So here we are. Surgery is done. And I am quite possibly cancer-free. I’m not sure I have embraced this concept yet, as I don’t think I have ever fully embraced the fact that I ever had cancer in the first place!

My surgery took place on Tuesday, and as I briefly mentioned before, it all went very well. I believe the surgeon referred to it as being “textbook…everything went according to plan”. And from my perspective, I would wholeheartedly agree!

I had been a little more apprehensive about surgery when I found out about the wire-localization procedure, but that part turned out to be a breeze! Before the procedure began, the nurse told me that the wire-localization is way easier than the biopsy, so that was very reassuring. It also helped that I got lucky again, and ended up with the same doctor who did my original biopsy back on June 1st. This made me feel more comfortable since I had dealt with her before. Plus, it made me feel good to be able to show her my success story of how much the chemo had shrunk the mass that she identified 5 1/2 months ago!

After the wire was inserted, I went to pre-op, where Dr. Reedijk, my Surgical Oncologist, stopped by to review the plan for the day. Then the pre-op team did their bit to get me ready for the surgery by checking my vitals, getting the IV ready for the anesthetic, and giving me a nerve blocker. I was pretty comfortable as I was able to lie on a gurney in pre-op for all of this. Everyone was really great with keeping me busy which prevented me from worrying about what was about to happen.

A few minutes after I was all set to go, Dr. Reedijk returned to pre-op and started wheeling me down the hallway, where he was joined by the Anesthesiologist. I found it a bit odd that the surgeon was moving patients around. Then Dr. Reedijk tells me that he was in the O/R ready to go, and got tired of waiting for someone to bring me to him, so he decided to get me himself! I received total VIP treatment!

Once in the O/R, I met the rest of the surgical team, and after I asked them if they’d brought their game (I really did ask that!), the Anesthesiologist did his thing and the next thing I remember is waking up in Recovery.

I did not excel in Recovery. In fact, I was so slow to recover that I actually asked the nurse what time they closed. I told her that I’m used to being an overachiever and that not recovering quickly was a foreign concept for me! But eventually I did feel well enough to start drinking some gingerale, which perked me up enough to have Andrea, my “big sister”, come in to help me get ready to be discharged. And for the first time in my life, I was transported in a wheelchair!

As I have mentioned before, I was able to return home on the same day as the surgery. I have been happily recovering in my own bed for the last three days, with help from some narcotics! While I am still taking Tylenol for pain management, all is going well so far. I am eating fairly well and getting lots of rest and fluids. My parents are staying with me for the time being to help me with functioning on a day-to-day basis. Now that a few days have passed, I am pretty mobile (when I’m awake!), but I am not able to do certain things, like anything that involves reaching, lifting heavy items, or repetitive motions, like vacuuming or sweeping…(gosh darn it!)

So it’s done and it’s all onward and upward from here. But before moving on I would like to circle back to the beginning of this week. Heading into surgery I received many hugs, emails and texts, all of which were special and provided me with lots of encouragement, hope and many, many prayers. I would like to tell you about one in particular. A colleague (a friend!) is on vacation in Japan this week and on the day I had my surgery, he visited Kinkaku-ji, The Golden Pavilion, a Zen Bhuddhist temple in Kyoto. While there, he lit a candle for me – a special “Cancer – Get Well” candle (it may be hard to see in the first photo, but there is a little sign over the box of candles). I’m sure that the candle has burned out by now, but the photo and the prayer are everlasting.