DIEP 2013

Hi girls, I've maintained radio silence here since Sunday when I came back from my travels in Africa - too jetlagged to think, let alone post, but I'm getting better. Read a little, but cannot possibly cover all the posts, it is just too much. I do want to wish all of you brave fighters a happy new year filled with joy, peace, beautiful breasts, and good health!

Saw my PS today, and my date for Stage 2 is April 23. Will get a nipple, a small lift on the healthy side, and some lipo on the left side of the tummy scar to get rid of some puffiness there. PS was pretty pleased with how symmetrical the two girls already are, and so am I. The DIEP breast sat high up in the beginning, but has softened and dropped over time. This last surgery will be about 45 minutes long, and I can go home immediately afterwards. Not looking forward to this. I'm so ready to be finally done, move on, and forget about this whole ordeal.

Movie, sorry to hear about the pneumonia, and hope it will get better soon. My PS  said nothing about compression for the lipo area. Just hope it is not too painful.

movie - you have been in compression for a month now.  With the pneumonia, I am sure wearing spanx will make sleeping a bit easier.  Why not wear the spanx at night until Monday and see how you feel.  If you are better, then back to the marena.  If your marena has a wide band of elastic at the top, that is probably noy helping.  That is why I prefer the Design Veronique - no band.  

WOW....check out this article! 

Identical twins share breast cancer, rare surgery


CHICAGO -
Identical twins Kelly McCarthy and Kristen Maurer have shared a lot in
their lives so when one was diagnosed with breast cancer, she urged the
other to get tested, too.

"You just do everything together, don't
you," the doctor told Maurer before delivering the bad news that she,
too, had the disease.

Now the 34-year-old twins from Crown Point,
Ind., are sharing a medical rarity: Maurer donated skin and fat tissue
for McCarthy's breast reconstruction.

"It wasn't a question, she
didn't have to ask me," said Maurer, a college enrollment counselor.
"Having a twin is very like having a child. You would do anything for
them ... in a heartbeat."

The first successful organ transplant was between identical twins in Boston in 1954 and involved a kidney.

Since
then, identical twins have been involved in many other transplant
operations, involving kidneys and other organs, bone marrow, and stem
cells. But breast reconstruction between identical twins has only been
done a handful of times; Maurer and McCarthy, a nurse, are among the
youngest patients.

Identical twins are ideal donors because their
skin, tissue and organs are perfect genetic matches, explained Dr.
David Song, chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the
University of Chicago Medical Center. And that eliminates the need for
anti-rejection medicine, he said.

Song performed the twins' surgeries on Tuesday and both fared well.

Typically,
breast reconstruction surgery involves implants and/or a woman's own
tissue, sometimes taken from the abdomen, thighs or buttocks. But
McCarthy is among women who don't have enough extra tissue; plus,
radiation treatment damaged tissue near her breasts. So Maurer offered
to be a donor.

McCarthy said her sister's sacrifice, "just so I can feel better about myself ... is really humbling."

With
their blonde bobs, sparkling brown eyes and easy, engaging smiles, the
twins are clearly mirror images of each other. Discovering breast
cancer in identical twins isn't unusual because of their exact genetic
makeup, Song said. With twins, there's also often a "mirroring effect,"
with breast cancer developing in the opposite breast, he said. That's
what happened with McCarthy and Maurer.

While their mother died from colon cancer last year, there was no family history of breast cancer.

McCarthy
was diagnosed first, in December 2011, with triple-negative breast
cancer, a hard-to-treat form of cancer whose growth is not fueled by
hormones. She was nine months pregnant and her son was born a week
later. Soon after she started treatment, chemotherapy, surgery to remove
her right breast, and radiation.

Maurer was diagnosed with a very early-stage cancer in her left breast a few months after her sister.

"Kelly was more upset than I was during my diagnosis, and likewise, when she was diagnosed I was a mess," Maurer said.

Maurer
had a double mastectomy, recommended because her sister's cancer was so
aggressive, but she didn't need chemotherapy or radiation. She had
reconstruction with implants after the birth of her second child last
March.

McCarthy's operation this week involved a second
mastectomy, and reconstruction of both breasts. Some of her own tissue
was used to fashion one breast. At the same time, surgeons essentially
performed a "tummy tuck" on Maurer, removing lower abdominal skin and
fat tissue and transplanted it to her sister to create a second new
breast.

The twins have always been extremely close, sometimes
speaking in unison or completing each other's sentences. But now,
McCarthy said, "I feel closer. Her tissue is over my heart."

Great story.  I also have had many offers, Mamma.   Even my husband.  I told him I didn't think his belly hair would look all that attractive on my chest. 

mammalou, I had elevated liver enzymes over the summer. My "enthusiastic" onc's nurse practioner had me get a scan of my liver (I think a CT scan) to make sure everything was okay. I was sick to my stomach with worry! But the scan turned out perfectly fine. And they rechecked my bloodwork a month or two later and the enzymes were back to normal. It turns out, there's about a million things that can make your liver enzymes go up. I wish they'd skipped the imaging and not worried me so much about it, honestly. But if you are worried, talk with your onc, maybe they will scan you too.

I hope you had a good night, movie. As for compression, I can't offer anything useful. My ps does not believe compression helps, but I did not listen to him because I like compression .

Welcome Home Liefie!

Deb, how are you doing, honey? Hope you're feeling fighting fit and ready to face the new year and the chemo stuff has been left behind.

Happy 2014, everyone!  Nihahi, my stage II was a breeze.  I had only a little lipo on the underarm excess.  You will do fine!

Bluebird, I had mentioned Bass Farms.  She came to one of our support groups.  I love the Triple B cream.  Happy to hear you like it.

Bailey, you are truly an amazing woman.  You are such a supporter of all of us on this thread.  I would never have guessed you were dealing with all that disappointment.  I'm so glad you are happy with the stage II!

Mammalou, I'm another one with elevated liver enzymes.  They were the same two months in a row.  We will be heading to Florida for a couple of months so I will be going back the end of March.  Are you on an AI for hormone therapy?

Love and healing to you all!  ...Julie

Oh Lahela, sorry you are feeling the post hysterectomy oopherectomy side effects. I am guessing your body is experiencing the estrogen depletion right about now which is why you are having the PMS symptoms. They are actually menopause symptoms. This is going to be an adjustment period. Just know the way you are feeling physically and emotionally right now may last a while, but it's not where you will be forever. I think one of the symptoms of it is feeling like it's never going to get better, but it is.  If it doesn't  just know my obgyn put me on 10 mg of Celexa a day which keeps me on a more even keel emotionally and almost completely eliminates the hot flashes for me. I can't take hormone replacement because my cancer was estrogen positive so the Celexa is my "replacement" lol. I have a tendency to be anti-drug so it was kind of hard for me to accept being on it long term. I did try going off it at one point. I almost melted from the not flashes so now I pop the pill and shut my mouth

Thanks Julie! You are a doll. I hope you enjoy Florida....send warm weather....it was -10 F or so this morning......brrrrrrrr.

Welcome home, Liefie!

Debdylan....YAY HAIR!!!!

Edited to add Lahala....check out www.hystersisters.com if you need more info....they are very helpful!

Just had time to skim things today.

Goldie- I had that drain belt! It was perfect for the four drains under my arms. The two in my FUPA....well still don't know what would have been the best way to deal with those. 

Bailey-  very happy to hear about your results! Can't wait to hear about the trip to victoria secrets!

Nihahi- the saying goes you don't have to be brave you just have to show up! You will do great. So glad you will be getting out of the cold and heading to Arizona. That will be a nice thing to think about to distract yourself!

Movie- sorry to hear about the pneumonia. Ugg! 

Don't mean to leave anyone out. Thinking of you all.

DD is doing a semester abroad in London and of course left last night out of JFK in the blizzard. So many flights were cancelled but for some reason hers went. Last one out at midnight. Waited all day to hear from her. DH was ready to hop on a plane himself to look for her ( I think the umbilical cord is still attached sometimes) anyway she can't get her phone or computer to work but finally used someone else's phone to text us and say she is in her dorm! Worry never seems to stop.

Lucy, I had only four drains for my bmx so the belt worked perfect. I wonder how many I will have for the diep?  Hmmm

If you are anything like me you never stop worrying about your kids.  It's the way it is.  Human nature.  Glad she is okay. Sounds like she is probably having the time of her life!!!!!

Deb, I had more luck with powder.  Anastasia makes a great two tone powder with a nice brush applicator.  Sephora carries it.  Also, if you use some foundation powder before and after applying, they look more natural.

Julie, thanks for the recommendation. Love, Love, Love their products! Enjoy your stay in Florida! 

My hair has finally grown in enough it is almost time for a haircut. So exciting! It is still crazy curly and blonde on the tips and is now coming in dark. Normally it is bone straight.

I also lost my eyelashes for the second time about 4-5 months after chemo. I thought it was from starting radiation. But they came back quicker than before. 

Bailey, how did they fix your "side boob"? Did they just lipo it?  I'm hoping that at some point the side boobage can be shifted to the right/front, but don't know if that is a viable option. I too am tempted to have the whole thing removed and just go with a matching set of implants. I've started wearing a Genie compression tank and that helps a bit. At least I don't notice my boob getting stuck under my arm as much! The bonus with the Genie tank is I just double up the cups on my missing side. Cheating has never been so comfortable.

Bluebird, I do the same thing with the Coobie bra inserts. I have doubled and tripled them up.  I love those bras. 

Jeannie, we were talking about the laser for the broken blood vessels a couple of pages back.  I got it done today. There is a tiny bruise where each vessel was, but they are gone, and the bruises will be gone in a week or so.  They gave me some arnica cream.  No pain to speak of.  Now, most of mine were on my chest right above my foobs, so I went ahead and did it because I was told nothing was going to be as rough on me as my bmx, which is when I originally got those broken vessels.  The don't anticipate I will get more, but if I do, I will have them zapped to.  I just hated seeing them poking out of almost everything I wore.  If yours are directly on your foobs and you still have more to do, then you might want to wait till everything else it done. But, it works!!!! Yah!!!  I spoke to the Dermatolgist that did the zapping, and there are several lasers they are using now to greatly improve the appearance of scars.  I don't know how many of you care about the scars enough to look into it, but there is help out there if you want it. 

Thanks for the explanation and the link, Betsy. I will see the PS on the 20th so will discuss the options if it's still there.

Deb, yay for hair growth! That must make you feel great, some forward momentum at last!

Thanks for the support Bailey. I will talk to the gyn about my options - my BC was 100% ER+/PR+ so no hormones or me either. I joined hystersisters a while back so will go and check it out again.

Jeannie, I hope your PS has a good solution for the necrosis problem.

Love and hugs to all!