Grrr.....a small taste of freedom

..so at my 2 week post-op I was given permission to drive. However I tried to drive less than 10 miles and it did not go so well. Luckily my brother was with me and he drove home.

I am afraid until the drain comes out and I get a little more use of the right side again, I am still grounded.

xoxoxo

Post-Op

So overall I am healing nicely....one small piece of tissue did not attache but it will "slough off and die" according to Anne the wonderful PA who took out 2 of the three drains and said I was looking good but still no driving or lifting anything over 10 pounds.

I still have to sleep sitting up and as a stomach sleeper this is not an easy task for me, but I try. They gave ma a prescription for Valium when I left the hospital which I did not have filled. They recommended I do so and try that to help with sleeping instead of the pain meds.

Not much different for me and I am just going to throw in the towel and try to sleep on my own.

So beyond going a bit nuts from being stuck at home I am ok. The nerves are starting to wake up which is not fun..but hey.. I am still vertical so I will just be grateful for that!

Thanks for checking in!

xoxox

The Boob of Frankenstein

That is what my right side currently looks like. The good news is that they were able to move enough muscle and tissue from my back to the front that i o not have to have the expander process. This is great news.. the difference is there is currently an incision that goes from almost the center of my back around under my arm to the front also almost center, with some other incisions in the boob area.

This is extremely uncomfortable to say the least. Hopefully tomorrows post-op with bring news that the drains can come out and perhaps I can drive?

I am going a bit shack whacky, but sleep quite a bit. The surgery last almost 6 hours and that is the longest I have ever been knocked out.

Bella and Ralfie have been the best snuggle bed buddies this week and of course, my Mom is doing her normal nursing duties.

Thanks for checking in on my crazy journey.

xoxoxo

I can admit it......

.... I am scared. This is why I do not listen to people about medical procedures. I keep being told this will be worse than the mastectomy was. This does not make it any easier. Maybe it is the unknown of having surgery in a hospital I have never been a patient in before....but it is good hospital. perhaps it is the fact that I am sure I will not have my own room this time (for those of us who live alone this is uncomfortable) or that I will not have my snuggly puggys to sleep with me.

Either way...I am scared this time. I was not nervous for my first chemo because I knew it had to be done I was anxious before first radiation, but I think that was just because it was so close to the surgery. I wasn't nervous for the mastectomy because I had been operated on by that surgeon before and I knew he would be amazing (and he was).

New hospital, new doctor...new boob! Well step one anyway. Tomorrow will be a long day no matter how I look at it.

Thanks for checking in on me and I will try to update as soon as I am able.

xoxoxo,
D

And away we go!

Today I am off for my one year post treatment appointment with the Radiation Oncologist....hoping this one goes as well as the one with the regular oncologist went.

Finally got the insurance stuff figured out and even got a refund on my prescriptions..

This weekend I get to celebrate the 2nd birthday of my sweet little Andrew...he was born 2 months before my diagnosis and having my little "bald buddy' to snuggle with during my treatment was the best and having him sit in my hospital bed during a visit that included his sister the amazing Abbelicous and Mom Betsy was the best medicine ever!

So lucky to have friends that share their kids with me!

xoxoxo

Frustration level is at its highest point in a long time.

So I went to get prescriptions this weekend and was told my Medicaid was telling them to ask for a primary... well since I only have that I was confused. I paid for them because I had to have them and came home....in my mailbox was a package from Prestige Health plans..I get so much solicitation for insurance and was kind of busy so I did not really open it. I then got a call yesterday from my radiation oncologist office telling me they were not on my new plan (what new plan?!?!?!). Apparently I was switched to another plan from MediPass.

Now this normally would not cause me much concern..however..NONE of my doctors are on this new plan..NONE!!!! So I spent an hour on the phone this morning getting all of this straightened out (in tears mind you) and now the changes do not become active until June 1....so if I need to go to the doctor this month I have to jump through all kind of hoops to get an approval.

Then I had to call the pharmacy and give them the info, they are nice enough to issue me a refund... CVS ROCKS....but sheesh....what a way to freak me out. I have been waiting three months for my surgery next month and the scare of possibly having to start all over with new docs was just enough to put me over the edge.

I am having so much fluid retention on my right side that it is making my clothes fit weirdly and causing discomfort on my hip and knee on that side...I just want to feel comfortable in ,my own body again..I hope I will soon.

Sorry for the grumpy post, but I am so beyond frustrated and just because "active treatment" is complete people think everything is fine and dandy.. and while in some ways it is.. there is so much more to deal with that people have no idea about.

Thanks for checking on me and I promise to shake this grouchiness and get back to my positivity by the time I post again.

xoxox

One year post treatment

So on Wednesday I had my one year post treatment check-up with my oncologist, on May 14 I have the same appointment with my radiation oncologist. At this point I should have been able to go to one year check-ups with the oncologist, but I have some swelling at the base of my neck on the right side (which is the side they took the lymph nodes from under my arm) so I have to go back in 6 months. Nothing tumor feeling just some swelling. I have been working more than usual recently and have had the stomach flu twice to it could just be related to fatigue.

Since I have appointments with the radiation oncologist, my pre-op for surgery, surgery and a mammogram in the next 3 months he felt enough people would be poking at me that 6 months was a good check point.

Moral of the story is.. cancer does not end when treatment does..that is for sure.

Thanks for checking in, I will try to update a little more frequently.

xoxox

New information

It was recently brought to my attention that I have not posted in awhile. Mainly because there was nothing new to report. Yesterday I met with my plastic surgeon to start the next step...reconstruction. I had to wait until one year after radiation was complete and that is next month so away we go.

http://breastreconstruction.org/TypesOfReconstruction/dorsi_flap.html

Above is a link to what my next step is. I have to go this route due to having the radiation on my chest wall. I can honestly admit, I am not looking forward to this process at all. It is step one of a process that will extend through the summer. Currently step one is scheduled for June 13, however I am hoping for a cancellation in May so it can happen a little sooner, it would make it so much easier with my work schedule. The fact that this surgery is only done 2 days a month makes it difficult to get it scheduled.

In other news...I have been busy with weddings these past few weeks. I apparently worked myself sick and spent most of last week in bed. Not sure what it was..fevers, headaches and digestive problems, but no congestion or vomiting (thankfully). Tim and I will be heading off on a short cruise to the Bahamas during his spring break the first week of April.... looking forward to it and we are hoping to do some parasailing while there. It will be a nice break but I wish it was one day longer!

As always thanks for checking in on me, I am trying to keep up some type of "normal" life, but I will admit it is still sometimes a struggle. Just cause chemo and radiation are done does not mean it is over by any means.

xoxoxoxo, D