things are moving along

Hello all- It has been a while since I have updated the blog. It has been on my list of things to do and now even with Christmas around the corner, I have the time, so here goes.

A couple medical updates. I had my surgery on Sept 11th and now we are at the end of Dec, over three months ago and there is little to no change to my "new" breasts or their uneven size. So I am stuck with one side (mastectomy side) being cup size A/B and the other being a C/D cup. For women, you will understand how big of a difference that is. My Dr thinks I am still working out the fluid in my upper extremities but I think it is pretty much as good as it is going to get. If I want anything different I will probably have to go under the knife again. I probably will go back but not right now. I am going to continue to be patient and hope that I will somehow even out but I am realistic. So overall,I am pretty disappointed in the results of the surgery. The plastic surgeon said once the blood clot came into play, it was hard to determine what the result would be. There was no way to know how I would heal. Well I healed pretty uneven and it sucks.

For the last couple months I have had Physical Therapy once - twice a week. I liked going because it made me feel like I was doing something proactive to help my situation but the drive was long and I dragged poor Erin with me most times while Paige was in school. I would wake up with my face so swollen you would think I was punched in the face. It would take most of the day for the swelling to dissipate. Now after several weeks, sometimes I do wake up swollen but it goes away pretty quickly. There still may be fluid built up in my body but my circulation system is better able to deal with it now. So that is good and I don't even need PT anymore.

I had an ultrasound to determine how the blood clot is dissipating. The clot is no longer even found where it originally started, (under my right arm). But there is some "residual thrombus", means buildup, in my jugular vein. Although it is not dangerous, it does mean that I am not getting full blood flow to my head right now. That would explain why I am still getting light headedness and dizzy spells when I stand up quickly or lean over and stand up. I knew something was not right in this regard so at least there is something medically telling me my symptoms make sense. And again after three months, I can say even the light headedness is going away.

I am still on the drug, Coumadin, which thins my blood. Chances are I will be on this for the rest of my life because during the treatment of the blood clot it was determined that I have a genetic tendency for Blood Clots. Too bad it took me getting one to realize this. With all the surgeries I had, I am lucky I did not get one earlier. Once you are on blood thinners you have to be careful that your blood does not get too thin, or if you were cut, you could bleed too much. As it is, if I cut myself shaving in the shower, it bleeds and bleeds and bleeds and then it stops. Also if my gums bleed after brushing my teeth, it just keeps going. It is a pain but manageable.

So all and all, I have to be happy, yes it has been a long journey but I can say I am coming to the end. I am feeling pretty good, and looking as good as I can muster right now. My hair has grown in beautifully and I love the 20 min complete morning schedule (from shower to full makeup). It is so easy, I am reluctant to grow it long again. Yes, I will probably have to consider surgery again but that is on the back burner. And we are all so looking forward to Christmas this year. It will be a great year with Erin understanding Santa better and Paige has been really sweet using her own money to buy presents for her family. Merry Christmas to everyone who reads this and Happy New Year. It will be a happy one for us.

Britt