Cathy, you are sure right about that. She just melts my heart when I hear her call for me. I do wish this annoying stinging under my arm from the sentinel node biopsy incision would go away. It's getting better and it should go away after a while. The surgeon says that the nerves get damaged when they cut to take out the lymph nodes. The stinging means they are healing (and at least I don't have any numb spots). That and not being able to take a shower (I'm so tired of sponge baths) make me feel like whining but I hate whining so I try not to. I'm so glad that they don't have to go back in to take out the rest of the nodes. And I get to take showers again starting this weekend - only one and a half more days! I try to focus on the positive. And I'm not suppose to pick up my granddaughter for a while (though sometimes I do - I try to be very careful and mostly use my other arm). Donna and Linda, what is next is to meet with the oncologist which happens next week. And I also meet with the doctor who does the radiation. I'm not sure. My cancer cells have some aggressive features so I think they may still recommend chemo. With stage I for my cancer characteristics (if I'm using the tools right - I'll need to check with the oncologist), the recurrence risk is still in double digits and chemo cuts that in half (to less than 10%) so I'm thinking that chemo may be worth it to cut down the chance that I have to deal with this again. And it cuts the risk of dying from the cancer in the next 10 years something like from 4% to 2%. So it is around the point where it is difficult to weigh the risks vs. benefits. I'm hoping that the oncologist can suggest a lower side effect / lower risk set of chemo drugs.

Personally I'd try a concentrated period of manual physical therapy, first. I don't mean manual in the sense of it being your hand, but PT done by someone trained in intensive PT therapy using their hands. Of course all PT's do use their hands, but manual PT is different from what many people think of as PT which is mainly exercise-based. During manual PT the therapist gently massages, presses, stretches, and manipulates the injured part (and its adjacent and some not so adjacent parts). One school of manual therapy is based on the work of John Barnes (myofascial release), another uses Trigger Point therapy developed by DR. Janet Travell (among others). I am just ending a long (almost 6 months) course of manual physical therapy (myofascial release and trigger point among other disciplines) for a shoulder injury that my orthopedist wanted to operate on last winter. When I started, my right arm was completely useless, now I'm back to working in my garden. It can be time consuming to go to PT, but you'll have to do some PT after surgery anyway. I decided I had nothing to lose by trying it first. I started with conventional exercise-based PT and found it only made things worse. Luckily, I had a client who knew about manual PT and he sent me to the right place. HTH, Molly

Reporting back one month and five days after surgery. The procedure itself was a breeze. I only recalled being awake the last few minutes of the one hour. No pain whatsoever. Just a numbness on the forehead for a few hours afterwards, much less than from dental work! Yes, the one week of strict downward positioning and enforced inactivity was a bore. Never had time move so s--l--o--w--l--y! On the plus side, I got to know of every radio talk show host on air. Waking hours, I alternated between the vitrectomy chair or standing head bent at a railing or slung over the back of the couch like a cat at rest. Vitrectomy chair. There are a number of variations. If you wish to read or use a laptop computer or watch TV (via a small reverse mirror), check out exactly what options are available from your supplier. The chair above comes with a support for reading etc. Plus, the headrest expands so the user can wear glasses if necessary. The one I was shipped had none of these options. Night-time was the hardest--on the vitrectomy pad and head contraption: face down, my hands grasping the sides. I managed two hours at a time, up to four at the end. Never could sleep more than 4 hours altogether, vs. my usual six hours. Great though for vivid dreaming! Vitrectomy sleeping pad. (Velcro connects the pieces.) This is the type I used, except I moved the blocks underneath to the sides so I could grasp them. There are many variations that you might find more comfortable. For instance, I hung my legs off the back of the bed; some pads include another angled pad to raise your lower legs. The second week, I was able to position normally during the day, but had to sleep on my side; I jammed myself onto the couch. mrs. worthy administered the eye drops. Frequently and copious on a strict schedule as little as two hours apart the first day after surgery. But not painful at all. The bubble blocked vision, other than perception of light and dark, for a couple of weeks, gradually dissipating by the end of the third week. The good news: After the fourth followup exam, my surgeon declared the hole repaired. However, full clear (corrected) vision will take a year or so to return, he says. I can drive safely, but reading is all with the other eye. The anticipation was much worse than the actuality!

I think most of us have done things for cosmetic reasons at one time or another. Teeth straightening, lasik, mole removal, wart removal are often done for cosmetic reasons rather than health although often the reasons overlap. I think cosmetic surgery is great for someone who really has an issue that has always bothered them for most of their life. It's great for reconstructive purposes also. I can understand people wanting to change something that they were born with that detracts from their looks like huge ears or a crooked nose etc. I can also see having surgery for something that makes it hard to wear things. Big breasts or huge arms for example. I would have arm surgery if they ever came up with a way to do it with less scarring. Right now the scars from that surgery are almost as bad as the arms. from what I've read most end up covering the scars with long sleeves. So what's the point? I'd love to be able to wear short sleeves and go sleeveless and wear clothes that don't bind. But cosmetic surgery to fit in with the fashionable face of the day or to take away natural aging I would never do. It's not worth the risk of anesthesia.