output is pretty high. I was told to stop doing my exercises completely and just rest. I need to keep my arm elevated because everything swells up too much. So, I need to just rest instead of trying to get back to normal yet. I figured out how to speak into my phone and post, so I don’t need to type with one hand any longer. I went for a short walk today, I didn’t get very far. It was only 46° here, and I got too cold anyway. I brought a heavy shirt and a lined windbreaker, but no coat. I think Courtney is going to come visit tomorrow, so that would be nice. It’s supposed to be warmer tomorrow, too. Maybe we can go for a walk together. Maybe I can get her to fix my hair. I look like a witch. I took another shower, though, so at least I don’t smell like one.

The following was dictated by Patty but typed by Jessica:  David dropped me off at the hospital at 8:30 AM on Thursday. I went through two Checkpoint Charlies and then sat in the waiting room for an eternity. I got so bored I took a selfie. I went to preop and got in one of my favorite little gowns and got the IV, etc. Then one at a time, all the doctors came in and told me what was going to happen. Surgery took a little over three hours and then I went to recovery. The staff called David every 2 1/2 hours or so to keep him updated, which in his opinion was not enough. He did not like dropping me off with my overnight bag and driving away. Sometime that afternoon, I was moved to a regular room that was about the size of my closet at home. But since no visitors were allowed, it didn’t matter that much. I only had two incisions instead of three, so that was a good thing.  One incision is 2 to 3 inches long; the one under my armpit is 6 to 7 inches. They took the tumor out and 20...

  1-9-2021   Typing with one hand.   Just want to let everyone know I’m doing well.   I was released at 7 pm yesterday and david brought me back to the rv.   I will write more when I’m feeling a bit better.   Have 2 incisions.   One is 2-3 inches one is 6-7 inches. have a drain coming out of my side.   david takes care of my incisions and empties the drain tube. Will add more later. Thank you for all the prayers..

  1/4/2021            Lots to report tonight.  Some good, some not.  David and I hauled the RV down to Houston (Katy) yesterday.  We got here at 4:00 p.m., set up, then David went to get groceries while I got the camper ready.  It’s a beautiful RV resort (Katy Lake RV Resort) just a little north of I-10.  We will be quite comfortable here and booked our spot for the entire month because of all my appointments at MD Anderson.  David dropped me off at the COVID testing site at 8 a.m. for my regular brain swab.  Just to shake things up a bit today, I chose the left nostril.  After that, I hopped back in the truck and he took me to my first appointment with the surgeon. He, of course, waited in the parking lot.  Again.  There wasn’t enough time for him to go back to the RV between appointments this time.  I went through Checkpoint Charlie, then went upstairs.  Got a lot of qu...