Penny & Irv - June 2010

Dear All;

Finally; the last crappy surgery drain has been removed! Tomorrow would have been 3 weeks with the damn thing. What a relief! No getting into the hot tub for a few days until the hole from the drain tube is healed. Plus, the incision still needs a little more time.

I asked the physicians assistant if all mastectomy incisions/scars were so UGLY! She said they were. When I finally can start the reconstruction (end of July) that will help it not be so disgusting. Plus it is raw and red and pinched. That will all be filled out with reconstruction. I sure hope so because this really isn't what I expected. In all my years working in medical related stuff I've never seen a mastectomy scar before. Believe me, it isn't pretty. The alternative would be that I still had cancer so I guess I can live with it, but honestly, there should be a better way! Plus, the people all say that I did have previous radiation and that accounts for quite a bit of the ugliness. The skin just isn't like "regular" skin. I'm assuming that means that if I'd just had a mastectomy and never had radiation it would somehow look nicer. NOT! I can't imagine that.

Meanwhile, we are both doing well. Irv should hear sometime late this week about his laboratory workup for the autoimmune pancreatitis. I see my oncologist on June 18 for the chemotherapy decision. This waiting is becoming intolerable.

Our weather was really nice yesterday and we drove up to several campgrounds and Little and Big Lava Lakes. Took about a mile or so hike along the shore of Big Lava. The dogs had a marvelous time and had to go swimming about 10 times. Today we have clouds and the threat of rain but so far none. It is warmer, almost 70º. We were beginning to think it would never get that hot again around here. Usually by now we are closer to 80º regularly.

Love to you all and I'll keep you updated when I have anything to say.

Penny