Sorry to all of you feed readers out there... I accidentally created a blank "I'm Home" post. Here's the real one.
So, I am home from surgery. Things were running a little late at the hospital, but I was running a little early! I woke up out of anesthesia very quickly and I went home shortly afterward. The pain isn't too bad so far. I just feels like someone took sandpaper to my boobs, but that could actually be considered an improvement on the left side, considering I haven't felt much on that side since the mastectomy :-)
I have my first post-op appointment with the plastic surgeon on Wednesday. Originally, it was going to be Monday, but after the surgery they said they wanted me to come in on Wednesday. Not sure why, but I think maybe they just want to monitor the donor site.
After we left the hospital we made a quick stop to Chipotle. All day without dinner - I needed a burrito, STAT. It was soooooo delicious. And I didn't even feel bad about it because I haven't eaten all day.
Anyway, thanks everyone for the well wishes, the happy thoughts, the prayers, and the warm feelings. I will keep you posted in the days ahead.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Surgery Update 2
Megan is out of surgery! I spoke to Dr McSteamy a little while ago and he was pleased with the results and everything was without incident (as expected). Megan is resting comfortably and I'll be able to see her in the recovery room after she "sobers up" from the anethesia.
Surgery Update
Things are a bit behind at the hospital, but just a few minutes ago at ~2:10 PM I saw Megan off to the operating room. Aside from being quite hungry, Megan is in great spirits and looking forward to being on the other side of today. The surgery will take about 1.5 hours, and she'll have another 2 hours or so in the recovery room to sleep off the anesthesia. I'll write back soon when I have more information available!
Surgery Today
I just realized I never posted my surgery time. We have to arrive at the day surgery center at 11:30, which means I probably won't actually go in until 12:30 or 1. The surgeon says it should take about an hour to an hour and a half, but we'll probably be there for 5 hours.
I'm so hungry!!!
I'm so hungry!!!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Building a Better Boob
Today I had my pre-op consult with my plastic surgeon (Tabouli McSteamy, you may remember from a blog entry almost 2 years ago). Yikes, it's been a long time. Anyway, we are about to complete what I hope to be the last stage of reconstruction - nipple reconstruction. At this point, it kind of seems a little too much to write about in a public forum to my family and friends, but why stop now?
Before the bilateral mastectomy, my oncological surgeon recommended that he remove both nipples as well as the breast tissue. The nipples are a part of the breast where cancer can grow, so they are oftentimes removed during a mastectomy. It was pretty much a sure thing with the side that had cancer, but I thought for the sake of symmetry (and to prevent recurrence, of course) I would be okay with removing the right one, too.
Several months after my tissue expander exchange I was mostly happy with the shape and feel of the new boobs, but there was definitely something missing. Well, two somethings. I thought I would be okay with getting nipples tattooed on, but the incision was slightly dog-eared and getting that fixed would require another surgery anyway. I decided pretty early on that I wanted to have nipple reconstruction, too.
The radiation on my left side has definitely left my left breast feeling different. The tissue is not as soft, and it's slightly redder. If it hadn't been radiated, my surgeon could have created a nipple using my existing skin. Instead, he'll take some skin from my inner thigh to prevent problems with wound healing. I've had a hard time finding details on how this is done, but here is a medical journal article with some pretty good pictures taken during the surgery. You'll want to scroll down to the "Technique" section and click on the "Figure" links to see how it works. Interesting stuff, but I'm glad I'll be asleep during the procedure.
The surgery is scheduled for Monday, January 11th, and it's expected to last about an hour. I'll go home with bandages that I can't remove until my post-op appointment on the following Monday. That means no showering for a week. Yeah! I'll have some discomfort at the donor site, but I hope to return to work on the Wednesday after my post-op appointment. It's supposedly a much less intense surgery than the tissue expander exchange (and certainly a lot easier than the mastectomy), but I think the skin graft thing makes the healing process a lot more fragile.
I'm pretty excited about the whole thing, but work has been kind of crazy so I'm not looking forward to losing all that time and then coming back afterward.
I believe you may be treated to a blog from at least one guest blogger on that day, but I may check in before then when I know the time of my surgery (to be determined on Friday). Thanks for reading!
Before the bilateral mastectomy, my oncological surgeon recommended that he remove both nipples as well as the breast tissue. The nipples are a part of the breast where cancer can grow, so they are oftentimes removed during a mastectomy. It was pretty much a sure thing with the side that had cancer, but I thought for the sake of symmetry (and to prevent recurrence, of course) I would be okay with removing the right one, too.
Several months after my tissue expander exchange I was mostly happy with the shape and feel of the new boobs, but there was definitely something missing. Well, two somethings. I thought I would be okay with getting nipples tattooed on, but the incision was slightly dog-eared and getting that fixed would require another surgery anyway. I decided pretty early on that I wanted to have nipple reconstruction, too.
The radiation on my left side has definitely left my left breast feeling different. The tissue is not as soft, and it's slightly redder. If it hadn't been radiated, my surgeon could have created a nipple using my existing skin. Instead, he'll take some skin from my inner thigh to prevent problems with wound healing. I've had a hard time finding details on how this is done, but here is a medical journal article with some pretty good pictures taken during the surgery. You'll want to scroll down to the "Technique" section and click on the "Figure" links to see how it works. Interesting stuff, but I'm glad I'll be asleep during the procedure.
The surgery is scheduled for Monday, January 11th, and it's expected to last about an hour. I'll go home with bandages that I can't remove until my post-op appointment on the following Monday. That means no showering for a week. Yeah! I'll have some discomfort at the donor site, but I hope to return to work on the Wednesday after my post-op appointment. It's supposedly a much less intense surgery than the tissue expander exchange (and certainly a lot easier than the mastectomy), but I think the skin graft thing makes the healing process a lot more fragile.
I'm pretty excited about the whole thing, but work has been kind of crazy so I'm not looking forward to losing all that time and then coming back afterward.
I believe you may be treated to a blog from at least one guest blogger on that day, but I may check in before then when I know the time of my surgery (to be determined on Friday). Thanks for reading!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
N.E.D.
N.E.D.
That stands for "No Evidence of Disease". It's a term that I've seen thrown around a lot in the online community for cancer patients and survivors. It's an accurate way to describe my situation, and many cancer "survivors". We don't know if we've been cured. Most likely, you never really know if you've been cured, at least not until you die of something else. I think doctors avoid using the word "cure" for that reason. They really can't look a patient in the eye and honestly tell them that they have been cured.
Today marks one year since I have finished cancer treatments, and there is no evidence of disease. Last year, on the day after Thanksgiving, I had my final radiation treatment. My muscles and tissue on my left side are still a little off - I know that's because of the radiation. I can't stretch as well there, and it's not as soft. That should gradually get better, but this may be as good as it gets. I guess I can live with that :-)
Sometimes I get sad, amazed, and emotional when I think about all I've been through, but I don't think about it as much anymore. At one point I couldn't go an hour without thinking about cancer. Then I couldn't go a day. It gets easier and easier to think of myself as a normal person. I still have very frequent check-ins with my oncologist, I have little to no estrogen in my body, and I still look at my naked chest and know it's not normal. However, it's now a normal part of life.
And, now, time for a Red Letter Year goal check-in:
1) Instead of running a marathon, I did a half marathon. I'm not upset about it. I am so proud of the 13.1 mile distance :-)
2) I am scheduled for surgery on January 11th for nipples. Yay! It is a little later than I'd hoped, but I'm okay with it. The longer I wait, the better it will look with respect to the radiated side.
3) I am SO going to wear a bikini in Jamaica in just about 2 weeks. I have been working so hard to be healthy, exercise a lot, and eat well. I think I am on track with a last minute push at the end. I can't wait!
That stands for "No Evidence of Disease". It's a term that I've seen thrown around a lot in the online community for cancer patients and survivors. It's an accurate way to describe my situation, and many cancer "survivors". We don't know if we've been cured. Most likely, you never really know if you've been cured, at least not until you die of something else. I think doctors avoid using the word "cure" for that reason. They really can't look a patient in the eye and honestly tell them that they have been cured.
Today marks one year since I have finished cancer treatments, and there is no evidence of disease. Last year, on the day after Thanksgiving, I had my final radiation treatment. My muscles and tissue on my left side are still a little off - I know that's because of the radiation. I can't stretch as well there, and it's not as soft. That should gradually get better, but this may be as good as it gets. I guess I can live with that :-)
Sometimes I get sad, amazed, and emotional when I think about all I've been through, but I don't think about it as much anymore. At one point I couldn't go an hour without thinking about cancer. Then I couldn't go a day. It gets easier and easier to think of myself as a normal person. I still have very frequent check-ins with my oncologist, I have little to no estrogen in my body, and I still look at my naked chest and know it's not normal. However, it's now a normal part of life.
And, now, time for a Red Letter Year goal check-in:
1) Instead of running a marathon, I did a half marathon. I'm not upset about it. I am so proud of the 13.1 mile distance :-)
2) I am scheduled for surgery on January 11th for nipples. Yay! It is a little later than I'd hoped, but I'm okay with it. The longer I wait, the better it will look with respect to the radiated side.
3) I am SO going to wear a bikini in Jamaica in just about 2 weeks. I have been working so hard to be healthy, exercise a lot, and eat well. I think I am on track with a last minute push at the end. I can't wait!
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