The surgery went very well. It lasted 9 hours. One surgeon followed the next, tag-team style, so that I could wake up with the tough stuff done all in one procedure. (Smaller touch-up procedure will follow in about 3 or 4 months.) These doctors were awesome. I remember very little of that day and the following– but I was surrounded by nurses and doctors, and was happy to be in such good hands.
I woke up in a dense fog, but my brain slowly started putting together the facts: The cancer was out (Yay!!), all margins cleared, no peck muscle involvement (though they took a slice to check just in case), and none of the three sentinel lymph nodes they took out had any cancer in them at first rapid testing. And I had boobs! Huge bonus! Now of course we still await the pathology report for confirmation that all is clear, but I am once again optimistic.
Below I have bandages and a girdle on (looks like granny bike pants) protecting my rear wound and helping it heal. I have two drains coming out of my “hip” incisions, which really hurt when the meds wear off! My cut is all along the upper back butt, but down below the bikini line. Beautiful work, but a little painful to look at.
My new breasts look great (if I may say so)! More spectacularly beautiful work! I can’t even see any scars, as they are hidden underneath the breast folds. The doctors were able to save both nipples, so I came out having breasts like my originals, but with just a tiny bit more mass (roughly 130g came out, and roughly 250 of my upper butt fat went in. Yes, I think I officially have a butt on my chest now- ha ha!). There is a little swelling everywhere right now, so I might not see the actual end result for a month or two. We’ll see. But the best part is, although my old breasts are gone, I now have two new breasts made of my own living, breathing, vascularized flesh. Just what I wanted given this damn cancer mastectomy dilemma. The PAs and nurses check that the blood is flowing 3 or 4 times of day (by means of these electric sensors inside the vessels), which is really cool to listen to! Plus it reassures us that all is well (kind of like hearing your unborn baby’s heart beating combined with ocean waves crashing on the shore. LIFE. Scroll down to the bottom for a little video of it.)
I have bandages all over my chest, and a (big black granny) support bra holds them all in. I have a drain coming out of each breast, that needs to be monitored and emptied regularly. I’m like a kangaroo with four little baby bottles whose umbilical cords attach to me, but they themselves rest in my pink waist belt pockets. My chest is super sore– especially in the middle and on the undersides where the incisions are. In fact, laughing, hiccuping or coughing really hurt, but that’s a small price to pay for a little joy.
In all of this, pain meds have been my friends. (It has been quite painful!) And this is where my disclaimer should come, since I am on them now and kind of blurry in many ways.
I can’t reach out or up, or raise my hands over 90º. I can’t lift anything more than a few pounds. I move slowly and (not!) gracefully like an old woman, and I manovre like an upside down turtle. (Getting in and out of bed right now i a real challenge! Turtle! Turtle!)
I have to inhale into a plastic device (with happy faces on it to measure my lung capacity) ten times every hour. Apparently this keeps me from getting pneumonia.
I have to do at least three laps (walking) around the corridor today. (That’s a big jump from yesterday’s one or two.) But it does feel better when I get up and move (even at a snail’s pace), so I look forward to being able to move more.
Today will be my first shower (which has to be done in a specific way we will be taught) I am looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. (Poor Ned, too!)
The food here in the hospital is great! After we are discharged we’ll have to figure out the best door dash options with some help from the locals.
In ALL of this, Ned is a super champ!! I can’t thank him enough! I am so grateful to have him by my side.
