Surgery updates

Time for an update.  I still have multiple posts in the works, but for now, I’ll begin with a post about where I find myself today.  I will return to the other posts in flashback. 😊 

I decided on a nipple-sparing, bilateral mastectomy with implant reconstruction.  Bilateral means I had both breasts removed.  I hope nipple-sparing is self-explanatory. 😏  I had my mastectomy on May 26, 2022.  My implant reconstruction surgery will be in two phases: stage one involves surgery to place tissue expanders.  Stage two will be surgery to remove the tissue expanders and replace them with “permanent” implants.  My tissue expanders were placed on June 3, 2022.  At least one of my work-in-progress posts revolves around the details of my mastectomy and the decision-making progress.  

I spent one night in the hospital after my mastectomy.  As is typical for me, anesthesia caused all kinds of problems with nausea.  Because I struggled with it upon waking, they pumped me up with more drugs, so my post-surgery memories are more hazy than usual.  Surgery was about 4 hours long.

My expanders were placed a week and a day after my mastectomy, so technically my reconstruction is “delayed” b/c they were not placed in the same surgical procedure as my mastectomy.  My week post-mastectomy was MUCH better than my week post-expanders.  Once my drains were removed and my expanders filled with saline, I became MUCH more comfortable. 

As of this writing, my activities are still limited in terms of lifting, exertion, and repetitive movements, but I am well, walking, doing modified pilates session, and performing my range-of-motion exercises.

It took more than a week for each of my pathology reports to be completed (yes, that’s plural–one biopsy pathology, with addendum; two surgical).  My breast surgeon reviewed them with me today, and it was a very good discussion.  I will review them again with my medical oncologist next week.  Today’s discussion with my surgeon involved her recommending that I consult with a specific radiation oncologist regarding some “complications” in my most recent pathology report.  So, I will also review the pathology with a radiation oncologist, currently scheduled for later in July.  

I will have more details and concrete treatment plans after meeting with my next two specialists.  I am not alarmed or worried.  With the exception of my initial cancer diagnosis, mostly all my news has been good.  My cancer was slow growing, and it did not spread to any lymph nodes.  God guided me in my choice of medical practitioners, and I am blessed in my care team (and looking forward to meeting the new folks).  I’ve also been blessed beyond belief in the friends and family around me (there another post there, too). 

All will be well.