"As good as it gets!"

Everyone gasps when they learn that Linda was discharged from the hospital in less than 23 hours after surgery. We had a quick lesson on what to do for self-care at home and we were out the door. “See ya. Next.”

We arranged for a visiting nurse, but she didn’t come until today, so for the first few days, we learned by doing. It’s worth noting that Linda has been able to manage her pain with a couple of over-the-counter Motrin tablets (she wanted to just bite on a bullet, but with all the dental work she had done over the years, Motrin seemed to make more sense). Years ago, when I was coaching Jessica’s soccer team, I had a box of rubber gloves in my first aid bag. I never used a single one. That box moved with us from Connecticut to Virginia to Maryland and back to Virginia. They are now a part of our daily regimen.

Linda’s surgeon called this morning and wanted us both on the phone when she explained some very good news. The redness Linda saw in the same spot as back in December was not a recurrence of cancer - it was a side effect of the chemo. More importantly the pathology report from the mastectomy showed that there was only one small bit of cancer (3 millimeters) in her breast, and only one of nine lymph nodes removed that had a small amount of cancer. Conclusion: the chemo was very effective. Her left breast was totally clean, as expected. The surgeon ended the call with an enthusiastic: "This is as good as it gets!" We like this surgeon a lot!

So we are on track for radiation and hormone therapies to start in early May. That certainly lifted her/our spirits which will help with the physical recovery from surgery. It also helped that the visiting nurse validated that the after-surgery care we’re doing is correct. As of today, Linda is moving slowly but diligently does her exercises. She sleeps a lot and has a good appetite. Onward.

Many thanks for the flowers, fruit, cards, notes, gifts, and calls – they have healing power.