June 2010 Mastectomy

Laurie, it turns out I am NEGATIVE!  I was so happy! It's a real load off my mind, not just for me, but my kids.  I can scratch that off my worry list now......woohoo!

I went to my PS this morning for my post-op appointment. He is confident that my implant will drop and re-shape itself over the course of the next month so that it looks more symmetrical with my natural side. I won't see him again until right before my nipple reconstruction unless I'm concerned with symmetry in about a month.

Laurie: I asked about the nipple cone and I won't have to wear one. He'll sew on a bandage during the reconstruction that will stay on for a week, and then after that is removed I'll have another soft bandage that I have to wear for 10 days. And then it's done! 

Getty 

Getty- I am so happy that the PS is confident that your implant will drop and reshape to make a nice match for you.  I am also happy (and jealous) that you won't have to endure a cone for 8 weeks!  It sounds like you had a great appointment.  Do you know what time of the day Dr. Oz is on?  I would like to see it and want to program my DVR before I forget and miss it.  Also, an FYI the photo web site had been in the process of being moved and it officially did so today.  So for those of you trying to get access you should be getting access at this point.  They weren't letting in any more ladies until the move was done- less to move I guess.

Well, for me that last 24 hours has been exhausting and slow.  My oldest has been running a fever of almost 103.  Thankfully it finally broke today around 4 and he is down to 99's and acting like himself again.  It's the first time he has been sick since my youngest was born almost 9 months ago so I should consider us very lucky.  But boy, it was hard to find a way to baby him and take care of the baby!  Lucky for me he is a good boy and he understood that I needed to do both.  I'm looking forward to bed time so I can go for a swim in the pool and get all the kiddo's slime off me and relax with a book.  

I hope everyone had a good day and managed to take a moment of time for yourselves!  We deserve it!

stlcardsfan fun week.

Monday fill # 4  ouch!

Tuesday first Physical therapy appt. My arm/shoulder doesn't bend like that - double ouch !!

Wedneday - today Herceptin # 12 yea! only 6 more to go.

Thursday 9/2 more PT

Friday 9/3 Bone Density test, and MOHS console for the spot on my face.

What a fun week.........NOT!

I have to carry a calendar around every time I go see a doctor or PT appt, need to make sure I don't double book myself.

Counting the days until Survivor starts!!! And has anyone seen the Cancer commercials they are running with former Survivor players.

Also, my local paper had a article in it today about women who test positive for the BRCA 1 or 2 gene and the benefits of the prevent surgeries both bmx and ooph. My ooph Doctor was quoted twice.

Hope everyone is doing well! 

Ducki: I have not had any adjustments done to my natural side. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping like crazy that in the next month or two they end up looking similar enough that no work is necessary on the natural side. The bandages around one nipple may well be because of a breast lift on a natural breast. If only a small lift is needed, the incision is done that way.

I, too, am now able to get on the picture forum. It made me feel a whole lot better about the look of my implant right now. I just have to be patient and let time and gravity do their work. No tears here. Just relief.

By the way, I looked ahead on my DVR and Dr. Oz' show next week says nothing about DCIS. I'm going to tape it anyway, just in case. He's supposed to have the head of the Breast Center at UCSF on. 

Getty 

Laurie08 and almagetty  Thanks so much for your input.   I too think I would have been a lot better prepared if I had been able to see all this before I had my surgery.  I agree with the nipple part too.  I have only seen a couple pictures and it looks so painful, but then again I am thinking that we are numb there.. right? 

Getty- Your doing the areola grafting?  I was thinking of just doing the tatooing- it will be interesting to hear from you what you think about it etc.  Are they taking it from your thigh? 

Getty- Thank you!  The last fill rounded them out a bit and I am happier with them.  My PS said that the implants will make a big difference.  I feel I am too wide, he said it's the shape of the TE's.  I think I am too chicken to do the areola grafting!  That is the same area tha my PS would take the skin from.  I have never talked with him about it much, I probably should.  Now that my fills are done I believe I should get a game plan for my surgery in January.  For me it has to be a one shot deal I think.  Too much explaining to my oldest... It's going to be a big help to me to see how you feel about yours etc.  Sorry you have to be the pioneer!

Laurie and Getty   Its so great to have yall to compare notes with.  I am getting a bit more nervous as my exchange date nears.  I worry about losing/gaining weight. I want to lose some but don't have much time left.  The mx will stay the same and my real one will grow or shrink  You were smart to have both done Laurie.  You wont have that issue and OMG I saw your pictures and am so envious.  You look wonderful.  Your incisions are so nice and thin.  Mine is large.  You have a very good PS obviously.  I am also opting for tatoo but didnt think they tatood the nipple.. Wondering now how that gets there !!

Ducki- When is your exchange date?

Laurie Oct.5th.. 7 AM   I opted to stay the same size,  ( 38 C ) but it doesnt appear that is gonna  happen. Because of my age and gravity, (( I tell everyone that I used to have nice boobs but now I have nice knees ))  the PS will have to surgically move up the real nipple and insert a silicon thingy for support.  He said that side would be a lot more uncomfortable for a while than the mx side.  He said he was going to position the real one higher to allow for gravity again.  All this is just sorta starting to sound like a bad dream. I am sure it will all work out.  I am just tired of all this as I know so many others here are too.  If my TE wasnt so darn uncomfortable, I might even consider waiting longer.  My weight concerns me too as I have heard the real side grows and shrinks with weight.  I am 20 pounds bigger now that I have ever been in my whole life.  Not sure why, but I started gaining weight right after my colon cancer surgery last year.  

What type of tat do you have in mind?  I teased my kids about getting a butterfly tat around the nipple.  lol

Thanks Laurie!  I think mine look much bigger in the pictures than they do in real life.   I am pretty impressed with that older cancer side, the PS literally had nothing to work with.  My other side is skin sparing but the cancer side was flat to my chest and you could see my ribs through the skin.  I can't believe it looks as good as it does.....that's one advantage to waiting over a year for recon, you're just so happy to have something there, your less picky about what it looks like!

Yes, please post some pics from the final fill.  It's really great we have a place to get feedback and people can 'see' what we're talking about. 

Hi ladies, glad to get updated with all your posts.....

I had my Op last tuesday, just got home about 2 hours ago. Feeling not too bad, last drain went this afternoon. PS managed to get 300cc straight in/breast, but at the moment they are up at my collar bones! A strange look My scar is as small as they could make it, not seen scars yet as white tape strips all over the place. The PS 'skinned' my midriff and hauled it up, tacking it under where my new breasts will be with a bit of running stitch. He then used the midriff skin/fat to double-skin the lower half of the breast for a better finsh..... sounds like a work of art - not looking like it yet - but hey - I just feel overwhelming relief. Managed to shower and wash my hair fron thursday onwards so  quite chuffed. Defo feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest

 No path results as yet, hopefully nothing horrid will come out of that.

LOL to you all, Robin x

RobinLM So good to hear from you.  I was becoming a bit worried.  Sounds like you are doing wonderful !!  Keep us posted.

Hi Laurie - no, was implants, 300 ccs. The midriff lift was to provide 'fatty' skin to form the base of the breast so it now overlaps the lower half of the original breast skin.  At the moment the scar is on the low side of the implant - I'm hoping that the implant will drop as planned to above my new mammary 'fold' he created. He first formed a muscle pocket with pecs plus 2 x bits of the serratus anterior muscles/side.