We are excited!

I am smiling today! Today we got the pathology reports back. It was great news for Ken and I. The tumor was actually smaller than the MRI showed so that was great! It measured 2.7x2x1.8 cm, which is still quite large he said for how fast it grew, but smaller than we originally thought. So that made us very happy.

We don't know what kind of cancer it is. We know it is isn't a hormone based cancer but the HER2 came back equivocal. I can't remember what that meant. It is an invasive ductal carcinoma and it scored a 9/9 (or grade 3) on the Bloom Richardson grading scale which is crappy (and this freaks me out a little). But I am between a Stage 2 and Stage 3 which I thought was great news. We (Ken and I) thought I might be in Stage 3 before so I was happy about that news. Ken was already giving me my 5 year life expectancy... I know he loves me. He does!

My margins are great; they are 0.5 cm's clear. The minimum that they usually like to get 0.2cm's, so there is more than that.... I took this opportunity to bug Dr. Chong and told him I thought he took a little too much. He laughed.... really I was thinking that he took 5cm's instead of 2mm so I was trying to give him a hard time, but I just forgot kindergarten integers.

My pectoral fascia was also free of the "invasive tumor". Luckily my "vapor barrier" held up for me. Also good news.

They tested 21 lymph nodes and 4 of them came back showing the cancer had spread to them. But this is ok for me. That is why I will do Chemo - it will catch any of the other little buggers that got away!! They are also going to do a Bone Scan and a CT just to check everything else out. I am so BLESSED that everyone is being so thorough. I think I will have a great sleep tonight.

So we are now just waiting to hear from the Oncologist to set up a video conference to find out what our next steps will be, Radiation or Chemo, and then we will be onto our next hurdle. But still moving forward!

The best thing of all today was that I got my other drainage tube out! YAY!!!! That made me feel 100 x's better. But I might have overdone it a little because it wasn't there to slow me down...

I actually looked at the area today. I think it looks disgusting and pretty good at the same time. The kids thought it was pretty neat! I still have some stretch marking from nursing the kids around the edge of the incision which I thought was weird and Wyatt thought it was mustard because of how it looked and the color of the bruise. That made me chuckle a little. Little fart. :)

So again, I thought that I would post a few more pic's of it. Today is day 7 post surgery so I will continue to post pic's of it while it heals. If you don't want to see it, don't read my blog!

So, two things I have been thinking about and getting a giggle from is that two, VERY nice people said my "abs"?? looked great. One of these very nice people (Jen, yes you!) saw me the day before and knows, there ain't any abs there at all. That is fat in the picture... one day abs - maybe. And for all of those loving people who called me "The Wall" because I was flat chested in middle school (one of these people I love very much and went to grad with him ;) - he shall remain nameless) - I DARE YOU TO SAY IT NOW!!!