Well, let’s see what’s gone on since I last posted…
The doc filled up my expander another 50cc (total of 500 cc) and I haven’t had any discomfort since. He thought that fill would probably be enough, but last week I expressed my concerns about how much skin we’ll lose in revising the scar, tailoring the shape of the breast (it’s still squared off in front), and later reconstructing a nipple. So he cranked me up another 75cc (total of 575cc) and both of us agreed it was good.
I am scheduled for my preop tasks on Thurs, Nov 13. And the surgery will be on November 21, the Friday before Thanksgiving.
The surgery will be at the new Methodist hospital in Mansfield. It’s scheduled for 8:30 am and we have to be there by 6:30. Since it’s a 45 minute drive, we’ll have to leave here by 5:45 (ugh!). But the doc assures me this surgery will be nothing compared to the mastectomy. And considering that I was up disinfecting the hospital furniture the night of the mastectomy, I will probably handle this one well. It’s a drive-thru surgery, maybe 2 hours, and I’ll be home that afternoon.
This time I need to write on my forehead with a Sharpie: “Don’t give me any pain meds unless I specifically ok them.” Even tho I told the anesthesiologist and the nurse anesth beforehand, sure enough when I woke up in recovery the nurse shot me with demerol, which I could have done without.
I made the mistake of taking one Darvocet for the creepy grinding of the expander a few weeks back and regretted it. It made me feel half nauseated and on the verge of a vertigo attack for nearly a week. Not worth it.
I am definitely going to have a small implant put into the natural breast. Mainly so that if…I mean WHEN…I lose a bunch of this lard I’m carrying around, that breast won’t shrink so much and will still roughly match the new one. He will put that implant in thru a small incision in the fold line under the breast.
For the bionic breast, he’ll go through the mastectomy scar, pull out the expander (I assume he’ll deflate it first) and drop in the nice soft silicone implant. He will be using a high-profile implant (narrower but will stick out a little more) for that one, but says it’s next to impossible to get the same projection with an implant as you get with a natural breast. He will then tailor and revise the incision to round out the breast a bit.
He said he would be “breaking the capsule” meaning the capsule of scar tissue that has formed around the expander. So I expect to have some discomfort from that, but nothing I can’t handle with Tylenol or Aleve. The other breast will be sore as well…maybe even more than the bionic breast, since about 50% of the bionic one is numb.
The doc was ready to do the surgery sooner, since I’ve adapted quickly to each expansion. But I am scheduled to sell my hand-crafted self-improvement bracelets (called “Thingys”) at local events the weekends of 11/8 and 11/15. And I need to be able to haul my table and other booth stuff.
BTW, if anyone isinterested in seeing/buying Thingys and learning about how they can help you break bad habits and make new healthy ones, email me at ThingySystem@gmail.com I’ve created a catalog of the designs I’ve made so far and can email that to you upon request. Daughter Meg is working on my website (www.ThingySystem.com) but we may not get it up and ready to handle transactions in time for the holidays. Meanwhile we’re handling orders the semi-old-fashioned way, thru the mail.
I saw the oncologist again 2 weeks ago. He and I had a lovely visit. He explained in detail the implications of the pathology findings from my mastectomy. He addressed each factor mathematically and statistically, drawing org-chart-ish logic trees on a yellow pad, and showing how each feature of my tumors impacted my risk of recurrence. When he got to the end, he showed how his logic ruled out radiation…and hormone therapy as beneficial options for me. The only possible therapy that might impact my odds was chemo, and he agreed that its use would be primarily to kill imaginary breast cancer cells I might have. He agreed that my decision not to use chemo was a perfectly reasonable one. I hadn’t been too sure about him at first because I couldn’t read him. But now I see that he is sweet and very logical and that’s really refreshing.
I go back in December for bloodwork and then a visit with him before the year is out. As broke as we are, I’m getting all the big medical tasks wrapped up before we have to start all over with new deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. I imagine the nipple reconstruction will be in mid-late Dec as well and then I’m done.
Then this blog can move on to other interesting health and hormone topics.
Thank you for blogging about this. I am 48 and just recently diagnosed with DCIS. I have chosen to do a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. I meet with the PS to discuss options on Nov. 13. It has been very helpful to read about your experiences. Thanks so much for your openness! I have all the same concerns about trying to get as much in as possible before year end, due to insurance costs. Its such a shame that financial hardship has to guide these decisions.
Wishing you continued success with your journey.
Hi Carole,
I wish you much good luck with your surgery. I have to say it has been a lot less traumatic for me than one would think.
My main concern for you is in your desire to be done with reconstruction before a new insurance year.
If you already have large breasts, you may be better suited to getting the permanent implants put in during the initial mastectomy surgery.
Mine were average size and so I’ve taken 3 months to stretch what was left of the right breast skin into a large enough space for the permanent implants. (Plus a little extra
Having said that, my doc seemed pleased that I stretched so well after each expansion, and he was ready to do the final surgery as soon as 2 months after the mastectomy. But then again I’m 10 years older than you are, and unfortunately everything stretches easier when you’re going on 60.
Remember that even after you meet with the PS, you have to coordinate the surgery date with the hospital, anesthesiologist, general surgeon and the PS. So you might lose some time there.
But you may be able to get an earlier date by maybe being willing to go to another hospital in the area, assuming your PS has priveleges at more than one place.
I hope that all the planets align so you can get all this done quickly and satisfactorily. And most of all, I hope the pathology reports show the DCIS was contained and that you are effectively cured with the mastectomy.
Best of luck! Pat