Recovery - Day 8

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I had my post-op follow-up with Dr. Funk today, the first time I'd seen since pre-op last Wednesday. Our main topic of discussion was my pathology report, which came back yesterday. It didn't show the pathological complete response that we'd been hoping for, but it was close - the remaining cancer was 7.5mm, 10 times smaller than when I was diagnosed, and my margins were "widely clear", meaning that there is no possibility of any cancer having been left behind. It also means that it's extremely unlikely that I will need radiation therapy, something I have been eager to avoid. I still am going to meet with a radiological oncologist just to make sure, but Dr. Funk was very certain that it wouldn't be necessary - and she was really happy about the results. She also did a quick exam and was very pleased with how my incisions are healing and how my skin is looking. She said that it's going to turn out beautifully. 

I won't see Dr. Funk again until June, when she will perform the first of many annual exams - a skin exam and ultrasound of my lymph nodes. It's interesting part of this process how you meet with the surgical oncologist first, and the interaction is so intense - but it's so brief, just a few appointments and one big surgery. By contrast, I will probably have met with Dr. Trott twenty times by the time we reach the end of our six months together, and the same number of times with Dr. Hurvitz and Maddie over a year-long period. Still, I really think that Dr. Funk has had an important and very positive impact on my prognosis, and I'll always feel grateful to her for that.

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