10/10 people who have had major surgery will list having drains at the top of the list of “things that suck about this.” Today, I said tata to my ninth drain thus far. I hate those suckers (pun intended). Buh bye, drain. I will NOT miss you at all.
At this point we all know that maintaining a healthy diet, exercising on a regular basis, and avoiding known pollutants and carcinogens in our environment are all key to optimal health. To that end, we all make related decisions in our lives based on what we believe.
There are no guarantees that if we live well, we won’t get cancer or another disease. But, there is enough evidence showing that how we live and what we eat can impact our health. Why not give yourself the best fighting chance you can to stay healthy?
-Dina Coleman (Top Nutrition and Lifestyle Tips for Preventing Breast Cancer)
I feel like I should take advantage of the little control I do have over my health. I maintain a whole foods, plant based lifestyle .. I would say I eat healthier than the average Jane. I’ve never been one for fad diets, with the exception of South Beach, which was the beginning of my long-term lifestyle transformation many years ago. I have done 30-day green smoothie and other similar challenges. My most recent endeavor was a 21-day cleanse. I went through that program back in November and am preparing to do it again now. Join me!
The Fresh Start 21 Cleanse from the girls at Simple Green Smoothies is a really great program! It can be purchased and completed at any time, but there are four “group” events throughout the year. The next group cleanse starts on Monday, February 2. The SGS crew partnered with a holistic nutritionist to create awesome and tasty dishes, a full 21-day meal plan, shopping lists, and a handy dandy cleanse guide. There is also a Facebook group for cleansers to support each other, offer tips, ask questions, commiserate. Having completed this once before I will say that this program is really worth the $59 (on sale). That’s a pair of shoes or jeans or a couple of dinners out. The food is wholesome, healthy, nutritious, and really tasty. I’m excited to it is all again. If you’re interested in exploring the whole foods menu or just looking for some fresh recipes, get more info here.
WARNING: NSFW / graphic content below.
The follow up appointment after tissue expander placement surgery was Friday. The drain output was not high, but too close to Dr. M’s threshold for removal (50mL), so we decided to leave it in until Monday. I Had an opportunity to see how the incision is healing. So far everything looks goodt. I have been arnica montana and have very little bruising.
Overall feeling OK .. as long as I stay on my med schedule. Slowly trying to ween off of it, but not in a big hurry. Last night I didn’t set an alarm to wake up and take meds at night. Well, my body woke me up at 6 with a not-so-gentle reminder that I just had surgery. That was not pleasant at all.
The prune juice, Smooth Move tea, water, pears, and other fruit worked their magic. I went #2 on second day of recovery, but still have a bit of bloating and discomfort. TMI? If you’ve ever had general anesthesia surgery, then you understand how important this is. If you haven’t, then I hope you never do! Pain meds, no food/drink after midnight, inactivity, and anesthesia cause constipation.
At the appointment Dr. M removed my dressings, which means I can now take a shower. I’m excited to do that today. Reviewing an old post (Shower time) and gathering supplies while I wait for hub to get home and help. This time around I didn’t get any tape or glue on my incision. If you recall, it was a suture knot that caused my last complication and the removal of the implant. To avoid that scenario, Dr. M used a single-filament type of suture (vs. braided) and only placed sutures and knots where absolutely necessary.
I also found out that my tissue expander is filled with 100ccs. We are filling all the way up to 550ccs, so that’s a long way to go. I start the expansion process six weeks post-op and will be getting fills every other week. In the past I have done 50ccs per fill, but may be doing a bit more this round to speed things up a little bit. Looks like July 23 may be just right after all.
Yesterday was the seventh surgery of my breast reconstruction. I was a little worried, because of the snow, but it was just a dusting for us, so it still happened.
After three months uniboobin’ it again, I got a tissue expander on the right side. I don’t know yet how many ccs were put in with it. I will find out at my follow up appointment with Dr. M on Friday. The procedure took a little over two hours, as there was some scar tissue that also needed to be cleared away. I got a drain :(. Boo! This time it is not coming right out of the middle of my armpit, but rather on the side. Not complaining about that one. Armpit drains are no fun at all!!!
Yes, I am in pain today. It’s not as bad as initial TE placement after the PBM, but it’s not far from it. Staying on top of the pain by setting alarms on my phone and sticking to a schedule. Also popping Arnica Montana to minimize the swelling and bruising.
I tried to get ahead of the post-op constipation and started downing prune juice Monday. Have been eating lots of fruit, veggies, granola. Also drinking a lot of water, green smoothies, and Smooth Move tea. Fingers crossed that I go soon. No a fan of the bloating and discomfort. Got another pair of compression knee highs as well as the tread socks as hospital souvenirs. I’m sexy and I know it! Today I’m just lounging in bed, reading, Facebooking, and loving my BFF, the backscratcher.
We wait six weeks for the body to heal and then start the expansion process. Once I find out how much was put in, I’ll have a better idea of how long this is going to take. I typically do 50cc expansions every two weeks. When we hit 550ccs I wait another four weeks before exchange surgery. Right now that is scheduled for July 23, but I may be able to go sooner again. We shall see!
It has been two years since I had my prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. January 22, 2013 was the day. At the time, I expected the breast reconstruction process to take somewhere around six months. Well, two years later I am uniboobin’ it once again and it will be at least another six months before I will have my next (last?) exchange surgery.
So it goes.
This process has not been easy. I’ve hit a couple of significant snags, but I still say this: I WOULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN. Knowing what would come my way, if I had to go back in time and contemplate moving forward, but not being able to change anything, I would make the same decision and do this all over again. I won’t lie, I have had bad days. They don’t come often, but they do. On those days I choose to take a deep breath and focus on the big picture and the positive. I consider the reason why I made this decision in the first place. I said NOPE to breast cancer and I would do it all over again. I choose to accept and look forward. So it goes.
Here’s a recap of my procedures:
In just a few days, on January 27, I will have surgery #7. During this procedure, Dr. M will be placing a tissue expander on my right side. Over the coming months I will again go through the expansion process until I reach 550ccs. My exchange surgery is scheduled for July 23. I feel like I’m a surgery pro at this point. The coordinator from the hospital called today and we very briefly talked about logistics of the day of surgery. She remembered talking to me before and admitted I received the condensed version of the spiel. Fine by me. I know the drill by now. I’m ready to go! Last thing to do is review my handy dandy surgery prep checklist and gather a few items.
Will I have a drain again? Will everything go OK? Will I have any more complications? I hope not, but if I do … so it goes. Shit happens. We deal with it, because we have to. Happiness (or misery) is in the heart, not in the circumstances.
I got the call. Woo hoo! I got the call that made my day. It really made my month. There has been a cancellation and an earlier spot is available on Dr. M’s calendar. I’ve been bugging the Patient Care Coordinator for a few months now and have been at the top of the cancellation list, so the spot is all mine. My next surgery has been moved up to January 27!
That’s only two weeks away! I am ecstatic. Thee months into the six month wait, but I’ll take it!
During this surgery we are going to be placing a tissue expander on the right side, where we had to deconstruct after the last incident in October. I also got the exchange surgery penciled in for July 23. I’m at the top of that cancellation list too and may be up sooner. There is a slight chance that I’ll go right to implant and not need surgery #8, but I’m not holding my breath.
That is all. Just this awesomely good news. 🙂
Ladies getting ready for surgery, here’s a really great video on how to make your own drain pockets for just $4. Got a sewing machine? You can do it and they will come in handy!
Also, see my checklist for other things that make recovery a bit easier.
I am a big fan of Spike’s Ink Master. It is an elimination-style reality show, where tattoo artists compete for $100,000 and a feature in Inked Magazine. On one of the final episodes last season, artists did post-mastectomy tattoos for breast cancer survivors. There were some beautiful pieces in there! Episode highlights here.
This season there is also a breast cancer-related episode and it airs tonight (November 18 @ 10pm EST on Spike). DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers appears as a guest judge. He talks about his mom and her four sisters who all died from breast cancer. The artists are designing a piece to honor DeAngelo’s family. What he doesn’t say in the previews, and I’m not sure if he mentions in the full show, is that his mother and her sisters all carried a mutated BRCA1 gene, which they inherited from their father, DeAngelo’s grandfather. He and his two sisters are negative for the mutation.
What does this have to do with the pinking of the NFL? I don’t watch football and don’t follow the athletes at all, but I have noticed that there’s an awful lot of pink out there. I did not know DeAngelo’s story or that he is largely responsible for the players of the NFL wearing pink during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. His mom was the inspiration behind the idea for players to start wearing pink cleats five years ago.
Breast cancer has affected me to my core. I’ll never forget the loss of my family members. But it also allowed me to use the platform I have in the National Football League to bring awareness all over the country. -DeAngelo Williams
In the BC and HBOC worlds there has been a lot of talk around awareness (aren’t we all aware?), the love or hate for the month of October (aka Pinktober), and pinkwashing, but that’s another topic for another day. I am just sharing the previously-unknown-to-me sotry of the pink in the NFL. Are you going to watch tonight? I am!
Related articles:
For some laughs and giggles. Happy Monday!
WARNING: NSFW / graphic content below.
After I lost an implant the first time, my husband and I were planning a trip to visit his family in the Caribbean. Prior to going on that trip, I got a breast prosthesis, so that we could avoid awkward conversations about my health with distant relatives; in Spanish, nonetheless.
Well, as you already know, I’ve lost another implant. On an average day when I’m running errands or meeting friends for lunch, I go as I am and don’t even think about it. Also, I work from home. No boob? No pants? No problem! 🙂 However, I will again be traveling in the near future, but this time it will be a trip to corporate HQ to show face and meet some new team members. So I got another prosthesis. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not shy about sharing my story (hello, blogosphere) and I am not embarrassed when uniboobin’ it, but in some close-encounter situations I don’t want to be focusing on and explaining my lack of mammary.
I made an appointment for a fitting at a local boutique that specializes in “image consulting.” Since I have gone up in size by 100ccs from the last time I needed one, it wasn’t as easy as just ordering another one. After a couple of tries, we found the right form to complement my current breast. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darn close. I also picked out three new bras. My insurance provider covers the prosthesis as well as bras. In fact, they cover up to six bras per year (this varies, so check with your provider). Most boutiques and stores like Nordstrom work with insurance and even submit the paperwork for you.
Here it is. It is lightweight and comfortable. Looks good under clothing too.
By the way, this is working from home with cats (not my vid, but accurate):
Saying NOPE to Breast Cancer 