Charleston Bound, part 2

lbrewer,

I moved from Indiana.  I'm living in White Gables in Summerville right now.  Am heading back north first week of August to take care of some business. 

NOt sure if I will be in the hospital or out.  Stay in touch!

crs..beautiful story

Saying goodbye to CHS for this part of the journey, have 11/15 as my next and hopefully last leg/or shall I say flap/nipple? Next up will be fat grafting to plump up PAP and a little on the upper pole then the nipples. Trying hard to get them all done and in by this insurance year! Then just woo-hooing it and praying others do as well.



Had the final hugs from Sewannee and hopes to truly have a fall 2014 CHS Kline-a-thon reunion with our annual check up with Dr. Baron and maybe renting a house so we can share costs with all of you (or as many of you) as possible for a week of enjoying CHS, getting our check ups, and walking the beach - with lots of chatting and who knows, we may be off meds enough for a glass of wine or two!? Pink will have been here long enough to help scout a place??



Thoughts but who knows how soon it could be 'plans'! I know that CHS is a beautiful city and would certainly be happy to spend some time here without the first leg of it being the hospital! And, so much fun to put faces with the names. They have BCO ladies going to Vegas, well, why not CHS??? LOL



Pink, my best to you, you will continue in my prayers. Sewannee - it was fun! And I actually walked down the hall in my pj's! Hoping all coming up are doing well and continue to do well.



Hugs

Pink and Cathie,



Thanks so much for making stage 2a almost fun. What joy to get to visit with you both. Loved having my portrait made by Cathie's precious granddaughter. Looking forward to next fall.



Pink - I echo CRS's words (CRS - how lovely!). Having met you, I have a distinct feeling that what has seemed one of the worst chapters in your life is perhaps the opening chapter in an entire new, happier, and hope-filled story - just beginning to unfold. I imagine your telling it to other BC survivors as an encouragement and inspiration.



So glad I met you both.



Like Cathie I am trying to complete this journey this year. The last installment is December 6, when final fat grafting will be done to even everything out. Still feeling horribly swollen but trusting it will rapidly begin to go down.



Hugs and thanks to you all.



Deidre

Diedre - I suspect you are swollen. It has only been a week.



To the girls of August - I am sitting on 7 at Roper now waiting for my husband to complete a procedure. Last time I was here for my surgery I didn't really have a chance to appreciate the wonderful nurses and staff. It is really calming. Maggie, you're going to love it. Jaime, should we try to plan dinner for the night before your surgery? I am hoping I won't have to spend the night again, but they had big challenges with nausea.

I am at 2b or 3 or whatever you want to call it. We will be fat grafting to fill, but not sure what else.  My left was lifted last time, but I think it needs to move around more.  I am just glad that we waited 4 months, just last week I noticed a sunken spot on the upper left chest wall that hadn't been there before.  Nipples will come in December.

Chair moved from dining room to an alcove in the bathroom.  I am not strong enough to help carry it up or down stairs.  It won't fit in the elevator.  My DH has a disc above a 3 level fusion in his lower back that is going bad.  Had a myelogram today as there is too much interference on an MRI.  Hence, he can't lift either.  That chair will go on Craigslist soon, but how do you show it off in the bathroom?  Oy!

Jamie - my pre-op is on the 5th so we will be downtown.  Of course, we both know what can happen to those pre-ops.  Maybe dinner on upper King?  Lots of good places.  

Jaimie, the time before and leading up to the "next stage" to me is both like a child waiting for his/her birthday and an adult/senior waiting for her birthday- it takes forever but at the same time is there before you know it!
Im Very excited about being close to the recon finish line but also very knowing that instead of being "anxious" about even having to go through this bc ordeal again, I've focused on the repair instead of dwelling on the bc. Praying I can focus on something like being healthy when I do finish this part and get on with my life. It's been a great distraction, but time to move on! Maybe my Christmas present to me this year will be a "doable" gym membership that I will GO to instead of not going!!!



The great thing though is meeting so many wonderful ladies in person Marty, who not only did I get to see a couple of times, but she was the literal driving force in my meeting Beth and Diedre !!! And seeing both those ladies at Dr Kline's office a couple of times each! Chery, Pinkheart, my partner in crime at the Komen lunch in April and again both Pink and Sewannee last week, several times each!!! How privileged I feel for meeting these ladies.



Now I want to meet all of you, as from our posts it seems like we've met already, if not in person, in circumstance!!! Hoping there is a chance when we are all feeling great to get together in CHS!



Hugs on a wet Saturday in Georgia!

All--



That's so much for your heartwarming thoughts! I am forever grateful for you. Though difficult, I have to look at divorce as blessing as my husband was not supportive of my BC surgeries. He was good for my BMX, ALND, and immediate implant recon surgery, but once the complications started he was obviously irritated by the time and money involved (even with my phenomenal med insurance), and made remarks that I was having unnecessary surgery and I should just learn to live with it (severe rads damage and craters in my chest wall). I seriously think I may have given up without all of you, and my surgeon Dr. Kline.

So I look forward to my last surgery on November 15 with all positive support.



Meanwhile, I drove myself to post-op appointment and lunch with Catie and Sewanwee feeling just okay. After lunch the beach was too close to resist and I went for way too long of a beachwalk. It's always when I turn around to walk back that I realize that I went too far and getting back not so fun. (but at least I didnt go kayaking, lol)



I spent rest of this week with migraine, nausea, and flu-like ache and started taking oxy again. When I went back for another post op on Friday my drain still wasn't quite ready to be pulled, but he pulled it anyway so I could get off antibiotic that was making me feel sick, and so I could do range of motion exercises because my alien axillary cording is already reattaching scarring down. He said if seroma develops they will aspirate since I'm now a local.



The good news-- Dr K did more work on right radiated breast, and it finally looks like a real breast! Some of you have seen my pictures of radiated breast issues and horrible cording so you know how hopeful this makes me feel. The right breast shape almost looks better than left now. But I know he will do his best at last surgery with BRAVA and fat grafting to get both as close to twins as possible.



Feel much better today but tired.



Went to Summerville Farmers Market this morning and bought "real" big juicey tomatoes and other fresh veggies. Next week I would love to get the fresh, just out of the water jumbo shrimp as long as they remove the heads for me.

Walking around town and market here, I was so amazed at how friendly and nice people are here!

Pink - you might want to wait to find you doctors until you know where you will be working and where you will be living.  It can help a lot to not have to battle the traffic to get to your caregiver.  Yes, I know our traffic isn't like a bigger city, but when you are on one side of a shut-down bridge and need to get to the other side it can be a real awakening.  Sometimes there are limited routes - something that often frustrates newcomers.

Wave runner - you are so right, even though we don't share the same Dr or hospitals - ALL if us share something, sometime, and somePLACE = CHS at a very vulnerable, scary, and needing of people who have been there done that! A collective WE have done that!



I hope that when a date for a get together of CHS whether its MUSC, ROPER, or ECMC bc recon patients that ALL feel welcome and invited and a part of a great group if women who have either paved the road for my journey there or who have been right there with me through the parts that I couldn't have made without your words of wisdom and cheering us on to the finish line!



NO ONE GETS US, like one if us gets us!!!! Pink and Cascader going through HBOT just before me helped me forget I was afraid of tight spaces - just one example - but you get the idea!



I love my DD to pieces, but have decided that although DIL does an excellent job as a caregiver, it's too much to ask a mother with 3 children to take on the responsibility of giving albeit limited care, to her mother while out if town. She made me feel old and judged for wanting my recon to be complete and questioned my motives for wanting a C cup. (I am a C cup right now, I brought this up when I mentioned to her that I asked to remain a C cup when at the post op appt the night of the post op while still in MP). She then made me promise that I would go see a therapist if I continued this obsession with a C cup after my next appt.!!!!! Am I missing something?



She's not sure I need to do the nipples, even though I told her I had decided to do the nipples, made me feel that I was trying to be something I am not. Well, I am NOT ever going to be something I was - so whatever I do will be something I WASN'T!



We need each other to remain sane in this insanity of people judging what or when we should do anything!



Sorry for the rant!

Dear all,



I would say more, but couldn't say it better. I guess in some ways you could say the past year has been hard - certainly an endurance contest, and certainly not without some life-threatening moments ... But looking back on it I have to say it has all been worth it. Both because I am just one procedure away from being done (Dec.6), and also (and mainly) because of the women whom I have met. Some in person. Some at BC.org, but each and every one a person who pulled me through, shone a light ahead on the path, and who will always hold a place of honor in my heart. God bless you each and every one. I could never have done this without you.

A special thanks to Chris (an "all done" Dr. Kline patient who met me and answered innumerable questions many a time), Cascader (who visited with me, offered friendship and answered questions on the phone), Pink (for being an inspiration by soldiering on and finding a "silver lining" in the experience), Marty (for volunteering to drive two stage one patients to lunch, just so we could actually meet), Cathie (who gave my mom and me a ride, and who has cared selflessly for me and others despite her own journey) ... Heartfelt thanks.

Deidre

lbrewer: Wooo double hoooooo!!!!!!! So very happy for you, and prayers for your journey toward that end of the tunnel! Hoping all goes well for you!



Big hug



Catie

I need a reccomendation for dinner on the beach.  I want to have one special dinner before my SGAP on Wednesday.