After surgery & pathology results

Recovery from the first surgery wasn't too bad.  I went back to work the day after for a couple hours and then eased into half days after that.  I didn't have a whole lot of pain-- mostly just soreness and a tight/heavy feeling.

Pathology results were supposed to be back in 3-5 business days.  I still hadn't heard anything by Friday, August 3 so I called the surgeon's office.  Results were still pending.  On Monday, I thought I would hear something but the day came and went. 

The surgeon, Dr. Kennedy, called on Monday evening.  Pathology in the lymph nodes showed that she took 7 lymph nodes and only one had tiny cancerous cells in it.  Good news there.  The pathologist said she "probably" didn't quite get a clear margin.  Probably?!  They shouldn't be able to use the word probably! 

Dr. Kennedy, whom I trust completely, said she'd like to go back in and get more tissue.  As bummed as I was, I knew this was a possibility all along.  Several people I've talked to that have been through lumpectomy surgeries had to have what they call a re-excision (second surgery to get clean margins).  It's not abnormal.  Dr. Kennedy herself had to have a third surgery when she had breast cancer.

Dr.  Kennedy said the surgery would probably be on Thursday but she'd get it scheduled and have someone call me the next day.

I was a little upset after we got off the phone.  I didn't want another surgery.  However, as I thought about it more, I realized that I wanted to make sure that all the cancer cells or any tissue that had touched cancer cells were OUT of my body.