Follow Up with Dr. Chung

This morning was a follow up visit with the surgeon I had who did the lumpectomy in February, Dr. Kelli Chung in Vancouver at the Mill Plain Kaiser.

I was suppose to have a follow up visit at the 3 month mark, which surgery was in February, so that would have made it May for my follow up. However, I didn't know I was suppose to have a follow up visit and never got a call from Kaiser until last week. Its almost at the 6 month mark now!

Appointment was early today, 8:45am. So Richard and I went to Vancouver, my appointment was about 10 minutes long!
All she did was check my scars, asked a few questions, checked my port and that was it.

Dr.Chung said I should have a mammogram in January or early February 2011 and than schedule an appointment with her after that. Than the next visit would be a year later  (2012) when as she put it, " we will have a two year graduation party at that point for you ".

This appointment did give me the chance to ask her about Lymphodema, which can occur in the upper arm once the lymph nodes have been removed. (this is when the other lymph nodes can not drain correctly and the arm swells up, there are exercises to do to help relieve the pressure but once you have it, you cant get rid of it.)  She said if I haven't had any problems with my arm yet, most likely I wouldn't, can't guarantee that , but keep using my arm as normal but keep an eye on it.  After surgery and removing lymph nodes 10 to 15% of patients develop Lymphodema.
So I feel pretty safe knowing that my arm is as normal feeling as it was before the surgery.

Between the chemo appointments, I am feeling really really  good. The Herceptin that I am getting weekly doesn't seem  to make me sick in any way. So the side effects only come after my chemo treatments.