A Pink Ribbon Lady

Well, as my luck would have it...I am now a pink ribbon lady. That doesn't mean I am going to sign up for the three day walk or anything...my heart will always be first and foremost with the children who have cancer and their families. But, I now understand a completely different side to dealing with the dreaded "C" word. I had my surgery on the 31st of May. What a trip that was! I was lucky to have my sister Rita by my side. She picked me up at 5:30am and escorted me to the hospital. First I had to answer a bunch of questions...then, I was gowned up and put in a wheelchair. A really nice guy named Dale pushed me to another part of the hospital so I could get wires placed in my left boob so the surgeon would have an easier time of removing the diseased duct. Well, the wire thing was probably the most painful of all experiences that day since I had to be awake. The radiologist was the same lovely woman who did my first large needle stereotactic biopsy. I love her. Dr. Halum is her name. Then, they wheeled me back to the other side of the hospital where I hung out for a while and then, they took me to another location where I met the anesthesiologist. His name was Craig. What a kick! The nurse who inserted my IV was an angel. I didn't even feel it. And she put it in my hand! Rita and I chatted and laughed until they came to fetch me. They could not figure out how it was that I have a blonde haired blue eyed sister. No one ever asks outright though. Which is hysterically funny to us. The nurse said to me, "so which one of you is older?" hahaha. I laughed because Rita is about five weeks older than I am. And she will always be older than me! So, I proceeded to tell them about our relationship and next thing I know I am bobbing awake in the recovery room. I was home by 2:00pm. I thought I was pretty coherent but that was a joke. My other sister had shown up while I was in surgery and so when I came to there were two of them. I was kind of confused at first - those drugs are pretty potent. Anyway, I won't bore you with the rest of the details just know that I am sick of my couch... I have read five books in a little over a week...you shouldn't try to go grocery shopping too soon after surgery cuz no matter how good you feel when you leave home that energy level can drop like a rock! I got kinda wobbly and woozy in the middle of Fred Meyer. But the best news is that I went in for my follow up and my lovely surgeon Dr. Tierney told me that all of the bad cells were gone. I don't need radiation or chemo and I praised the Lord cuz I know that I dodged a gigantic bullet on this one. Enjoy your life because it can turn in an instant. I learned that with Cory's diagnosis and now I am a pink ribbon lady...whether I want to be or not!