My Next Step....

Hi, Everyone!

 

I just wanted to let you know that I have my surgery schedule for Wednesday, February 26th at H.U.P. I'll be getting a double mastectomy w/reconstruction (saline implants) and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (both ovaries and both Fallopian tubes will be removed.) I have an 85% chance of developing breast cancer again and a 20% chance of developing ovarian cancer, so even though I just finished chemo, I want to get this done a.s.a.p.

 
My sis Gretchen & her daughter Katrina are coming a day or two before the operation and will be staying at a Philly hotel while I'm in the hospital, then coming to stay with us in Point Pleasant for about 10 days after my surgery. I'm really looking forward to their visit! Sis Trudy will also be helping out and I'm hoping sis Lisa can too. It was great to have Lisa & Trudy (& of course Chip) at the hospital  when I had my last surgery, so maybe they can be there again. :) I think this is kind of a sister's thing.
 

The surgery is a long one (I think about 8 hrs.)  and I'm expecting the recovery to be hard. I will stay in the hospital for three nights. I'm so blessed to have so much support and to have a great job with excellent health insurance as well as disability insurance.

 I'm glad chemo is over. I'm feeling more like myself each day, and am back at school teaching for a few weeks. I plan to take the month of March off from school. But I am more tired than usual. Plus I've put on about 8 pounds and have no eyelashes or brows, so I kind of feel like crap about myself. My toes and fingertips are numb and tingle much of the time, and are painful. Some of my nails are dark yellow and I'm told will fall off eventually. Plus I'm achy but maybe that's just old age/winter. Also, I'm pretty sure chemo burned a few of my brain cells because I'm way more forgetful and spacey than before. I hope my brain cells regenerate and my fingers/toes get back to normal! But hey I'm alive!

 

God has been so good to us! We never lost power in the last storm, even though many right around us did! We stayed warm & cozy together. Also, so many people from our church family, my school, our music community, and our neighbors and friends have helped us.  I also have amazing doctors and nurses. I especially love my oncologist, Harvard-trained Dr. Domcheck. Anyway like I said we are very blessed in so many ways.

 
Chip & Eli are doing good. We've spent a lot of quality time together these past 4 months, and we've gotten closer. Eli & I have had A LOT of snow days lately! Somehow - well actually I know how - with God's help - we all get through our days and  we actually laugh a whole, whole lot!

AND..............MY HAIR IS GROWING BACK IN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lotsa Love to you all...........Annie