So you may be wondering what my husband has been saying about all this. He has been super supportive of me and practically insists that I have the surgery. He feels it is the best option and supports my decision to do some radical things to my body. We have joked a ton about the "boob" part of it and he is a bit excited to see the new ones-he he! He has attended all of my major appointments, which is so great to have another set of ears, as sometimes I may hear what I want to.
In November we met with the general surgeon who will do the procedure at North Kansas City Hospital. He is quiet, gentle and very precise in his manner of speaking, which I hope is the same for his surgical manner. He had just returned from an out-of-state breast cancer convention and enlightened us with some of the new information he learned. He too assured me the mastectomy was the state-of-the-art prescription for BRACA carriers. I wanted to make sure I was not just some kind of lab rat they could test, but I came to realize for the few of us that carry a family history and the fewer that will take the test and even fewer that do something about it...well, this IS what you do. It just seems so radical, I wanted to be sure.
We discussed nipple sparing, the procedure to preserve the nipple but that contributes to continued cancer risk, so I am opting out of that, they will take the entire breast. We talked about surgery in general, risks, scheduling time frames, plastic surgeons, etc. I was convinced he knew what he was doing and thankful that this is not something that involves any of my major organs.
Over my spring break in March, we met with the plastic surgeon and this was where the fun really began. He, too, convinced me this was such a wise choice and told me about how he would help me get the results I wanted. I was actually very excited about the chance to lessen the size of my breasts, as I am convinced they led to some of my recent back issues. His professional, yet down to earth nature, made this final portion more of a celebration. In addition, I love his nursing assistant and the can-do attitude they have about this process. I have been blessed to have such great care givers.
My mom did not have reconstruction, so this is a new territory for our family. There are three options for tissue replacement: back tissue if you are having radiation (I am not, of course), tram flap from your abdomen (risky when doing both breasts, as I am), or expanders with a later implant. BINGO! that will have to work for me.
The general surgeon will take about 2 hours to remove the breasts, then the plastic surgeon will place expanders in, which will later be replaced with implants. The entire surgery will take 3-4 hours to complete and they will send me home the next day with drainage tubes to maintain for a week to 4 weeks! No driving for 2-3 weeks. No lakes, etc. Just lots of relaxing and 10 minutes of walking an hour, no extreme bed rest because as the doctor reminded me, "You are not sick!"
A month after surgery, they will begin to fill the expanders to stretch the skin into breast mounds. When I reach a size we are all comfortable with, I'll have an outpatient surgery to put in the permanent implants. There will also be nipple reconstruction and later tattooing to replace the areola; so I'll have tattoos!! That is a first for me - ha!
At the end of spring break, Myron and I took a trip to Vegas, just the two of us. We had a ton of fun and lived it up for a few days. On the way home, we picked up the mail and received news my surgery had been approved by my insurance. A bittersweet moment: so happy to have it covered but now it was real and going to happen!
During April, the surgery date was set for June 5th allowing me some time to do a few summer things after school was out.
Next post: final preparations and convictions
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