Countdown to NO Drain!!

So...11 hours until I get this drain out of my side!  WOOHOO!!! :)  I'm down to 20 cc/day which is way below what I had to be to get it out.   We made this doctors appt at the perfect time.  It will be such a relief to have it out and hopefully I will be able to start some of the more "challenging" exercises (such as lifting my arm STRAIGHT up into the air...its harder than you think).

This weekend has been a lot of fun.  I had a few visitors that were able to distract me from the decisions I'll have to make soon...and I'm almost over my cold. :)  My family also carved pumpkins today and I had SO much fun seeing all the kids dressed up for Halloween.

I'm feeling pretty good and have a lot more energy since my cold has gone away. I'm still nervous about the decision.  I feel that I've basically made up my mind to do the treatment, but not everyone in the family is so sure.  There are so many side effects and the long term effects aren't known yet.  My only reasoning is I feel like I have to do SOMETHING.  I cannot just let myself sit and wait and the interferon is the only option I have right now. I know the treatment will be rough but I feel like its worth it if it gives me a better chance of either postponing a reaccurance or stopping one completely.  We may still get another opinion to see if there are any other treatment options if the doctor can get me in within the next week, maybe two.  If not I need to start the interferon soon so that when the month of high dose is over I can go back to school.   One good thing we found out about interferon is that if for some reason I react horribly with it I can stop whenever needed.  That's comforting to know.

(Although I feel I have made my mind up there is still a chance of a change in plans so don't think of this as the final answer. I still don't know yet)

I love you all and thank you so much for the thoughts and prayers.
Get excited for no more drain! :)

Oncologist

Today I went to the oncologist.  Found out a couple of not so good things, but overall this doctor is definitely the best I've been to so far.  He is very honest about things he knows and doesn't and is leaving the decision for further treatment all up to me.  Telling me the pros and cons, stories of success and failure.  I'm very thankful for that.  I did find out that the cure rate is a bit lower than I originally thought, so there is a higher chance that I will end up doing the interferon treatment.  We have been given maybe one other option, but it doesn't sound very realistic. We are thinking about getting another opinion, but the decision has to be made very quickly to make sure that I can get back to school by next semester.  As many of you know I am not a very good decision maker...so prayers for that would help a lot. :)

I'm feeling nervous.  While everything came out clear in the lymph node dissection, I've had to come to the realization that it is still not over.  This is a struggle that I'm having to deal with mentally more than anything.  I have to be cautious from now on, but I'm not going to let this define my life.  Giving my worries to God for peace is one of the things I've been learning through out this whole process and don't plan on forgetting it now.

On a lighter note, I'm getting my drain out on MONDAY!! :)  SO excited! haha, the fluid has stayed at 30cc in 24 hours for the past 2 days.  Keep up the good work lymph nodes!  I'm slowly getting of the pain meds too.  Now only taking one advil every 5ish hours.  Still working on the flexibility in my arm and also having a bit more feeling in my arm.  The armpit has nothing, but from my elbow to my shoulder there is some feeling now.

I love you all! Thank you for all the love, prayers, and support!
Rachel

Today was just as lazy as yesterday. I'm determined to get rid of this cold!  Its interesting that my left lymph nodes in my neck are swollen and my right ones aren't.  They are working extra hard now that my left nodes under my arm are gone.

The scar under my arm is doing better every day, but last night and this morning both my mom and I have pulled on my drain by accident.  Its hurting a lot worse right now but its still in and functioning.  The fluid is still just as slow as it was yesterday!  Just a couple more days and I will have this thing out of me!! :)

I go to the oncologist tomorrow at 1:30.  I don't really know what to expect but I'm not too worried.  My parents and I are writing down questions to ask him.  What's the prognosis without treatment? What's the prognosis with treatment?  What treatments are out there?  What trial treatments are there? What are the side effects? How long would I have to take them? What to look for in the future so that I could catch any other cancer early?  AHHH...ok.  I am a bit nervous.  Too many questions and too many scenarios.  I've been enjoying the little time I've had to not worry about all of this and just recover.

Still saying lots of prayers for peace and guidance in making my decision.
Thank you all for your love and support!  You have no idea how much its helped.
Love you!

Today has been a very lazy day.  I'm still feeling sick and tired. I'm at the runny nose part of the cold....SO many tissues! haha.

My arm is doing well; still seeing little improvements.  Last night I was able to sleep on my right side!  I would much rather do that than be on my back so I slept a whole lot better.  My drain seems to be slowing down today!! This morning it was at 15 and right now its probably between 5 and 10!  That would be a miracle if all of the sudden it dropped to 30 in 24 hours!  If it keeps up like this for a couple more days then I am sure I'll get the drain out by Monday. Hooray! :)

One blessing about being sick right now is that I'm not as antsy to get out of the house and do things. (I couldn't anyway because I still can't drive) I'm just really tired and would rather stay home and sleep. Yay for naps!

I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

Sick and Better

Last night I got a headache and today I woke up with a stuffy nose, headache, and sore throat...not too excited about it.  I don't feel horrible other than that, mostly tired, so I'm hoping with lots of vitamins and LOTS of sleep, I will get over this fast.

BETTER NEWS! I just realized today how much better my arm is doing.  I have a much greater range of motion than I did before and with much less shooting pains.  It feels more really tight than anything now. (doing the things I'm allowed to do with my drain in)  Hardly any shooting pains when I shrug my shoulders, pinch my shoulder blades together, and raise my arms shoulder height.  WOOHOO! :)

My drain is still filling as fast as ever, but hopefully it will slow down by my appointment next Monday so I can get it removed.

Still needing lots of prayers for guidance in my decision on what, if any, treatment I need still need to do.
With Love
Rachel

Visiting

The past few days have been great!  I went to IU Saturday night and stayed until Sunday. It was SO great seeing everyone and being back.  THANK YOU to my friends who brought me there and took me back home. I still can't drive yet, so I felt very thankful to be able to go.  A lot of my energy is coming back, thank goodness!  I am still in pain, but dealing with it much better.  Today I'm visiting friends at Purdue!  My parents are a bit worried about me trying to do too many things, but I'm feeling pretty good still.

My drain is still in and will be for another week or so.  I keep hoping the fluid will slow down, but so far it hasn't enough.

Feeling very blessed with all the friends I have supporting me.  I love you all!
Have a wonderful week!
And its my brother's birthday today, so if you see him don't forget to say happy birthday! :)

I'm feeling much better today.  Yesterday I was able to go to target w/ my dad and then we went out to dinner.  Today I was able to go to Lafayette with my mom to visit my cousin.  I'm getting out a lot more now and for a lot longer.  My arm is not swelling anymore when its resting at my side which is a huge blessing.  I found out that with my drain in my doctor was wrong and I'm not actually supposed to be lifting my arm as high with my drain in.  I am hurting much less now that I've stopped.

I was going to IU today but couldn't, I hope I can get there soon!!

Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers.
I love you all SO much!