Feeling Better

  Tuesday I had my follow up post-op appointment with the Plastic Surgeon.  He said everything looked good and he was happy with the results.  To my surprise he said I wouldn't need to see him again for 3-6 months!  I told him about the pain under my right breast, and he said "I told you it was going to hurt there."  Yes, he did!  And I'm thankful he told me that in pre-op before I was all looped up on meds, so that I would remember.  Otherwise I would have been concerned about why it hurt so bad, which is what happened after my mastectomy.  I was in so much pain and I didn't know why.  I didn't know if it was normal pain or something to be worried about.  No one prepared me for that!
  He said that he added some extra dissolvable stitches under my right breast to lift it up, and because of that I'm not to stretch, reach, or lift with my right arm for another month.  Because of my job, that means I can't return to work for another month.  I anticipated being off for a month anyway, so hopefully my return date will remain the same (Jan 4th).  It will be nice being off during the holidays.
  Today, (12/14) I am pretty much pain free, and not taking any pain meds.  Usually by the evening I will start to hurt some, but overall I'm feeling pretty good...8 days post-op.  I can now put my seat belt on for myself, shower myself, dress myself, and sit up in bed by myself (still hurts a little).  I'm still not driving and need help putting on my coat.
  The great thing about my mastectomy is that they were able to do nipple-sparing.  Which means that they didn't have to remove my nipples (which is done in a lot of cases).  This is great because now that I have the implants, my breasts look completely normal.  The incisions were made under my breasts along my chest/rib area.  Once the scars are healed, you won't even be able to tell I had cancer/mastectomy/implants.  This is also why I'm not posing pictures LOL!
  I've come to realize recently that I'm actually a very lucky woman.  Sure, I got breast cancer at the age of 31...that sucks!  I had to go through chemotherapy, got really sick and lost my hair....that sucked!  BUT, through hearing other women's stories, I realize that it could have been MUCH worse.  I could have been stage 4, I could have been triple negative, they could have removed my nipples, I could have needed radiation, I could have gotten an infection and had my implant(s) removed, I could have had a much more rigorous chemo regiment, there could have been complications anywhere along the way....and NONE of this happened to me!  With God on my side, all things are possible!  I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and although I haven't discovered the reason for this yet, I know it's a big important one :)

The Twins

   Right in the middle of a good ol' Indiana Winter Storm, I headed to the surgery center and checked in at 9:05am.  We passed a slide off and multiple salt trucks on our way.  The roads were icy and we had to take it slow.  I was praying that my surgeon was going to make it on time, so my surgery wouldn't be postponed or cancelled.  Shortly after I checked in, they took me back to the pre-op room, where I went through all the medical history questions and they accessed my port.  Once I got into the lovely gowns and hair net, everyone came to visit.  First, my Navigator Nurse Sharlee.  She came to say Hi, introduce me to the new Navigator, and wish me well.  Then, my parents were let back.  Then, the Anaesthesiologist paid a visit to go over what he would be doing and what I should expect with the anaesthetic.  Lastly, my plastic surgeon arrived, marked me up for surgery and explained what he would be doing. Finally, an OR nurse came to get me and walk me back to the OR. 
  On the way back, she asked me what I would be doing if I wasn't there getting surgery.  I said I would probably be working.  So, naturally she asked what I do. Of course, she thought a CSI was cool and when we entered the OR, she told all the others in there that I was a CSI.  To my surprise, one of the other scrub nurses (Inna) remembered being in on my last surgery.  She said " it had to be you. How many other female CSIs are in Indy?"  We all had a good laugh about that.  Another funny thing I remember was the Anaesthesiologist was wearing a winter coat under his white lab coat in the OR, but to his credit...it was FREEZING in there.  He had it on when he paid me a visit in pre-op, but I thought he would take it off for surgery.  Nope. LOL.
   After 2.5 hours I woke up in recovery.  I was wearing a compression bra and had ice packs on my chest.  I stayed in post-op for probably 3-4 hours.  I was really wobbly when I finally got up to get dressed, I felt like I was learning to walk for the first time.
  The surgery went well.  The surgeon was able to remove a lot of scar tissue around the incision sites, and said that he didn't see any scar tissue behind the expanders (which is good).  He was also able to lift up my right breast, which was lower than the left after the mastectomy.  But because of this extra reconstruction, I am in a lot of pain under my right breast.  I describe it as feeling like I've been stabbed and then repeatedly punched in that area.
  I'm recovering at my parent's house now and will be here for probably 2 weeks.  I am very sensitive to pain medication and I'm having trouble managing the meds.  They prescribed me Dilauded, but I don't get much relieve from that.  I had Percocet left over from the last surgery, which helps tremendously with the pain, but it gives me a headache and makes me nauseous.  So, I think I'm going to try taking a strong dose of Tylenol and see if that works.  I was nauseous all day Friday, yesterday, and this morning because of the pain meds.  Today, I haven't taken any prescription pain meds yet.  (It hurts SOO bad when I vomit because of the stitches, so  I want to give my body a rest)  I feel the least amount of pain when I'm laying down, so I've pretty much been planted on the couch.

Silicone or Saline

I had an appt with my plastic surgeon on Monday.  This was the final appt before my next surgery.  I am having another surgery on December 6th.  This one will be done to replace my temporary expanders with permanent implants.  I had a big decision to make before this weeks appt...saline or silicone (gel)?  For those of you old enough to remember, silicone implants were recalled by the FDA in the 1980's and not used for over 20 years.  They were believed to have caused auto immune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.   However, during those 20 years extensive research was done and there was no exclusive connection made between the two.  Therefore in 2007, I think, they were brought back (new & improved).

Upon doing my research, I found the following pros and cons:
•Gel implants
PROS
-feel more natural
-look more natural
-less likely to leak
CONS
-more cause for concern if they do leak
•Saline implants
PROS
-if they leak, no concern
CONS
-feel harder
-more likely to ripple
-more likely to leak

After doing my own research and reading the booklets my surgeon gave me, I talked with both my nurse & my surgeon to get their advice.  To my surprise, my surgeon said that over 50% of his patients choose gel implants.  Then, my nurse told me that of all her patients in their 30's and younger, they have ALL chosen gel implants.   And that if I were her daughter that is what she would recommend I choose.  Well, that did it for me....gel it is!  On Dec 6th I'll be getting brand new silicone boobies!!!!

Happy October!!

 

 

October is breast cancer awareness month.  The entire month is dedicated to spreading the awareness and gaining funds for the research of breast cancer.  It is estimated that in 2013 there will be a total of 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 39,620 breast cancer deaths in the US among women.  Feel those Ta-Tas ladies, don't be ashamed, it could save your life....it did mine!!

　
Breast Self-Awareness
1. Know your risk Talk to your family to learn about your family health history
Talk to your doctor about your personal risk of breast cancer

2. Get screened Ask your doctor which screening tests are right for you if you are at a higher risk
Have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 if you are at average risk
Have a clinical breast exam at least every 3 years starting at age 20, and every year starting at age 40
Sign up for your screening reminder at komen.org/reminder

3. Know what is normal for you The signs of breast cancer are not the same for all women. It is important to know how your breasts normally look and feel. See your health care provider if you notice any of these breast changes:

• Lump, hard knot or thickening inside the breast or underarm area

• Swelling, warmth, redness or darkening of the breast

• Change in the size or shape of the breast

• Dimpling or puckering of the skin

• Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple

• Pulling in of your nipple or other parts of the breast

• Nipple discharge that starts suddenly

• New pain in one spot that does not go away

4. Make healthy lifestyle choices Maintain a healthy weight
Add exercise into your routine
Limit alcohol intake
Limit menopausal hormone use
Breastfeed, if you can

For more information visit our website or call our breast care helplinewww.komen.org 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636)
All images are copyrighted, ©2013 Susan G. Komen®. Use of images prohibited without prior written permission.
Komen does not provide medical advice. ©2013 Susan G. Komen® Item No. KOMEED200600, English 7/13


The third week of October has been set aside for the awareness of men's breast cancer.  Although not as common, men DO get breast cancer too.  Women make sure your men feel their ta-tas too, especially if breast cancer runs in their family.  It is estimated that in 2013 there will be a total of 2,240 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 410 breast cancer deaths in U.S men.  Spread the word!!

Pink Ribbon Connection



Last week I was honored to be able to attend a breast cancer event in downtown Indy.  Pink Ribbon Connection is a non-profit breast cancer support and information organization.  They hold a luncheon fashion show fundraiser every year and my hospital bought a table and invited survivors.  It was an amazing afternoon.  I arrived at the Marriott and the hallways were filled with women in PINK.  I checked in and got my name tag which said "Survivor" on it...that's my new title :)  There were booths and tables along the hallway with information and freebies.  I located my nurse and my fellow survivor friend Debbie.  We then ordered a pink drink to loosen up.  Next, we grabbed some props and headed to the photo booth!

Then we located some other people from our group and went into the ballroom to find our table.  We were seated right next to the runway!  There ended up being 4 survivors and our Nurse Sharlee.  All the models in the fashion show were either breast cancer survivors or health care providers working with breast cancer patients.  Sharlee said she's going to see about getting me in the show next year!

 

 

 

What do you know about Mesothelioma?

source: www.mesothelioma.com


I was asked to include this on my blog.  Always glad to bring awareness!

Decisions, Decisions

I saw my Oncologist on Tuesday and talked with him about what the Radiation Oncologist had told me about recommending more chemo.  Apparently he had "spoken out of his expertise" and I will NOT need anymore chemo.  My oncologist said that if the chemo didn't work the first time, it won't work a second time either.  A different kind of chemo will not make a difference.  As I've stated before, my kind of cancer is highly estrogen + and highly Her2 +, which means the cancer is being driven by either the estrogen or the Her2.  Since the chemo didn't work, this suggests that my cancer is driven by the estrogen.  Therefore, the drug Tamoxifen will prevent any further growth of breast cancer cells.  I was under the impression that I wouldn't start Tamoxifen until ALL my treatment was complete (May 2014), but he said I could start it as soon as my chemo was done, so he went ahead and wrote the prescription for me.  I'm really nervous about taking it, and therefore haven't started it yet.  It's sitting in a drawer in my bathroom.  I have heard that it gives you hot flashes which, let's face it ladies, are NO FUN!  I have had these already throughout my treatments and I am not looking forward to them coming back.  However, what scares me the most is the risk of uterine cancer.  I mean do I really need to trade one cancer in for another???  I shared my concerns with my nurse and she said that of all her patients, she's only known of 1 who developed uterine cancer while on the drug.  And IF I were to get it, it would be years down the road, like 10+ years.  She said the risk is low, but as always I must way the risks, and she said the benefits out way the risks for this drug.  She said that if I were her daughter, she would tell me to take it.  So, I'll take it, but I'm not looking forward to it, especially since I have to take it for the next 5-10 years of my life!

Today, I had another appointment with my Plastic Surgeon.  As of right now, I am not happy with the way my breasts are looking.  I don't think it has anything to do with the handy work of the surgeon, it's just the way the expanders are filling out, the pockets that were created after the tissue was removed, and the scar tissue that is developing.  My right breast is lower and "plumper", and my surgeon says bigger (although I swear it's smaller).  But todays' appointment reassured me.  The surgeon said that during my next surgery he will be able to lift up the lower breast, which will make them look more even and IF needed he can later make a tissue deposit from my belly to the breast to fill in any differences.  I think I am at the size I want to be right now, so I scheduled the date for my next surgery...December 6th.  Now, I just need to decide if I want gel or saline implants.  To my surprise, the Plastic Surgeon said today that over 50% of his patients have chosen to go with gel implants.  My next follow-up with him is on Nov. 11th and I think a decision will be made then.