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CoolBreeze · 10-10-2011, 09:35 AM

Well ladies, I came home on Saturday. I'm doing very well. Yes, there is surgical pain but surprisingly not as bad as I feared. I don't need a recliner or hospital bed or anything like that - I can get in and out of my own bed just fine, sleeping with a wedge pillow. I had no infection, my incision is healing beautifully (staples out) and I'm pretty comfortable. I can't eat much - I get too full, but I try to eat little nutricious bites throughout the day. No BM yet, which worries me a bit as I cannot strain! I take miralax each night and drink water all day - we'll see.

They removed my left lobe. They couldn't remove the right - the cancerous area was too deep, but "very very small." He said he used microwave ablation on it and got it with a 2 cm margin so he doesn't anticipate a problem.

The one hitch was later when my surgeon came in and told me about the path report. He said that they had found one small spot of cancer they hadn't seen on ultrasound or visually, but it was in the lobe that they'd taken out so they "got it all". I immediately told him that worries me - does it mean there could be some "invisible" cancer in the lobe that is left?

He didn't seem to think that was the case and was extremely upbeat. However, you talk to these guys at 6:00 a.m. after you have been drugged all night and awakened every hour so when I go to clinic I'll clarify with him and, of course, get a copy of the path report.

At this point, I'm proud to tell you:

I AM CANCER FREE!!!!!!

10-10-2011, 09:35 AM	#47
CoolBreeze Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 562	Re: Liver Resection Surgery Well ladies, I came home on Saturday. I'm doing very well. Yes, there is surgical pain but surprisingly not as bad as I feared. I don't need a recliner or hospital bed or anything like that - I can get in and out of my own bed just fine, sleeping with a wedge pillow. I had no infection, my incision is healing beautifully (staples out) and I'm pretty comfortable. I can't eat much - I get too full, but I try to eat little nutricious bites throughout the day. No BM yet, which worries me a bit as I cannot strain! I take miralax each night and drink water all day - we'll see. They removed my left lobe. They couldn't remove the right - the cancerous area was too deep, but "very very small." He said he used microwave ablation on it and got it with a 2 cm margin so he doesn't anticipate a problem. The one hitch was later when my surgeon came in and told me about the path report. He said that they had found one small spot of cancer they hadn't seen on ultrasound or visually, but it was in the lobe that they'd taken out so they "got it all". I immediately told him that worries me - does it mean there could be some "invisible" cancer in the lobe that is left? He didn't seem to think that was the case and was extremely upbeat. However, you talk to these guys at 6:00 a.m. after you have been drugged all night and awakened every hour so when I go to clinic I'll clarify with him and, of course, get a copy of the path report. At this point, I'm proud to tell you: I AM CANCER FREE!!!!!! __________________ http://butdoctorihatepink.com 08/17/09 Dx'd. Multifocal/multicentric IDC, largest 3.4 cm, associated ADH, LCIS, DCIS HER2+ ER+/PR- Grade 3, Node Negative 10/20/2009: Right mastectomy, reconstruction with TE 12/02/2009: Six rounds TCH, switched to Taxol halfway through due to neuropathy 03/31/2010: Finished chemo 05/01/2010: Began tamoxifen, the worst drug ever 11/18/2010: Reconstruction completed 12/02/2010: Finished herceptin 05/21/2011: Liver Mets. Quit Tamoxifen 06/22/2011: Navelbine/Zometa/Herceptin 10/03/2011: Liver Resection, left lobe. Microwave ablation, right lobe - going for cure! 11/26/2011: C-Diff Superbug Infection, "worst case doctor had seen in 20 years" 03/28/2012: Progression in ablated section of the liver - no more cure. Started Abraxane, continue herceptin/zometa 10/10/2012: Progression continues, started Halaven, along with herceptin and zometa. 01/15/2013: Progression continues, started Gemzar and Perjeta, an unusual combo, continuing with herceptin and zometa 03/13/2013: Quit Gemzar, body just won't handle it. Staying on herceptin, zometa and perjeta. 04/03/2013: CT shows 50% regression in tumor, so am starting back on Gemzar with dose reduction, staying with perjeta/herceptin/zometa. Can't argue with success! 05/09/2013: Discussing SBRT with Radiology due to inability of bone marrow to recover from chemo. 06/07/2013: Fiducial placement for SBRT 07/03/2013: Chemo discontinued, on Perjeta, Herceptin and Zometa alone 07/25/2013: SBRT (gamma knife) begins 08/01/2013: SBRT completed 08/15/2013: STABLE! continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin, Zometa 06/18/2014: *** NED!!!!*** continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin, Zometa 01/29/2014: Still NED. continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin. Zometa lowered to every 3 months instead of monthly. 11/08/2015: Progression throughout abdomen and lungs. Started TDM-1, aka Kadcyla. Other meds discontinued. Remission was nice while it lasted. 5/27/18: Stable. Kadcyla put me right back in the barn. I have two teeny spots on my lungs that are metabolically inactive, and liver is clean. I’m beating this MFer. I was 51 when this started and had two kids, 22 and 12. Now I’m 60. My oldest got married and trying to start s family. My youngesg graduates from Caltech this June. My stepdaughter gave me grandkids. Life is fantastic.