My Mastectomy Has Been Scheduled

The long awaited date has arrived! I check in to the hospital for the mastectomy at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, December 2nd and will be in the O.R. by 8 a.m. The surgery should last about 3 hours followed by a 2-day stay to ensure that there aren't any complications. 

I am a candidate for immediate breast reconstruction so, my surgeons will perform a 2- stage operation. The first stage will be after my surgical oncologist completes the mastectomy. My plastic surgeon will step in and finish up with a tissue expander (a deflated, temporary implant) under my pectoral muscle and a few drainage tubes to help flush out excess fluids. The drainage tubes will remain for a period of 1 to 4 weeks. Once the drainage tubes are removed, the expander will be filled with saline through a port every 2 - 3 weeks over a period of approximately 6 months. My chest will feel tight and uncomfortable as my skin is stretched, but I can handle it. 

"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." 

Philippians 4:14

The second stage will be performed after the skin has rejuvenated and the breast mound is large enough to replace the expander with a permanent implant (cutting along the same incision as the mastectomy). At the same time, my surgeon will perform surgery on the natural breast to create symmetry. What a deal, eh?! If only I could get an eye surgeon in there to perform lasik surgery, too!

There are more details leading to a complete reconstruction (e.g., fat grafts, tattooing, possible radiation therapy), so I'm looking at about 1-1/2 to 2 years of working with my plastic surgeon. Oy vey!

The best part is knowing how blessed I am to have such a great team of surgeons on my side and knowing that I have a Great God who has my back! Can I get an "amen?!"

"O Lord my God, I called to you for help, 

and you healed me." 

Psalm 30:2

As always, thank you for your continued prayer and support.

~ Deidre

I Have Finished Chemo.

Have you ever had one of those mornings when you wake up feeling lousy? You think to yourself, " I wonder if I look as bad as I feel?" You look in the mirror and ... well...

On Wednesday, November 5th, I had my 6th and final chemo treatment. The side effects from the last three were really rough. There were times when I questioned if I could complete the chemo. The nausea, muscle cramps, bone pain, deteriorating finger and toenails, digestive issues, insomnia, fatigue, etc., intensified and lingered with each passing treatment.

I had an end-of-chemo mammogram and MRI which showed zero signs of the invasive cancer. YEAH! Now I am awaiting the appointment with my surgical oncologist on November 20th to discuss what to expect after the mastectomy and hopefully coordinate a surgery date with my plastic surgeon. I still have to go to the infusion center for about 14 more rounds of the targeted drug, Herceptin, since it needs to be administered for a year to be effective. I should be finished with that in August 2015.

I'm really nervous about the mastectomy, so I would appreciate it if you would pray that the surgery is a success.

Lots of love,

Deidre