Can't catch a break

Here I am nine days after my surgery and I can 't tell you that I feel 100%. I am pretty discouraged because this surgery was supposed to be all good news. Nice new breasts, no cancer to deal with but of course I have a blood clot that proceeded to knock me on my back for 5-6 straight days. I am making progress but I am still light headed, out of breath and my fingers are tingly. I am not sleeping well from the incisions and I still have puffy eyes in the morning. I go to see Dr. Kahn (Surgeon) on Monday and Dr. Eldaly on Tues so I will get to the bottom of all this.

I will say I am feeling better though, I have more energy and have been able to get back to some normal things. My mom and I took the girls to a local Renaissance faire on Sat. It was fun, tiring but fun. Other than that, I will do some work around the house then have to rest afterward. The other day, I changed my sheets on my bed and once I finished I had to lay down for 20 mins to recover. Now that does not sound like me does it!!

Tough coupld of days

Hey all- Well the last step of recovery has had it's ups and downs. Surgery on the 11th was delayed until 2:45pm which meant I had nothing to eat or drink 8-10 hours before at 5 am. My husband was so sweet to make me breakfast let me eat in bed at 5:00 and then fall back asleep. We get to Stanford and get settled in to hospital bed and the surgeon comes in to measure me and draws on my skin all the places he plans to cut,etc. Kind of weird. He plans to do the following: 1) Take out the chem port which I was so excited about. 2)Removed the tissue expander and put in a silicon breast implant. 3) Add a small implant to the right remaining breast to even everything out. My number one goal was symmetry and if they were a little rounder and firmer that great. After a long surgery and long recover time Brian and I left the hospital around 7:30 pm that night getting us home around 9:00.

By then all pharmacies were closed to get my pain meds but I was sure I still had pain meds at the house from previous operations but no such luck, I had one half of one pill. I was in for a long night. We dug up other painkillers but weren't "the good stuff" but I got through the night. Brian again, my knight in shining armor, got up at 5:00am the next morning and drove a hour away to Turlock to a 24 hour pharmacy and got my painkilllers. I was so happy to see him showup with those pills and my breakfast the next day. My Hero.

I was recovering fine, sleepy, swollen. The breasts were not excactly symmetrical and the surgeon warned me about that. I need to wait until the swelling goes down and see how things settle in before deciding how they look. There are so many bandages you can't see much at all anyway. I have two drains again and those get in the way. So as the day goes on I notice my face and eyes swelling up and my neck is bright red and getting larger. Then around 3:00 I realize my arms are real tight like I have a blood presser cuff on. Everything chest level and up is swollen. I don't even look like my self any more, I look like I have gained 30 lbs and in day. I joke I look like a football player with their thick necks.

I call the Dr on call and she is baffled by my description. She calls back and suggests also suggests I go to the ER. So exhausted, Brian and I pack up around 6:00 pm to go to the EM in Turlock. I pack an overnight bag because I am just not sure what to expect anymore. Once at the ER, he does a quick exam and determines the swelling is due to the trama of the surgery and send me home. I put up with it on Sunday, no change. On Monday, Mom and I are back in the car going to see Dr. Eldaly. I am convince there is something going on. the sweelling should be either getting better or getting worse but the fact that it is still the same after 3 days is odd. Dr. Eldaly sees me and sends my for a chest CT, and then an unltrasound. Sure enough, I have a blood clot. It is under my arm where the Port used to be. I am on blood thinners and drugs to reuce the swlling. I am glad I followed up and I am glad the Dr. Eldaly took it to the extra step to be sure it is not a problem. Blood Clots can be very serious.

SOoI am back home now resting and recovering. I don't think I will be going out in public unless I need to due to the intense puffiness. I am tired and sleepy and dizzy so I am keeping it short. More to come but I am doing OK right now. Me and my happy drugs. =)

Britt

Reconstructive Surgery

Hi Everyone it's Brian. I haven't written for while, I figure it was time to check in, especially on a day like today when Britt was going through re constructive surgery. I have determined that I hate hospitals. Since I have known Britt she has undergone seven surgeries. I am always the same a mixture of dread, and emotion. It never fails that right about the time they wheel her in I become a total mess. The positive is that this represents the end of sorts. The doctor has told me that the outcome of the surgery was good, although they won't it is a very subjective thing, because the true outcome is how Britt sees it. I know it will be tough for her, because no matter what she will not see what she was like before the surgery, there are scars, and scar tissues that will effect it. The best outcome for me would be for her to see her as I see her, as the most beautiful loving person in the world. She has taken on cancer and beaten it, and we have come out stronger as a result.

Guess What

I just got my results back from my Pet/CT from yesterday and they found NO Evidence of Cancer!!!! There was really nothing there. They did see some activity around the tissue expander but felt that was from the surgery site not cancer related. And oh yeah, I also have a ovarian cyst. No big deal, I get them all the time and have had this one for over a year.

This is great news. I was really nervous about this final test because the results were going to drastically change the path of my life, if there was still evidence of cancer. Before I knew I was still getting Chemo and radiation so still knew what I had to do but right now, this late in the game, I have the surgery coming up on the 11th and one final Herceptin treatment on Sept 22nd and THAT IS IT!!!

A big sigh of relief on this one and I wanted to share it all with you. My biggest supporters.

Britt