Well, it's almost two weeks since my first fat transfer and I feel great! The bruising and swelling have gone down and I am able to wear my jeans again...I have lived in lounge pants for the past two weeks! I couldn't handle having anything tight around my waist...it just hurt too much.
I see my plastic surgeon on Wednesday for a follow up. I am certain that he will say I am healing well and I will be in and out in 15 minutes! Kind of shitty to drive an hour for a 15 minute appointment...but, I am very thankful for my doctors and I would drive 100 hours to see them! It's very important that you have doctors that you love and trust! All of my doctors, so far, have been absolutely amazing! I am very grateful :)
So, I think I mentioned in a previous posts that Malina started to get feeling back in her mastectomy site after having her fat transfers. Well, I am excited to say that I am starting to get some feeling back as well!! I am getting small little nerve pulses throughout my mastectomy scar! It feels really weird because I still get "phantom breast" sometimes and now I am getting nerve pulses. It's very strange but very promising...just means this technique is working for me!! Yay!!!
I have a big year ahead of me and I couldn't be happier!
Appts:
Dr. Semple (plastic surgeon) - Wednesday, Jan 22
Dr. Rajagopal (oncologist) - Tuesday, Feb 11
Dr. Escallon (general surgeon) - Monday, Feb 24
Next fat transfer - Tuesday, April 8
Dr. Escallon is my general surgeon who will be removing my good breast and working with Dr. Semple to put in the implants and expander. I am not sure if he will be giving me a surgery time or if Dr. Semple's office will be calling with my surgery day. All I know is that it will be some time in the summer. Looking forward to getting it over with! :)
Be positive, be strong and continue to pray!
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Friday, 10 January 2014
3 Days Post Sugery!
(**WARNING PICTURES**)
Well it's day 3 after surgery and I am feeling like I have made it around the corner. I am feeling much better but still have some pain, swelling and discomfort. My abdomen is quite bruised now and my chest is bruised a lovely shade of yellow! I haven't had to take pain medication since Wednesday night. I'm always scared that I will get addicted to the pain medication so I tend to try to fight through it and just suck it up! Jason keeps telling me, "take a pill! I will help you sleep better"...I swear, if I didn't know better I would think he was trying to drug me! LOL No really, I just know he doesn't like seeing me in pain.
I've started doing my arm exercises again and I am finding that the mobility is coming back. It's a bit odd, the feeling in my chest area. It's kind of like I am getting feeling back or something. Malina told me that she did get feeling back so I guess it is a possibility. I am hoping that I won't get too much feeling back because I don't want to feel too much pain with the next procedure....crazy what you wish for on this journey! :)
Yesterday I watched Ellen (as I always do....I just find I always have a smile on my face when I am watching her show) and there was a mother on that was diagnosed with Breast Cancer...she was a mother of 5 and only 36 and now struggling with BC! She said something that really struck a cord with me...she said, "Cancer is not about what I have lost, but what I have gained". It truly is just that! I have gained so much in my life! I have learned a lot about myself, and I know that sounds cliche but it's true. You really learn a lot about yourself and how you can manage through an otherwise debilitating situation and come out of it stronger than you have ever been! You look at life a little different and you appreciate the small things. I will admit that I have, in some areas of my life, fallen back into the routine. But for the most part, I have changed the way a do and see things. I just wish that people would make that change on their own and not need a life altering event to happen to make the change.
Be positive, be strong and continue to pray!
Well it's day 3 after surgery and I am feeling like I have made it around the corner. I am feeling much better but still have some pain, swelling and discomfort. My abdomen is quite bruised now and my chest is bruised a lovely shade of yellow! I haven't had to take pain medication since Wednesday night. I'm always scared that I will get addicted to the pain medication so I tend to try to fight through it and just suck it up! Jason keeps telling me, "take a pill! I will help you sleep better"...I swear, if I didn't know better I would think he was trying to drug me! LOL No really, I just know he doesn't like seeing me in pain.
I've started doing my arm exercises again and I am finding that the mobility is coming back. It's a bit odd, the feeling in my chest area. It's kind of like I am getting feeling back or something. Malina told me that she did get feeling back so I guess it is a possibility. I am hoping that I won't get too much feeling back because I don't want to feel too much pain with the next procedure....crazy what you wish for on this journey! :)
Yesterday I watched Ellen (as I always do....I just find I always have a smile on my face when I am watching her show) and there was a mother on that was diagnosed with Breast Cancer...she was a mother of 5 and only 36 and now struggling with BC! She said something that really struck a cord with me...she said, "Cancer is not about what I have lost, but what I have gained". It truly is just that! I have gained so much in my life! I have learned a lot about myself, and I know that sounds cliche but it's true. You really learn a lot about yourself and how you can manage through an otherwise debilitating situation and come out of it stronger than you have ever been! You look at life a little different and you appreciate the small things. I will admit that I have, in some areas of my life, fallen back into the routine. But for the most part, I have changed the way a do and see things. I just wish that people would make that change on their own and not need a life altering event to happen to make the change.
Be positive, be strong and continue to pray!
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
First Fat Transfer Complete!
**WARNING PICTURES** (Told you that I would put a warning on here, just in case you didn't want to see pictures but still wanted to have the update)
So, I had my first procedure done yesterday and I am now resting at home with Morphine, Oxycodone and whatever else will take the pain away!
As you all know, the weather has been absolutely terrible for the past couple of days and I was so worried that I wouldn't get to my appointment yesterday. Between worrying about the weather and trying to avoid getting sick with the flu or cold...it made for a really stressful couple of days. I think the fact that I didn't really know what to expect with this surgery, was stressful all in its own.
Tuesday morning was a very chilly morning, minus 25 with the windchill of minus 41! I knew Monday night that Tuesday was going to be unpredictable weather wise so I made sure that Jason had the truck plugged in and all our stuff was by the door. We took Keil and Cole with us because we knew that we wouldn't be back in time to get them from school. We started out around 7:45am and the roads were terrible. There were accidents every where, which made for a lot of detours trying to avoid them. We finally arrived for my 10:30am check in at 10:05am....cutting it a bit close!! As soon as I arrived to the 8th floor, the nurse took me in to get me changed and take my vitals. Once finished meeting with him, I went back out to the waiting room, prepared to sit and wait until my scheduled surgery time of 12:00pm. Much to my surprise, they were moving along faster then expected. I was called in to the surgery waiting area to meet with Dr. Semple, the Anesthesiologist and the head nurse that would be in my OR. She looked like she was 12!!! My goodness I am starting to feel old when meeting these doctors and nurses. Anyway, once I met with them and I was all marked up by Dr. Semple, I sat for about 10 minutes and then it was time!!! The Anesthesiologist came to get me and walked me to the surgery room. I met the team that would be working on me and the sleepy drugs started to flow!
I woke up in the "first room" of recovery around 1:00pm. I could feel the sting in my stomach (my donor site) and the slight discomfort in my chest. There was a nurse sitting with me constantly for an hour, taking my vitals and administering pain medication. I didn't think the pain was all that bad until the meds started wearing off. After spending an hour in the "first room", I was moved to the final recovery area where Jason and the boys came to see me. Once in that area, I was able to look at my incisions and see the work that Dr. Semple did. Oh my goodness....I was already starting to bruise!!! My stomach was swollen and bruised and my chest was swollen and raised in the area where the fat transfers took place.
Dr. Semple came in to see me and told me that everything went very well! I asked if he was able to take a little extra fat and he told me that I didn't have as much as I might have thought! :) He is so nice! LOL So, he also told me that he did a little digging in my mastectomy scar to release some of the skin that was too tight. Because he did this, I was to expect a lot more pain and discomfort. He felt it was necessary to do this so that I would accept the fat transfer better and have more room for the next transfer in April. So, after being in recovery for about an hour, I was released to go home.
Once home, the pain really started to settle in and the bruising was getting worse. It made for a very uncomfortable night! Today, I am in even more pain and my chest is very tight and sore. Mobility in my right arm is minimal (so I have to start doing my arm exercises again) and my stomach is quite swollen and sore.
I will update again this week regarding pain and progress!
I didn't get any before pictures but I took pictures last night to show what things look like hours after surgery. Very swollen and bruising starting to show more. Also, looks very red but that is just the antiseptic cleaner they put on prior to surgery.
So, I had my first procedure done yesterday and I am now resting at home with Morphine, Oxycodone and whatever else will take the pain away!
As you all know, the weather has been absolutely terrible for the past couple of days and I was so worried that I wouldn't get to my appointment yesterday. Between worrying about the weather and trying to avoid getting sick with the flu or cold...it made for a really stressful couple of days. I think the fact that I didn't really know what to expect with this surgery, was stressful all in its own.
Tuesday morning was a very chilly morning, minus 25 with the windchill of minus 41! I knew Monday night that Tuesday was going to be unpredictable weather wise so I made sure that Jason had the truck plugged in and all our stuff was by the door. We took Keil and Cole with us because we knew that we wouldn't be back in time to get them from school. We started out around 7:45am and the roads were terrible. There were accidents every where, which made for a lot of detours trying to avoid them. We finally arrived for my 10:30am check in at 10:05am....cutting it a bit close!! As soon as I arrived to the 8th floor, the nurse took me in to get me changed and take my vitals. Once finished meeting with him, I went back out to the waiting room, prepared to sit and wait until my scheduled surgery time of 12:00pm. Much to my surprise, they were moving along faster then expected. I was called in to the surgery waiting area to meet with Dr. Semple, the Anesthesiologist and the head nurse that would be in my OR. She looked like she was 12!!! My goodness I am starting to feel old when meeting these doctors and nurses. Anyway, once I met with them and I was all marked up by Dr. Semple, I sat for about 10 minutes and then it was time!!! The Anesthesiologist came to get me and walked me to the surgery room. I met the team that would be working on me and the sleepy drugs started to flow!
I woke up in the "first room" of recovery around 1:00pm. I could feel the sting in my stomach (my donor site) and the slight discomfort in my chest. There was a nurse sitting with me constantly for an hour, taking my vitals and administering pain medication. I didn't think the pain was all that bad until the meds started wearing off. After spending an hour in the "first room", I was moved to the final recovery area where Jason and the boys came to see me. Once in that area, I was able to look at my incisions and see the work that Dr. Semple did. Oh my goodness....I was already starting to bruise!!! My stomach was swollen and bruised and my chest was swollen and raised in the area where the fat transfers took place.
Dr. Semple came in to see me and told me that everything went very well! I asked if he was able to take a little extra fat and he told me that I didn't have as much as I might have thought! :) He is so nice! LOL So, he also told me that he did a little digging in my mastectomy scar to release some of the skin that was too tight. Because he did this, I was to expect a lot more pain and discomfort. He felt it was necessary to do this so that I would accept the fat transfer better and have more room for the next transfer in April. So, after being in recovery for about an hour, I was released to go home.
Once home, the pain really started to settle in and the bruising was getting worse. It made for a very uncomfortable night! Today, I am in even more pain and my chest is very tight and sore. Mobility in my right arm is minimal (so I have to start doing my arm exercises again) and my stomach is quite swollen and sore.
I will update again this week regarding pain and progress!
I didn't get any before pictures but I took pictures last night to show what things look like hours after surgery. Very swollen and bruising starting to show more. Also, looks very red but that is just the antiseptic cleaner they put on prior to surgery.
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