55: Reconstructive Surgery

Ok, This shit just got real! Warning graphic picture included in this blog

My surgery was one week ago today. It is kind of hard to describe what goes through your head as you are going to the hospital, walking in, registering, signing the anesthesia consent and being told the risk……reconstructive surgery is a choice, not a medical necessity. I decided I wanted this. As a licensed Mammogram Technologist, when doing a mammogram on a patient with implants, sometimes I wondered why they did it. Especially when they appeared to have adequate breast tissue in front of the implant. And what didn’t make sense, is when they had risk factors for breast cancer and got implants placed! I always thought I would never get implants, just wear good bras to bring the girls up some! LOL! My road to implant placement is different, it’s reconstructive surgery after breast cancer.

I will be forthright in sharing my experience as this has always been the purpose of my blog…..to share truthfully, to educate, to share my BC journey, so my apologies if anyone is offended by words typed or pictures posted.

I was wheeled out of pre-op into the operating room about 1250, with the surgery ending about 1830hrs, making surgery time just under six hours long. I was admitted to the hospital third floor at DRMC. I don’t remember much of the first three days after surgery, I think the pain pills had something to do with that! I do remember vomiting when I got to my room and feeling like my chest was going to burst open! Once we got home after my one night stay at DRMC, I do remember my eldest daughter (nurse Nikki)  making me eat regularly and giving me a slew of pills on a regular basis, draining and stripping my drains, documenting the fluid from each drain three times daily, showering me and dressing me.

My arms ached and the did not extend out much, initially after surgery.  I was so thankful that by the time I had my first bowel movement (4 days later) I was able to clean myself! I would have been mortified asking my husband or daughter to wipe my #@** ! My daughter was not too concerned that I had not pooped till then as I was passing gas regularly…..I realize this is one of the TMI moments! OK, enough of that subject.

My husband (quite the comedian)  says I have Tyrannosaurus Rex arms! He is having fun (at my expense) about my limited reach! (maybe I should have had him wipe my #@** ! However,  he has been quite helpful with draining my drains, showering and combing my hair etc. You don’t realize all the things that you can not do for yourself after a surgery. The plastic surgeon was clear when talking to my family that I could not do anything! So it has been a little hard on me know that I am more mobile. Simple things like tidying up the kitchen, or wiping a spot on the tile floor….I just have to look away, my family has been great doing everything.

How does it look?

The expanders are placed really high on the chest wall, literally just below the clavicle! I knew this so I was not freaked out when I saw them for the first time…..I am swollen, with time this will go done. I have the four drains coming out of my body, which I know some people get freaked out about. I have an appointment tomorrow Wednesday the 30th with the PS, two of the drains will come out. (ouch) Right now the scars are held together with a type of Dermabond (skin glue). For me too look at my chest wall right now I am a bit taken back on the appearance of them. But I know that this is not the end result, this journey will not be finished till the end of this year. So please keep that in mind when looking at the picture that I will include with this blog. I thank you for reading this blog to this point, as I realize it is a long blog.

I am literally a little nervous about the following picture, but if these pictures just helps one person out there debating weather of not to go through reconstructive surgery then  it was worth posting. And if you are on the fence of decision making please follow my blog to see the end result towards the end of this year, if that is too long to wait then research reconstructive surgery pictures……your Plastic Surgeon should be able to provide you with pictures as well.

I seem to have breezed through Chemo, Mastectomy and Rad TX, but honestly this shit just got real! I remember my husband telling me not to do reconstruction for him! My response: Oh, IF I have to go through this shit (meaning treatment) I’m going to get new ones out of it!………..So bring on the final phase………Reconstructive Surgery.

The first pictures was taken on our 20th wedding anniversary trip to Maui…here we are in our 30th year of marriage, who would have thought we would be going thru this (notice I said “we”) because your diagnosis affects the whole family! I am blessed to have a very supportive one ……….#bumpintheroad

Thank you for reading……Pina