High Five!

Today was results day of WLE #2. I'd managed to almost put the thought to the back of my mind and then as Andy came down to stay after a work meeting in Gatwick on Thursday night I didn't really think about it until I went to bed. So after a very restless night and all morning feeling sick, Rob drove us to Redhill for my meeting with my surgeon and BCN.

Sat in the waiting room at 10h45, waiting for my 11h00 meeting, I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest it was going so fast. Annoyingly they were running 40 minutes late, which didn't help my nerves one bit.

Eventually my name was called, my legs were so wobbly I thought I was going to fall over as I walked to the room. As soon as I walked in the door (I didn't have time to even sit down or take off my coat), my surgeon shook my hand and said "We got it", I think I didn't hear him properly so I said "sorry?" and he said "we got clear margins".... I promptly burst into tears and high-fived him!!

What is a clear/negative margin:

He then told me that I would need 3 weeks of radiotherapy (aka rads - which is the minimum time they can give it to you for) and (as my BC is ER+) to take Tamoxifen for 5 years. I have to start the tamoxifen straight away and the radiotherapy will start 6-8 weeks from the date of my operation, so that will start around 5th-19th March.

My BCN then had a quick look at my scars, one where I had my SNB during the first operation and the other where I had both WLEs (they went in the same incision during the second op) and she said both were healing nicely. The reason there is the 6-8 week wait from the date of the operation, is that they need to make sure the skin is completely healed before they start rads on it.

I have a planning meeting on 11th February when I'll find out a bit more about what radiotherapy. involves. Until them, I'm off to celebrate!!