Jan I will be with you in spirit!

I had my Mast[1] and Lymph.. done over 18 months ago, and I have to say that I am glad the evil is OUT! Ironically the tumor was what the surgeon called ‘tame’ and well-behaved [not in my mind!] I attribute that to being on the IVIG in a way. There was a very small case study done on PN patients in Israel who later developed BC and it seems the IVIG helped tame the cancer. The IVIG was given for the PN. I don’t know if it’s applicable, but it is comforting.
Prepare for surgery by gathering everything non-refrigeratable next to your favorite chair and plan on parking yourself there for quite a while. Showers will be out for the first few days, but after that it will be really a treat! Drains are the worst part. Or were for me. Be sure you understand the how-to-do’s of it all. Metamucil and citrucel will be good friends for the first few days after surgery, as the pain pills do their side-effects job nicely. Have/get little half or quarter pillows to keep your arms off your surgery sites. And, hard as it seems, MOVE! Keeping your circulation going as you move keeps the swellings down at surgery sites and those pesky ankles. An info site that helped me lots was ‘breast cancer . org’
Going into surgery, be SURE to tell the anathesiologist that you have an AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE, not unlike MS. Somehow that clicks and you can avoid some of the nastier side effects from some anathesias…MS’ers have learned this lesson well and have been vocal in changing how we are treated as well. When I had my surgeries, I made it clear that I wouldn’t do it if they didn’t understand my medical issues. It Worked!
I wore pink fuzzy chenille socks that a friend gave me to keep my feet warm. I was allowed to wear them into surgery and all the nurses wanted to pet these soft socks – after that…I was out. But the petting of the socks I’ll never forget! At least my feet didn’t turn blue?
Truly – My heart and mind are with you. For me, cancer has been easy compared to CIDP! Many soft warm and heartfelt hugs.