GREAT RESULTS!

Finally, Dave heard from his surgeon's office with the good news that no cancer cells have been found in the lymph nodes that were removed on Aug. 7th!  It is just what we expected, yet we were still on pins and needles waiting for the confirmation.  As it turns out, the pathologist is doing two types of testing; the first type is finished but the second is not.  That means we still have more results to come, but we still expect a 'clean' report.

I don't know why a second set of tests are being done.  Dave talked to Dr. Ross's PA and I didn't; I usually have a lot more questions.

This diagram shows exactly how the sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed on Dave.  Even the location of the tumor is where Dave's tumor was.  I had seen these pictures earlier, but didn't focus in on them, so this should have been posted earlier.  Oh well, live and learn.  The only difference was that Dave had a second injection of the radioactive substance, since the first amount didn't drain to lymph nodes (having gotten 'rerouted' by his scar tissue) and he had a second incision once Dr. Ross saw that the substance flowed to a second set of lymph nodes deep under his clavicle.

The dye that is referenced in the first picture is a blue dye.  Dave has an allergy to an ingredient in it, so only the radioactive substance was used, though they initially planned to do both.  Now a blue dye is involved in the second set of testing on the node (the results we haven't yet heard).  I don't know if it is the same blue dye or not.

Dave has been recuperating extremely well.  After several days of feeling sluggish in the afternoons, he's back feeling like himself.  Not only that, he decided to start swimming for some regular and hopefully ongoing exercise.  Naturally I was concerned about the arm movements pulling at his incisions, but he said he doesn't feel any pulling, and he feels the pull in his back rather than the front.

His SteriStrips are coming off at the edges but have not fallen off.

And here he is, back from his morning swimming!