Toni and the Volcano

One of the things Toni loves about the Northwest is the number of volcanoes. So here is Toni framed by Mt. Rainer from last summer.

As the UW Hospital/SCCA Turns!

Toni and I have seen the last of the surgeon. Ok, for 6 months (when follow up mammograms will be done). We spent a few minutes with Dr. Calhoun. Toni is officially classified as early stage breast cancer: Stage II b. She is still draining, but much less. She has to get to less than 30 ml for two days in row. So... maybe Monday or Tuesday she can get the tube pulled. Dr. Calhoun said things are healing well. Toni's pain level is a 6/10. So the drug deal from yesterday is still trying to take hold. Toni was hoping to return to work next week, but it will probably be one more week. So the next step is working on getting healthy and strong to prep for the chemo thing. She is looking better than feels.

I'm Bloggin Here!

So, Bryan is writing what is on Toni's mind. Summarizing the day's activities: Watched the drain bottle fill up, got the mail (that is a 200 yard walk in the sunshine), clung to the kitty (er...the kitty clung to Toni), cleaned up lunch that did not agree with kitty, discussed drug deal with doctor for another type of pain med to deal with the not so numb arm (the nerves are starting to fire back up), thought about writing in/on/uh the blog. And, prepped for the visit with the doctor tomorrow. We'll post the results of the visit. (By the way, since Toni can't reach up over her head for the time being, Bryan is gaining valuable experience in combing hair and making pony tails)

And The Results Are In:

So I got a call at work at 3:35pm. My heart jumped when I saw "Toni Binion" show up on my Blackberry. The time was not necessarily normal for a daily call which usually comes at 4:15pm when she leaves the Boeing plant. But she is off work this week still recovering. So I knew that perhaps she had spoken with Dr. Calhoun. Although I could not really detect a hint in her voice, I was not subtle. I asked, "Did you get a call?" And the answer was "yes."
And...>>>>>>>>>.......... NO cancer in any more lymph nodes. What a relief! A bummer of a deal that Toni's intuition to perhaps avoid a second surgery was correct, but we now know precisely what is going on. So we'll still be visiting with Dr. Calhoun to summarize things on Thursday and discuss next steps. It is still all about the drain tube, and then some healing time, and chemo (But now... Chemo-Light). A very wonderful end to our day today!

Expectations for the week

1. This week we should be receiving the pathology results from last weeks surgery. The best news would come in the form that no more cancer has been found in the 2nd "harvest" of nodes. However, perhaps having one or (maybe up to two nodes) with positive (bad) results may still be considered ok to good news, as it may mean less potent chemo to follow.
We might hear something any day this week, as her doctor has stated she would call if the results were available.
2. Toni has her post-0p visit with Dr. Calhoun this Thursday afternoon (Apr 30). It would be great if she could be done with the drain tube by then. To get the tube out... only 30ml in a 24 hour period can be measured. So far the number is 90+. PPPPFFFTTT. But we have four more days.
3. Our third goal is to get into an exercise routine (slowly). We did get in two excursions to run errands, and Toni did well, but commented she was tired and in a bit of pain. So we'll track progress accordingly.
So,,, keep the positive thoughts coming:)

Found the picture!

Radiant Toni

This is close to the "picture" I wrote about below. Taken from the restaurant on the top of the Space Needle in Seattle.

The reason I married Toni

This picture is my favorite of her youth. For me it defines Toni.

Just a girl that creates the happy in happiness; unrestrained joy.

Week one - following the axillary surgery

(Bryan) So I posted our wedding announcement (without Toni knowing). Just to create a smile.

We are looking forward to the day when the drain tube runs dry. The bottle is a constant and sobering reminder of what has happened. Today in changing Toni's dressing, it was quite evident that the process has become uncomfortable for her, and that made me feel quite sad. We visit with Dr. Calhoun this Thursday (April 30th).

Good news in the coming week will erase many of the difficult discussions we have had and ease the pain of the surgeries. As I type this note, I am looking at one of my favorite pictures of Toni. A vibrant smile sets the tone of her face. It is a picture of a very confident woman; she is at her best. This morning as I observed her, she looked mournfully into the mirror. I can't say enough about how wonderfully beautiful she still is (although I know she feels differently). Her smile has been much more reserved in the past few months, yet everyday I find some way of recreating the smile that adorns her face in this picture before me. If I can find it, I will post it.

26 days to our three year anniversary and 30 days until Toni's Birthday

Mr Maggie and Godzilla team up to attack BC

Well, here is the first posting of our new blog. Bryan and I decided that the care pages at the SCCA weren't quite what we needed. So, we'll be playing around with this for awhile.

I'm (toni) feeling a little bit better today. The back of my arm in still numb and tingly. And I'm still a little loopy from the pain meds. Bryan is taking very good care of me. He's doing a wonderful job changing my dressings and stripping my drain. Very icky.

More updates later...

Love to all!