Welcome! I'm glad you're here. If this is your first visit to my blog, you can find earlier posts about my breast cancer journey here: https://www.kc3blog.com/blog/categories/my-story
Who am I? I’m just a mom who battled and beat breast cancer in my 40s with the support of my wonderful husband, family and amazing friends all while raising kids, working, navigating chaos & trusting Christ! Follow along as I share my story.
6/14/2021 - Surgery Day & 13th Wedding Anniversary
Yes, you read that right. I had a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction on my 13th wedding anniversary. I really took "in sickness and in health" to a whole new level! We certainly didn't expect this to be our journey, but I couldn't have a better partner to go through this with. Phillip is the calm to my storm!
From the moment I heard I had breast cancer; I knew the battle was His. God was carrying me through the storm, and He was going to deliver me to the other side. So many times, people think that because we follow and serve a Good Good Father, nothing bad should happen, but that is not the case. Sin entered the world with Adam and Eve, and no matter how "good" we are, sin and bad things continue to happen. I didn't see this situation as a punishment, but rather a trial, and the Bible tells us in James "2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
So, I pulled up my big girl undies, dried my tears, hugged my husband and my momma, and said "Let's do this!"
Check-in was pretty early. The surgery was going to be long. The surgery center at Kennestone was still operating under COVID guidelines, so they didn't want people sitting in the waiting rooms, which was good because they only had very uncomfortable-looking metal chairs. That meant Phillip could leave; he just couldn't go far and had to be reachable. They called me back for prep, and I got changed into my lovely gown and hospital socks. I settled in and tried to relax. My friend Tarrah, who has had her own cancer battle, gave me a cross held by previous cancer survivors. I held it and prayed.
They finally allowed Phillip to come back and wish me good luck. The doctors all came in and went over how things would go and then they whisked me off to the operating room.
The next 12ish hours were obviously a blur for me, but from what I hear, they were pure torture for others. One friend said she cleaned every corner of her house with nervous energy, texting Phillip multiple times for an update, knowing there wasn't one because if there was, he would have told her already.
I had a double mastectomy, even though I only had breast cancer in one side. So, my breast surgeon began with the removal of breast tissue. Once she was done on one side, the plastic surgeon began his work while she finished up on the other side. The majority of the surgery was the reconstruction part. I opted for a DIEP flap reconstruction, which is very intricate and takes a well-skilled surgeon to perform. I was uneasy about implants. I had issues with something foreign, plus the fact that I'm only 40 and hopefully have many years left. Implants will eventually need to be redone, and I wasn't sure about how I would feel needing a boob job at 70. The DIEP flap reconstruction used my own skin and tissue from my stomach area to recreate breasts. In some articles, it says this is "similar to a tummy tuck." OK, so while I may have lost the pooch of my stomach, it is NOTHING like a tummy tuck! lol
I woke up in recovery and thought it wasn't over. I even asked, 'is it all done?' I was moved into my room with my trusty pain pump. As I continued to wake up, the pain increased but wasn't unbearable. Phillip was finally able to come visit. Everything was fine, as long as I was laying down and still. But then I needed to use the restroom and I realized exactly how much cutting was done. Sitting up was rough, walking - rougher, getting back in the bed - holy mother of.....words that would make my grandma blush! Yeah, there was the pain! I couldn't use my arms to push up, and I couldn't use my stomach to scoot up. It was a rough situation and unfortunately my nurse that evening wasn't much help. Thankfully she was the only one that wasn't on her A game. The rest of my nurses were amazing and had easier ways to help me in and out of the bed. The only other unfortunate thing was that the IV was in the inside of my elbow. I'm not sure why, they probably told me, and I forgot, but for most other surgeries the IV was in my hand, but this one was not. Every time I bent my elbow, something would beep and it drove me crazy! My surgery was on Monday, and I was supposed to stay in the hospital until Thursday. But on Wednesday morning I begged for them to take the IV out, and I began to manage the pain with pills. When Dr. Crawford came in to see me, he said since I was already off the pain pump and managing on pills, I could go ahead and go home! I met my requirements to leave which included walking the hallway and sitting in a chair, and then Phillip busted me out of there!
I got home and settled into what I knew was going to be a long 2 weeks ahead. I just didn't know HOW long! I went home with 4 drains and they were the worst part of the whole ordeal. Thank goodness Phillip is in the medical world and stripping the drains and measuring the fluid was no big deal for him.
Getting comfortable was a bit of a challenge, but with enough pillows and blankets, I managed. I slept in the recliner on our couch for quite a while since our bedroom is upstairs. The kids stayed at my parents while I was in the hospital, so Phillip only had to go home to check on the dogs. Once I was home, they came home, and they were great. They made sure I stayed hydrated and that I did my breathing exercises as instructed.
Definition time
From CancerCenter.com
A double mastectomy—also known as a bilateral mastectomy—is exactly what it sounds like: a surgery in which both breasts are removed at the same time.
It’s major surgery that removes both breasts to remove cancer, or to reduce the risk of breast cancer in a woman who may be at high risk for the disease. It usually requires a short hospital stay and a longer recovery time that may take a few weeks to several weeks, depending on the circumstances.
The two main types of mastectomy are:
A simple (or total) mastectomy, which involves surgically removing the entire breast, including the skin, nipple and areola
A modified radical mastectomy, which removes the entire breast and axillary lymph nodes under the arm
For those undergoing an immediate mastectomy, these options describe the pattern of skin incisions:
A skin-sparing mastectomy is a version of a simple mastectomy procedure that saves most of the breast skin, but the nipple and areola are removed.
A nipple-sparing mastectomy is a version of a simple mastectomy procedure that saves a part of the breast. Both the skin and the nipple are preserved. This surgery is more likely to be an option if you have very early-stage cancer that's not located near the nipple or has not affected the skin.
An oncologist carefully evaluates a double mastectomy as a treatment option by comparing it to the benefits and risks of other breast-conserving surgeries.
Many people with early-stage cancer can choose between breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy. Studies show that, for them, opting for mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery plus radiation therapy has similar outcomes. That can vary based on a number of reasons that are specific to a woman’s diagnosis and circumstances.
Breast reconstruction can be done at the same time as the mastectomy or at any later time. Many women also opt not to have reconstruction.
I had a total mastectomy, removing the entire breast, including the skin, nipple and areola. Because I opted for the mastectomy after the lumpectomy, I did not have to have radiation. Had I only had the lumpectomy, I would have needed radiation as well.
I also had a DIEP Flap Reconstruction performed at the same time.
DIEP Flap Reconstruction:
From breastcancer.org
DIEP flap surgery is a newer abdominal flap procedure that spares the muscle and has fewer risks and complications than TRAM flap surgery.
DIEP flap surgery is a type of abdominal wall flap procedure. The DIEP — or deep inferior epigastric perforator — flap is named for the blood vessel that runs through the abdominal muscle. DIEP flap surgery requires surgeons to make a small incision in the layer covering the abdominal muscle so they can take the blood vessels that travel within the muscle. DIEP flap surgery is considered a muscle-preserving procedure because surgeons do not remove any muscle, which means recovery is quick and there is a lower risk of muscle weakness. The procedure is similar to a free muscle-sparing TRAM (MS-TRAM) flap, except that surgeons have to use a small amount of muscle for MS-TRAM procedures.
This information is provided by Breastcancer.org.
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Now we move on to Recovery - a long recovery! Stay tuned...
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