On Friday 4th September, I had a 14cm tumour cut out of my thigh. And I’m super-glad I did because that thing was lobulating all around lots of other more important bits in my body, like the femoral artery, the also fairly important main vein in my leg, the lymph node package and numbers of other bits and bobs.
For a while there, I thought ‘that’s it’. Not a thought I’d expected to ever have (look at me, all naïve over here) but have it I did. Then when it looked not cancerous (Yay, thank you Lord!) but impacted the artery I thought I’d lose the limb and my ability to ever balance properly (well, easily??) doing a pirouette en pointe (topic for another blog post). Then it was likely I’d have lymphodema, a lifelong swelling condition.
BUT!!! My many many many prayer warriors upheld me and the amazing surgeon Dr Chris Allan found another way. Cut diagonally = pretty much zero lymph node involvement. WOOHOO!!!
Side-effect: nerves were cut. And them’s some weird things, nerves!!!
I tried taking a photo yesterday: there was a cold breeze so my right quad got goosebumps as you’d expect. BUT!!! There was a whole diagonal stripe on my leg were the goosebumps weren’t. Because even though yes, I can feel pressure there? No, I can’t feel temperature (and cold packs? Nope!) so the skin didn’t prickle into goosebumps.
And sorry, but the photo didn’t work 🙁
The first two weeks post-surgery was non-stop pins and needles, some of which got intense enough to pass the ‘annoying’ threshold into ‘painful’. But that’s okay.
I’m alive.
I have both my legs.
I have minimal risk of lymphodema.
AND I have a pretty unique party trick to show for it. How many others can goosebump in stripes?!
Neat, yes?
Here’s hoping you have an amazing day and week yourself, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn