July 2010 Rads

Hi Amanda, Hope you're doing well.  Wanted to say hi and let you know that we miss you.  We're thinking about a July Rads/Movin' On ladies trip.  Would be great if you could join us.  I'm going to PM you a link to a survey on timing & locations. 

We're all coming up on our cancerversaries and with that the mixed emotions of the joy of having it behind and the anxiety of the the next round of scanning.  Take care and hope to hear from you soon.  Donna.

Hi Amanda!

It's good to hear from you. I still lurk here some, too, but I spend much less time than I used to. I understand your resistance to Facebook, but if you ever change your mind you know where to find us.

And yep, Tamoxifen is a real pain!

Karen

Hi Amanda, good to hear from you. I hear you on the T. Night sweats and joint pain are the worst. I still don't think I could do the race. BC overload. Good luck if you do it. Let us know and we'll cyber cheer you on. Take care. Donna

Hi Kim!

Good to hear from you.  How have you been doing?  Can you believe that we are coming up on one year since July rads group kicked off?  

 I met with my plastic surgeon last week to schedule my nipple reconstruction and was disappointed to find out that the rads damaged my skin so badly that I don't have enough for a nipple reconstruction.  He is suggesting a lat flap wich I can't even fathom at this point.  I am doing some research into reconstruction with fat grafting. 

Cyber hugs to you!  Hope you are doing well!

Amanda

OMG. . .Jully 2011 Rads. .. wow. . .crazy! 

So when they reconstruct the nipple, they mound up skin (usually right from your breast) and run a stich through it.  The idea is that when the stitch is eventually removed, a bulge will remain.  It doesn't give you much but at least helps the visual.

If he added the lat flat, I'd likely still need a small implant.  It would just give my breast a more teardrop shape (rather than the totally round hamburger bun look I have now).  The iron bra feeling I have is from the implant being placed underneath my pec muscle (which is what they do in reconstruction).  Switching to a samller implant and doing the lat flap would ideally give me some relief from the iron bra while also giving my some skin to recon the nipple. 

I am about 80% sure I wont do it.  I said I didn't want to start over and my PS said it was more like an add on.  He told me reconstruction iwth TE frequently requires revisisions but that seems like so much work to me. 

The procedure I've been reading the most about is "Brava".  There are several doctors who do fat grafting to smooth out imperfections in an implant recon or fill in divets in a large lumpectomy.  However, there is a surgeon in Miami who is reconstructing entire breasts with your own fat.  It is relatively new but the research I've been doing is promising.  Many women can go without implants or at least size down to a smaller one.  I have been posting on a few other threads and on fatgraftpatients.com to get informated.  My hopes are high! 

Whew. . .mind dump.  Sorry for that, I've been consumed with google searches about fat grafting for the last few days!

My treatment was in 2009.  Radiation began 10 days after the simulation day.  I did not give permission for the tattoos, so on the first day of radiation, the techs had to mark the area with ink and then cover with tape.  I continued to swim, work out and bathe daily as usual.  One thing the simulation process did not introduce was the loud sound of the radiation beam in the ON state.  It was very loud, and it seemed to fill my head.  I dreaded it.  I know Dr. Love's book cites the presence of the techs in the control room as a kind of comforting presence, but I never got any comfort from being watched as I lay half-naked, strapped to a table with my arms locked in a form.  It's a very lonely few minutes.  With that said, ask your team about sound, look for something to focus on as you are positioned on the radiation rack, and know that with each day, you're one more day closer to your liberation from a really challenging experience.  Good luck in your treatment.  I hope it proves to be helpful to you.