January 28th I had my lymph node dissection. What a nerve-wracking day that was! I hadn't had major surgery or been "put under the knife" for over 15 years! Surgery went smooth though, and I knew I was in good hands with my surgeon, Dr. Getz. He even fixed my other scar during surgery because he didn't like how it looked! What a nice, little gift! Coming out of anethesia was a little rough, but once I fully woke up, I felt fine. I stayed in the hospital that night and then went home the next day with enough pain killers to do some damage! :) Luckily, we have my mom here to help out with the kids for a couple of weeks while I'm recovering. Overall, I would say the recovery hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be, but I'm definitely quite sore in my groin/upper leg, limping a bit, and exhausted from the whole procedure. It's amazing how surgery can take it out of you!
February 2nd was an unexpectedly good day. The nurse from the surgeon's office called me to see how I was recovering and also to tell me the results from my surgery. There were 10 lymph nodes that the surgeon removed and everything was NEGATIVE for melanoma! This was the absolute best news we could've anticipated and it was definitely a call to jump up and down! I'm not sure I expected this result (but prayed for it, obviously), but it definitely let me know that the Lord not only answers our prayers, but has been looking out for me all along. Tears of joy were shed by not only us, but many or our family members as well, as we called them to tell them the good news. We truly feel this is a miracle, especially since the cancer has most likely been inside my body for 2 yrs! What a testament to the power of the priesthood, our prayers, fasting efforts, and most importantly, our faith and trust in the Lord. I will always remember this moment forever and hopefully, no matter what I have to go through in the future, I can look back and recall the great blessings and miracles that the Lord has provided me.
Today, I had my post-op follow-up. With the negative results from the surgery and the previous PET scan, my surgeon officially declared me N.E.D (No Evidence of Disease). Now, let's hope it stays that way for good!
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