It’s hard to believe that just ten days ago I was undergoing major surgery (for nine hours!). The plastic surgeon has had to remind us more than once– “You went through one of the biggest procedures we offer in plastic surgery.” Wow! That’s a lot to take in each time I reflect on it! And although at times I feel I’ve been hit in the center of my chest with a crow bar (explainable by the fact that they had to cut some rib cartilage to connect some major blood vessels right there…) Heck- I feel pretty darn good!
The most amazing part is, the cancer is out (!), and all margins are clear (!!). No cancer in the pectoral muscle. No cancer in the (three sentinel) lymph nodes that were removed. No radiation will be required! I feel such relief and gratitude every time I hear those words echoing in my head! Yay!! (Adding to the great “no chemo needed” news I got from my oncologist earlier!) And then– Double Bonus(!!)– I woke up with two breasts! How nice to have the mastectomy and reconstruction done in one procedure! I can’t tell you how awesome that feels!
So I am all smiles (except when I’m whimpering in pain), and the welling up of tears in my eyes are tears of HAPPINESS. I definitely feel like I got a second chance in life. I am so thankful for how beautifully everything has turned out!! (I have a follow-up with my oncologist in Denver on Tuesday 10/19. She will give me a plan going forward.)
Words from the oncologist surgeon’s mouth at post-op 10/15: This is just a speed bump in life. You’re going to do fine long-term. It’s probably not going to be breast cancer that takes your life in the future.
Words from the plastic surgeon’s mouth at post-op 10/15: Everything looks great. You’re doing very well. Things are healing beautifully, and it looks like it’s going to be a great result.
And as far as the healing process goes, apparently things “will still be changing and healing over the next two years”. The doctor says the trend for getting better will be “generally upward, with ebbs and flows”. Tell me about it! One day I’m in agony, the next day I’m feeling okay. Oh, and one of the great things about having major surgery is that my hot flashes have disappeared. (Apparently my body only has time for so much discomfort at a time. Thank you! I sure hope this lasts!)
The rough days post-surgery (at our hotel and now here at home) are from lack of sleep (both of us), and a whole lot of pain management practice. It’s hard to get comfortable, having a rear and front wound at the same time. I sleep sitting up, and only a few hours at a time (if I’m lucky). (Ned is pretty much on the same sleep schedule unfortunately, and I am sorry!) I even had horrible itching across the rear wound at times (that had me shuddering and pacing like a crazy woman in our hotel room), but that diminished as I weaned myself off the Oxycodone (which we found out could have been the main cause of that itching in the first place!). We apparently had started weaning off the drugs a little ahead of schedule (because I was feeling so good), but then we paid the price in pain those last few days before the post-op. (Whoops!) But since then it’s been okay in pain department– mostly challenging at night. All I have been taking since our plane ride home Friday 10/15 is Tylenol and Advil. (The wheel chair rides around the airports and comfy first-class tickets Ned got us also provided much comfort!)
Ned continues to be the nurse from heaven for me! I could not have done this without him– plain and simple. Although the doctor removed the two breast drains the day of my post-op, I am still left with the lower two hip/butt drains (hopefully for no longer than another week or so). But Ned will continue to drain and monitor those until he can pull them out. And yes, he will be the one to pull them out! He is pretty darn good at this stuff now. He’s had to bathe, dress (remember the granny girdle?!) medicate and monitor me. Last night he gave me my last Enoxaparin shot to keep blood clots from forming. Ouch! Thank goodness those are over (and that HE administered them)! Way to go Ned!
The New Orleans folks will be checking on me via phone the next couple of weeks, and we can call 24/7 if we have any questions. Otherwise it’s my local doctors who will follow up with Oncology and Physical Therapy.
I may return to New Orleans for “revisional touch-ups” some day (anywhere from 4 months to how-ever-many years from now), but that is up to me, and there’s no rush to decide. This surgery’s goal was to get tissue transplanted and living for the breast reconstruction, which appears to have been successful. Time will tell, and I’ve fortunately got some time now. Let the healing continue!
