You got great advice here, and I'm sure you'll feel better after you speak with the surgeon. One thing I want to mention is that I would ask the surgeon how he/she knows you have an affected lymph node. The only way they can know this is through a biopsy and the only way they can do that is by removing the node. The reason I mention this is because sometimes they do a PET scan and you can have a false positive. I did. In other words, the PET scan lit up in the axilla (under the arm), so the MD assumed I had node involvement, which was a fancy way of saying the cancer had spread to the nodes. Also, I had a swollen node, which can happen for a number of reasons. So instead of removing one node to biopsy it so we know for sure if it had spread, my surgeon removed all my nodes. The path report came back that 0 nodes were affected. Not to scare you, but I got lymphedema as a result and will have it for the rest of my life. Had he removed 2 or 3 nodes, he would have found that they were not affected, and I would very likely not have lymphedema today. It always pays to question everything. I wish I had questioned that one. BTW, I was the one who celebrated the first day of chemo, and I am not kidding when I say I was so excited I could hardly stand it. Waiting is the worst. Once you know what you're dealing with, you can examine all your options, feel a little more in control, and can move forward. Please let us know how you make out at your apt.
Hugs & prayers,
Mary
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