Your mission...

Well, tomorrow's the big day. I'm very calm and not anxious or worried. I'm not working today, and will spend the day getting my mind and self ready for tomorrow. I'm having a stress-relieving massage this afternoon, and looking forward to that. The first thing the surgeon will do is a preliminary biopsy of the "sentinel lymph node." This test is performed before the lumpectomy to see whether the cancer cells have spread to the lymph system - the sentinel node (identified by a special test) is the first place the cells would go if it has spread. If there is lymph node involvement, the surgery will include removal of the tumor and a margin around it, as well as removal of lymph nodes. Recovery in that case will take a little longer, and the lymph nodes will then be biopsied further - that will take several days. But the important thing is - we don't want the lymph nodes to be involved. If you pray or think about me tomorrow, please concentrate on this positive idea: Marcia's lymph nodes are clear and healthy. Thank you! I plan to go to Mom's after the surgery for at least one night. My sister and her husband will look in on Buster while I'm away from home. Wish me luck! I'll update the blog as soon as I can. Take care of yourselves.