Drum roll please....I have big news. I had a complete pathological response to chemo. Meaning that the cancer is gone. I'M CANCER FREE! There wasn't a cancer cell to be found in either breast or lymph node. The medical staff at KUMed was really excited because it is really rare to have such a good response to chemo. Very few people with stage II breast cancer beat it just with chemotherapy. This is really good news! I am in a state of shock, so much so that my doctors, nurses, and cancer care team keep telling me that I am cancer free. (I may have asked them to do that, because it all I wanted to hear ever since we got the diagnoses.)
So you might be wondering how my bilateral mastectomy and lymph node dissection went. Well I am officially two weeks out from the surgery. Everything went well, and I only had to stay in the hospital over night. The entire surgery lasted seven hours. I am still pretty sore and tired. Doing basic things like getting dressed, showering, and reaching up into the cupboard is still a challenge.
The medication they used to put me under, caused me to be pretty nauseous for awhile. So they loaded me up on all the anti nauseous meds and then I was fine. I think I may have had a small reaction to the nerve block, my back is itchy. For me, the worst part of this surgery was the drains, they were pretty uncomfortable and just plain gross. So I was really happy to get them taken out, I only had them for a week. Getting the drains removed wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. Seeing my breast free body was a bit of a shock, but overall my scarring isn't too bad. My surgeon did an amazing job. I donated my breast and lymph node to science for cancer research. It is my hope that my breasts can now do something positive for someone else.
I will continue the Herceptin treatment every three weeks, so that it completes a full year. So until next October. Other than that, we don't really know what the rest of the treatment plan is now. I am guessing that I'll still have to undergo radiation, as a preventative measure. If not then I continue on with my GI surgeries. But we won't know for sure until March 6th, when I have another doctors appointment with a radiologist.
We'll keep you posted. Thanks for reading! Have a great week! :-)
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
Packing for Masectomy
What to bring with you to the hospital?
1.) Clothing...........If your appointment is in the morning, don't bother with bringing many extra clothing items. Think about it, you will check in and put on a gown right away. The gown is what you'll wear for the duration of your stay. I plan on wearing the same clothing I wore coming to the hospital on my way home. I will of course bring some clean undies and socks though. I am planning on wearing sweats, and a zip down; this way if it is painful to lift my arms I'll be able to put that on rather easily.
2.) Toiletries..........Tooth brush, tooth paste, and face wash.......The hospital will have soap, shampoo, hand sanitizer, etc. And depending on how everything goes they may or may not let you shower the first couple of days anyways). No make-up or lotion they don't want you to wear it going into the surgery anyways.
3.) Hat or wig if you prefer. Brush or comb if you have hair.
4.) Any medications you take on a daily basis.
5.) Your surgical top, if they gave you one. (The cami that has the pockets for the drains)
6.) Entertainment.......I am bringing my laptop, kindle, my cell phone, and some DVD's. (Don't forget the electronic chargers). They say no valuables......but I know I will be more comfortable with these items.
7.) Inspiration........I put together a book by hole punching all the cards my friends and family have sent me. This way I can read them if I am feeling a bit home sick. In previous hospital stays I've also brought photos, to cheer the room up a bit. However I am hopeful that I'll only stay 1-2 nights this time around.
* Quick suggestion, don't bother bringing in your bag to check in, leave it in the car, and have your husband, mom, or other loved one bring it to you once you are in your room and are recovering. This way they don't have to lug it around while they are waiting for you during the surgery.
Here is a picture of my card book, I got this idea from pinterest. I love how it turned out!
If you have any suggestions feel free to contribute your ideas. This is just what friends and family have recommended for me. Hopefully I didn't forget anything major. Alright, its time for me to get ready and ship out. Wish me luck!
1.) Clothing...........If your appointment is in the morning, don't bother with bringing many extra clothing items. Think about it, you will check in and put on a gown right away. The gown is what you'll wear for the duration of your stay. I plan on wearing the same clothing I wore coming to the hospital on my way home. I will of course bring some clean undies and socks though. I am planning on wearing sweats, and a zip down; this way if it is painful to lift my arms I'll be able to put that on rather easily.
2.) Toiletries..........Tooth brush, tooth paste, and face wash.......The hospital will have soap, shampoo, hand sanitizer, etc. And depending on how everything goes they may or may not let you shower the first couple of days anyways). No make-up or lotion they don't want you to wear it going into the surgery anyways.
3.) Hat or wig if you prefer. Brush or comb if you have hair.
4.) Any medications you take on a daily basis.
5.) Your surgical top, if they gave you one. (The cami that has the pockets for the drains)
6.) Entertainment.......I am bringing my laptop, kindle, my cell phone, and some DVD's. (Don't forget the electronic chargers). They say no valuables......but I know I will be more comfortable with these items.
7.) Inspiration........I put together a book by hole punching all the cards my friends and family have sent me. This way I can read them if I am feeling a bit home sick. In previous hospital stays I've also brought photos, to cheer the room up a bit. However I am hopeful that I'll only stay 1-2 nights this time around.
* Quick suggestion, don't bother bringing in your bag to check in, leave it in the car, and have your husband, mom, or other loved one bring it to you once you are in your room and are recovering. This way they don't have to lug it around while they are waiting for you during the surgery.
Here is a picture of my card book, I got this idea from pinterest. I love how it turned out!
If you have any suggestions feel free to contribute your ideas. This is just what friends and family have recommended for me. Hopefully I didn't forget anything major. Alright, its time for me to get ready and ship out. Wish me luck!
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Preparing for Masectomy
Hey blog friends!
So my bilateral skin sparing mastectomy is coming up in 4 days. And I am wicked nervous! Wish me luck. A few of my friends that have gone through this have given me some great suggestions so I thought I would share them with you all. These are in no particular order.
1.) Get a recliner (I borrowed mine). This way you can sleep in it, without putting any pressure on your chest and drains. Also my friend swears that I'll need the movement to help me get up and down. Here is where I'll be hanging out for a couple of weeks. I am hoping to get one more so I can have one in my living room as well, for a change of scenery.
2.) Stay busy. So I've been stocking up on crafting supplies, books, music, magazines, movies, and projects. Not sure how much I'll want to do. But just in case I feel ambitious and really bored then I will have options.
3.) Get a detachable shower sprayer. This way you can shower without submerging the drains and incisions. She even suggested getting a shower bench so I wouldn't have to stand, however those are expensive, so I decided against it. There is only so much you can do. I did however spurge for the shower sprayer. I feel like I'm 80 or so, yicks!
4.) Ask for help, because most household chores, activities, and driving are going to be off limits for awhile. Recovery time is 4 to 6 weeks. So my mom and mother in law are coming and they are going to help with anything and everything.
5.) It was required that I get a post surgical care top. (I guess this is either a new thing.....or not every doctor prescribes it, because my friend wishes she had something like this when she had her mastectomy) You can't tell from the picture, but it has pockets on the inside. This is where I'll put the drains in. I've been told that the drains will stay in for 10-14 days, ugh. Also it has inserts for my prosthetic breasts. Ha! I'm not able to do reconstruction until after the radiation. So I'll be running around boobless for awhile. The reconstruction surgeries are another set of problems for another day. Blah! If you don't get one of these handy tops, my friend said that she purchased a jacket with pockets on the inside, and they helped her.
6.) Stock your house with prepared meals and groceries. It might be awhile before you feel like cooking or shopping. So stock up. (I still need to do this one.)
7.) Take a picture of your chest before the surgery this way you have something to show the plastic surgeon for reconstructive surgeries. I have already had my appointment with my plastic surgeon, but I decided that I would still take a before picture, just in case I decided to switch surgeons later on.
Let me know if you have any suggestions, and I'll be happy to add them. Thanks!
Peace out! :-)
So my bilateral skin sparing mastectomy is coming up in 4 days. And I am wicked nervous! Wish me luck. A few of my friends that have gone through this have given me some great suggestions so I thought I would share them with you all. These are in no particular order.
1.) Get a recliner (I borrowed mine). This way you can sleep in it, without putting any pressure on your chest and drains. Also my friend swears that I'll need the movement to help me get up and down. Here is where I'll be hanging out for a couple of weeks. I am hoping to get one more so I can have one in my living room as well, for a change of scenery.
2.) Stay busy. So I've been stocking up on crafting supplies, books, music, magazines, movies, and projects. Not sure how much I'll want to do. But just in case I feel ambitious and really bored then I will have options.
3.) Get a detachable shower sprayer. This way you can shower without submerging the drains and incisions. She even suggested getting a shower bench so I wouldn't have to stand, however those are expensive, so I decided against it. There is only so much you can do. I did however spurge for the shower sprayer. I feel like I'm 80 or so, yicks!
4.) Ask for help, because most household chores, activities, and driving are going to be off limits for awhile. Recovery time is 4 to 6 weeks. So my mom and mother in law are coming and they are going to help with anything and everything.
5.) It was required that I get a post surgical care top. (I guess this is either a new thing.....or not every doctor prescribes it, because my friend wishes she had something like this when she had her mastectomy) You can't tell from the picture, but it has pockets on the inside. This is where I'll put the drains in. I've been told that the drains will stay in for 10-14 days, ugh. Also it has inserts for my prosthetic breasts. Ha! I'm not able to do reconstruction until after the radiation. So I'll be running around boobless for awhile. The reconstruction surgeries are another set of problems for another day. Blah! If you don't get one of these handy tops, my friend said that she purchased a jacket with pockets on the inside, and they helped her. 6.) Stock your house with prepared meals and groceries. It might be awhile before you feel like cooking or shopping. So stock up. (I still need to do this one.)
7.) Take a picture of your chest before the surgery this way you have something to show the plastic surgeon for reconstructive surgeries. I have already had my appointment with my plastic surgeon, but I decided that I would still take a before picture, just in case I decided to switch surgeons later on.
Let me know if you have any suggestions, and I'll be happy to add them. Thanks!
Peace out! :-)
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