Ladies, have you scheduled Your Man Reminder yet?
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Scar and surgery photos
WARNING: NSFW / graphic content below.
Had another follow up appointment on Friday. Dr. M refreshed the tape that’s holding up my right foob. We are going to keep doing this for a few more weeks in hopes that it will be enough for the scar tissue to form at the bottom of the pocket and close it up, BUT I may need another surgery anyway. We compared the two sides size-wise and found that we may need to swap out my right implant for a larger one. Plus, I still need to do something about this missing nipple, so yes, more OR time in my future.
He removed the strips covering my incisions, so I can now inspect them closely. They look 3049813476 times better than after the PBM. No necrosis in sight! I have a spot that looks a little bit like the start of a stitch abscess, so I will be watching it. Here’s what my scars looked like pre-exchange and what they look like now, 12 days post-op. Different lighting, but you can see that at the bottom that they are no longer angry red and keloid-ish.
I also got a copy of my surgery pictures! It is really cool to see the changes from this angle. From left: 1. 184 g/ccs removed during PBM surgery (1/22/2013), 2. Expanders at exchange (9/3/2013), 3. One out, one to go, 4. Mentor round, smooth, high profile silicones in 350ccs.
So I think this is why my right foob seems smaller than the left one, even though the implant size is the same at 350ccs: I am concave/the hole in my chest is deeper on this side, so the implant sinks into the cavity more. We can’t do anything about it right this moment, though.
Facebook support groups
I have been preaching for a long time now that finding a support group is really essential and this is the #1 item on my list of Resources. Have you joined one yet?
Where? How?
In addition to local community groups that meet in-person, you can find support groups online, specifically Facebook. They have been created and are managed by and for women who are considering mastectomy, preparing for one, or have already been there done that and are there to support those that haven’t (other topics related to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer are also frequently discussed; this varies by group).
I joined a few of them a couple of months pre-PBM and they were and continue to be invaluable resources for me. Lots of advice, photos, love, support, and just general sisterhood. Here are a few of them:
- My “home”: Prophylactic Mastectomy (500+ members)
- BRCA Sisterhood (1,800+)
- Beyond the Pink Moon (1,500+)
- Young Previvors (300+)
- Previvors (170+)
Bonus: if you write a relevant blog, join us in the Breast Cancer & Previvor Blogs group.
These are all closed/private groups, which means you cannot see the posted content unless you are a member. If you’d like to join one, find the group (follow my link or search on FB) and click on the Join Group button in the top right corner of the group page. A few of them require the requesting person to friend one of the administrators and complete a questionnaire before they can participate, so keep an eye on your FB inbox (including the “Other” inbox).
Come on down and join us! I’m happy to assist anyone that is interested. Contact me.
“I can’t say it enough to all of you beautiful ladies, but thank you :). When I had my PBM, I did it with the support of very few people. I have struggled more than I thought I ever would and then about 3 weeks after surgery I found this group. I had no idea that there were such wonderful women that have gone and are going through the same struggles as me. I know no matter what happens I have a huge group of the most caring, strong, and wonderful women that have my back and will always be there for me. I am beyond blessed to be part of this group. I never thought at this stage of my life that I would make such wonderful new lifelong friends. So I just want you all to know I appreciate you all xoxoxo” – posted in the Prophylactic Mastectomy group (sharing with author’s permission)
Exchange surgery aftermath
WARNING: NSFW / graphic content below.
It has been five days since the exchange surgery that swapped out my rock-hard tissue expanders for soft and squishy silicone implants. I must say that as I was told beforehand, this surgery really was a breeze compared to the original prophylactic bilateral mastectomy I underwent in January.
My husband took the day of surgery (Tuesday) off from work, but I was home alone the next day and onward. I spent the majority of that day napping, but was pretty mobile while awake. As I already mentioned (see: From the other side), I didn’t experience very much pain. Took my last Norco right before Wednesday’s follow up appointment, during which my drains were removed. This time around it hurt like a b#%$@! I’d say around an 8.
The second follow up appointment was on Friday. This is the day I started driving. During my appointment I got my handy dandy medical device ID card. I’m flying internationally in two weeks, so I’ll make sure to have it with me, but I hope I never have to use this thing.
Dr. M removed the ACE bandage and bra to examine the girls. He agreed that righty is hanging lower than lefty and used some kinesio-type tape to mold it into the proper position. I was told to continue to wear a tight bra and return on Monday morning.
Hubby was out of town the whole weekend, so I spent it home alone taking it easy. I had to keep reminding myself that even though I feel 100% fine, I’m not. I was wrestling with a pickle jar earlier and finally thought: these pickles are good, but a complication-free recovery is better and had my veggie burger sans pickles. It was still yummy.
The reveal
WARNING: NSFW / graphic content below.
Saw the PS this afternoon for my exchange surgery follow-up. Some great news and some not so awesome. First, the good news: the hemovac/pancake drains have been removed. Woo hoo!!! Buh buy, I hope I never see you again!
In other news: during this appointment I got to see the girls in their full glory for the first time. They are smaller than what I was expecting, even with my over-compensation when declaring what the perfect size would be. We discussed doing 400-450ccs and over-filled to 550ccs to accommodate this volume. The implants I have are Mentor round, smooth, high profile silicones in 350ccs. I was very adamant that I did not want to be able to rest a drink on my bosom. Well, I definitely got the natural slope I wanted. No “shelving” in sight!
And the not so awesome news: righty sits lower than lefty. When I had the expanders, it was the other way around: lefty sat lower than righty. The PS had to open up the pocket to make things even. I don’t know if too much tissue was separated or if it is just swelling or if that’s the void from the drain tube that will eventually close down a bit. This is pretty obvious when I put on a tank top. I didn’t really get a good look and notice this until I was at home, so haven’t yet discussed it with Dr. M.
Aside from the asymmetry and being smaller than I anticipated, I think they actually look pretty good. I like the shape, the amount of cleavage, and the natural slope.
From the other side
Thank you to everyone who sent their love, support, and best wishes for today! The exchange surgery was a piece of cake! Nom nom. 🙂
We started just after 9am and I was on my way home by 2pm. Dr. M removed my tissue expanders and replaced them with silicone implants. I didn’t see him post-op, so don’t know yet what projection and volume I ended up with. They are definitely smaller than the expanders and are not all the way up to my collar bones. Woo hoo! I haven’t messed much with the dressings and plan on leaving this up to Dr. M.
On the pain scale, I’m at about 2. Really feeling good. I took Norco, stinky antibiotics, and some Arnica Montana to help fight inflammation and bruising as soon as I got home and ate something. This time around the nurse gave me an anti-nausea, behind-the-ear patch. I do have terrible dry mouth, though, so I’m drinking lots of water and eating cough drops like candy. This also means frequent trips to the potty.
I am sporting a sexy hospital-issue bra and an ACE bandage as you can see above and dealing with two drains. Yes, this happened. The tubes exit my armpits causing me more discomfort than the chest pains! Once again they are the giant hemovac type reservoirs. I have a follow up appointment Wednesday afternoon, during which the drains are supposed to be removed. Less than 24 hours to go!
Squishy time
Well, the day is almost here. Exchange surgery is less than 12 hours away! I’m so happy to finally be here. All that’s left is a good night’s sleep. I feel like Mario when he finally reaches those stairs at the end of the level. 😀
Following the handy-dandy checklist I put together for my prophylactic mastectomy back in January, I have gotten everything ready. Based on all the feedback from the Ladies that have gone through the exchange surgery before me, I expect this to be a breeze. The exchange surgery will only take about two hours and will be an outpatient procedure. I should be home by about 4pm.
Prep for surgery
I didn’t borrow a recliner this time, so I built myself a pillow-fort-kind-of-thing on the bed. I prepped a basket of essentials to keep by my bedside. It will travel with me between the bed upstairs and the couch, as needed. The hospital bag is packed with a few essentials like the tablet, hand wipes, chapstick, cough drops, lanyard (for those stinkin’ drains), medications, and my awesome My Destiny Foundation tiara.
I have been downing prune juice for the past couple of days to get ahead of the constipation. Also bought some snacks and food items that will be easy to prep while I’m home alone this week. I took the rest of the week off and expect to be doing absolutely nothing.
Later gaters. Write to ya from the other side!
September: Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
Mom update
My mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in June ’12. She is now in the middle of round three of chemotherapy. Three more treatments left until additional scans and assessments are done to determine what the next step will be. Her CA-125 markers are still high – in the 500s. See this post for more of her story.
Headlights
WARNING: NSFW / graphic content below.
So this little trick popped up in the Facebook groups. Did you know that if you hold a flashlight to a boob with an expander or an implant, it will glow? Yes, yes I did try this myself. Gives a new meaning to HEADLIGHTS! The left is the image from i-am-bored.com circulating the groups; the right is my version. You can see the shade of the expander port in the top of the image. Creepy!
Show me the goods!
Only two weeks to go until my exchange surgery! I am so excited. Can’t wait to be on the other side of this thing. I’m looking forward to being finished. I report to the hospital at 7:30am, for a 9:30am surgery, on Tuesday, September 3rd.
Pre-op appointment
Met with Dr. M this afternoon for my pre-op appointment. Discussed a few more details, got my pictures taken, signed the familiar consent forms, got the don’t-take-these-meds sheet, had my blood drawn, and peed in a cup.
Here are a few of my final questions:
Will I be required to wear any type of bra (compressions or underwire) after the exchange surgery? Should I purchase something? No. If any type of compression is needed it will be via ace bandage and dressings or a mastectomy bra that will be issued by the hospital.- I have hypertrophic-ish spots on my incision scars from the mastectomy, should I use something special after the exchange to prevent this from happening? The lumpy scar tissue will be removed during the exchange surgery. Since the pockets are already created/expanded, there won’t be as much stress on the incisions going forward. Silicone sheets? That’s an option that will apply pressure to the incisions to keep them flat. We will revisit once they close.
- What about this ugly, scarred tissue from the area that was necrotic? Depending on how much skin is loose/available after the implants are placed, we may be able to remove the chunk now. Otherwise, a skin graft from the hip area is an option, but that would need to happen at a later time.
- And the most important question: will I have drains again? Yes. That wiped the smile off my face. Noooooooooooo! I was hoping I would never see a surgical drain again.
For my photo session today, I removed everything except my underpants. This is the third set of full body pics we’ve taken, but it was still weird. While standing on a pedestal I was thinking of this XKCD strip Lannis shared a little while ago and giggling. Where are my beads? I earned them!
Source: xkcd.com
Saying NOPE to Breast Cancer 