It's Time...

Ten more days of these @#%* tissue expanders. My implant surgery is at 6 am on the 27th, Yikes, I will have to get up early.

My best high school chum, Becky—who is also a Nursing Director is going to come and spend the night with me in the hospital while Randy goes home to take care of the three beasts. Thanks Becky. I will come home on the 28th with the new and improved girls!

Last One.

I went for my last fill today—70ml, my personal best!

My plan was to go gallery hopping with a friend afterward. However, once we had visited a few galleries on Colquitt, I was feeling a little sore. We postponed the rest of the galleries for another day, and I headed home to take it easy.

The tentative schedule for my implant surgery is the week of the Jan 23rd. Yippee!—I won't miss these expanders at all.

Onward and Upward!

Now that I am using Betadine instead of Neosporin, my left incision is healing nicely. Yesterday I was able to have my third fill—60 ml woohoo!!!! 

My doctor assured me that he knew what cancer recurrence at the incision site looked like, and he would tell me if that happened. I suppose there will always be the nagging fear of recurrence in the back of my mind, but with a 3% chance of that happening—I should just relax and enjoy life.

The "Girls" are looking pretty perky, and it won't be long before the expanders are removed and the implants are in place. I am looking forward to that happening in 2012. May everyone who is reading this have a happy, healthy Holiday and an excellent New Year.

Two Steps Forward One Step Back

Yesterday I was sooo looking forward to my third fill on Monday. But—for the last couple of days I had been noticing that  the skin around the left breast's incision was red, swollen and had a progressively worsening rash. I Googled  "rash at breast cancer incision" and found it could be anything from an infection, to an allergy to breast cancer recurrence at the incision site. Yikes!

I called my doctor who had me come to St. Luke's emergency room at 5 pm last night to examine it. He said it was either an allergic reaction to the petroleum in the Neosporin or a fungal infection. A fungal infection—I can believe since a sports bra has bound my breasts 24/7, and I have hot flashes almost hourly! He gave me Betadine to use instead of Neosporin. 

This morning the swelling has gone down and the rash has lessened. I am better, but bummed. Doc says no more fills until the left breast looks as good as the right. That means I have to wait for another week or more to get my third fill :(

Second Fill

For the second fill of the expanders on Monday, I had a tiny bit of oozing from left the incision. So as not to aggravate it,  my doctor filled the left expander with 20ml and the right expander with 50ml. I am a little lopsided, but that will be worked out soon. The left incision has already calmed down since the expansion and is looking much better.  I will have another expansion on the 12th.

With the tissue expansion water is it is injected into a metal port of a silicon encased expander. I don't really feel the injection because the breast tissue is fairly numb. The doc finds the port under the skin with a magnet. Randy thought that was pretty cool, calling a medical stud finder! 

This process continues for several weeks until the tissue expander is filled to an optimal volume. Six to twelve weeks are then allowed for the skin to stabilize and loosen around the expander. I will have another surgery to remove the tissue expander and insert a permanent breast implant. 

I am about six weeks from my initial surgery,  almost to my normal size and feeling great.  My guess is I will have the second surgery to replace the expanders with implants sometime in early 2012. It will be good to get the expanders out. They are heavy, hard and feel like breast vice grips! Not that I am complaining—I just hear the implants will be more comfortable and I am all about comfort. 

I have really very little pain, and greater range of motion in my arms. My energy level is good and I am able to do most of my normal activities without taking a nap! Life is good.

It’s a Guy Thing

Through my breast cancer journey I have met some courageous and inspiring women. But I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that men get breast cancer as well.

Since men have less breast tissue than women, more often than not— breast cancers in males spread beyond the breast, resulting in a more advanced tumor at diagnosis. Cancer found later may be less likely to be cured. Although breast cancer is less common in men than in women, it is currently more deadly; 27 percent of men with breast cancer will die from the disease, compared to 19 percent of women. Breast cancer also has a higher death rate than more common male cancers such as prostate cancer (9 percent) and testicular cancer (4 percent). 

Did you get that?
More men die of breast cancers than prostate and testicular caner combined. That's a pretty amazing statistic!
 

Yes, it's personal, not something one wants to talk about or admit. The more we talk about it the better we are. Don't let lack of awareness, embarrassment and social stigma result in a later diagnosis of male or female cancer—of any kind.
 

And I Would Like to Thank.....

It is Thanksgiving, and I of all people have a lot to be thankful for. Please allow me the opportunity to express my gratitude to all who got me to this cancer-free point.

Many were women who have either suffered through what I have—or worse. Ironically a lot of these women didn’t know me very well before hearing of my diagnosis, but they all dropped what they were doing to take my many calls, tell me their stories and show me their scars.

There are far too many women, who are far too afraid, to investigate a lump or get a mammogram. Because of these fears, they let the cancer grow and face a terminal diagnosis instead of a cure.

I applaud my newly made, cancer fighting friends for speaking openly about their breast cancers, and hope more will do the same. Yes, I know breast cancer is personal—Oh, get over it!! An open dialog has not only provided women insurance benefits and treatments they did not have in the past, but has also helped me, and hopefully others learn that breast cancer—caught at the right time, is no longer a death sentence.

I would have never found my wonderful team of physicians and the Nurse Practitioners at Baylor Medical Center if it hadn’t been for this group of outspoken women. Dr. Osborne, Dr. Albo and Dr. Izaddoost along with Nurse Practitioners, Mari and Sandra have given me three things you don’t find in all, top-notch medical professionals.  First they have given me their medical expertise—on par with MD Anderson. Secondly they have provided me with facts backed by research, allowing me to make educated decisions about my own care.  And last but not least, they have provided me with compassionate patient care to the extent I have never seen before.

I am thankful I had the courage to trust my gut in selecting this wonderful team of professionals. It’s harder than you think. It is my hope that patients demand medical expertise, patient involvement and compassion in their healthcare.

Lastly, I know, I know —this sounds like an Oscar speech, but I would like to express my gratitude to my friends, family and very stoic husband. Thanks for the food, gifts, care and unbelievable advice and support. May you all have a happy, healthy, Thanksgiving.

Oh, and don’t eat too much. Obesity and physical inactivity may account for 25 to 30 percent of several major cancers!