Check-up with Mark

I saw Mark today for a checkup, and I left the appointment with a lot of mixed emotions.


Yesterday, while changing I noticed an area on my lower right breast that I wasn't sure if it was excess skin where the swelling is going down or if it was fluid.  


It's fluid.  A seroma.


And I have two of them.  That one and one starting at my armpit that goes almost to the bottom of my rib cage on my left side.  Well, that explains all the pain I've been having on my left side.


He looked at my drain tubes and confirmed that there is absolutely no way they are ready to be pulled, and that if Ryan wants to take them out this week, I need to tell him no.  He said there is no way my body will be able to absorb the amount of fluid my drain tubes are still putting out, and that if they are pulled, he is certain I will have to have my chest drained several times.  UGH!!!


We talked about my nerve pain and phantom pain and he told me he hated to be the bearer of bad news but that this could actually last anywhere from a couple months to upwards of a year.  YIKES!


We talked about my pathology report, and he told me they were still waiting for hormone test on the tissue.  I asked him what exactly that meant, and he explained that while they feel like traditional chemo is not needed at this point that if that test comes back positive I will need to take an anti-estrogen medicine.  Aside from having to take it for FIVE years, there is a good chance it will cause me to go into menopause. 


Are you kidding me?!  


I had an ovary left in when I had my hysterectomy so I wouldn't go into full blown menopause.  


This was definitely NOT what I wanted to hear.


We talked about my sugar levels, and my overall kidney function.  He ordered blood work to check my kidney function.  When I had my A1C is June my kidneys were doing fine, but with all this new stuff going on combined with my diabetes we have to keep an extra close eye on them, and if anything starts to look out of whack he said he will put me on an ACE inhibitor.


I'm praying I don't have to go on either of those things...the anti-estrogen medicine or an ACE inhibitor.


Lastly, he told me I had to get my flu shot today. Normally, I opt NOT to get a flu shot, but he said it was really important to get it with my body being weakened from surgery and my diabetes.  So, I ended my appointment by getting a shot.