tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12371961056299686122024-02-20T16:54:22.684-08:00It's a Bosom ThingWith 1 in 8 women having breast cancer, we all know someone who has been touched by it. This blog is where I plan to tell my story and share my personal journey in the hope that it might help others.Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-50490528223448786902020-01-16T09:43:00.000-08:002020-01-16T09:43:00.619-08:00The Claire Project**I really do not post on here much anymore but I share nearly daily on the Facebook page associated with this blog, so please be sure to join me over there @bosomthing!**<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The photo essay is on display now through<br />January 24, 2020 at Brick at the Blue Star<br />in San Antonio, Texas</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those of you who do already follow me on Facebook already know about The Claire Project but I wanted to share with all of you today a little about the story and why I took part in it......</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Claire Project is the brainchild of a local photographer, Nancie Jimenez of <a href="https://www.nanciejphotography.com/the-claire-project" target="_blank">Nancie J. Photography</a> in Cibolo, Texas. Be sure to take a look at her Instagram and website gallery...she does beautiful work! Nancie was touched by the story of Claire who came in for a maternity session and revealed that she was a breast cancer survivor and wanted to somehow include that part of her story in the photo session. Nancie was inspired and decided to expand that session into a photo essay of breast cancer survivors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I answered the model call that she put out along with 7 of my friends. We all had various reasons for participating but the biggest thing I think we share is to desire to raise awareness. There are currently 10 of us featured in the project and let me tell you...it is amazing!</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Originally, this photo essay was supposed to be on social media, her website, and maybe...just maybe a gallery show. Well.....that is exactly what happened! One of Nancie's friends and patron of the arts decided after only seeing a few photos that this HAD to be bigger. So, thanks to the efforts, hard work, and support of several folks in Nancie's circle, The Claire Project was printed and framed and became a GALLERY SHOW that is currently on display in a local art gallery, Brick at the Blue Star Art Complex. It will be on display through January 24th (my diagnosi-versary!!) if you are able to stop by to see it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am just so happy that this project is taking wings and people are getting to hear about it and see it! It is so important that people see that there is more to breast cancer than a pink ribbon in October and the drug ads on television. These photos while very real and revealing are beautiful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Breast cancer does not discriminate. It comes no matter your race, religion, economic status, or whether you are a vegan or carnivore! Once you've had breast cancer, you are changed. In some ways, it can even be positive like maybe you live life to the fullest now or appreciate the little things more. Either way, you do not come out on the other side the same person you were before. And, I think that is important for people to see. These photos show our outer scars right there in black and white hanging on a gallery wall...no editing to cover up the reality. Hopefully, what you see when you visit the gallery is the beauty of it all! That these scars show that we all survived what tried to kill us and that no matter what the journey or treatment path, we have a story to tell of HOPE!</span></div>
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<u><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some local media coverage of the story:</span></b></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a link to a great article by Rich Marini in the Express News about the project: <br />https://www.expressnews.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article/San-Antonio-breast-cancer-survivors-bare-their-14965365.php?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Additionally, Fox 29's David Norris covered the story as well here:<br />https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/photographer-creates-breast-cancer-survivor-exhibit?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stay tuned on Facebook because I'm actually scheduled to talk to a reporter from Spectrum News this evening at the gallery as well!</span><br />
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<br />Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-51470919142300158332019-03-06T14:02:00.003-08:002019-03-08T10:51:16.990-08:00Celebrating Two Years Cancer Free!It’s been two years today since my bilateral mastectomy and DIEP Flap Reconstruction...it also happens to be my 43rd birthday! Those of you who have been following my journey know that my birthday was the first available surgery date and I wasn’t about to turn it down. Plus, since I woke up with clean margins, clear lymph nodes, and cancer free, it was a great birthday all in all.<br />
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So, what better way to celebrate my two year anniversary than by stopping by with cookie cakes for some of the people who helped make sure I was here to celebrate?!?!? It was just an idea I had this week and decided to go for it today. And, I’m so glad I did. It was fun to run around town and see some of my team. :)<br />
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God was so good to me throughout this journey and He led me to the absolutely best team of medical staff and physicians. I was surrounded by supportive family and friends and had confidence in this team that I am happy to say are now my friends.<br />
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#twoyearscancerfree #diepflapbreastreconstruction #blessedsurvivor #teamjules #teamhudson #itsabosomthingJulie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-72833677267335882572019-01-25T07:40:00.002-08:002019-01-25T07:40:57.031-08:00Two Year DIAGNOSIVERSARY!!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Two years ago yesterday, I rec</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">eived that <a href="https://bosomthing.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-life-altering-phone-call.html" target="_blank">life-altering phone call</a>.….you know those calls, the one you are either excited to get or dreading....the one that means you got your dream job or the one that says you have a potentially terminal illness. <b>In that moment, that 30 seconds, your whole life changes. </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you've read <a href="https://bosomthing.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-life-altering-phone-call.html" target="_blank">my post about that day</a>, you know that I got my breast cancer diagnosis while I was at work and honestly, I'm glad it went down that way. I stayed too busy to ruminate on it as much and it gave me time to process without getting too emotional. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvT8Vw9PV7c9_THaaw0gfVi35zgu3WDA4A5OFGlEr-SlxOUhBn29Rx1_J1teJWylLWpQvVA0p39vAGg84xm97FYJlrYowaczpOhfSylZAAAdViV5yG4ANf5SV7hDD40taHV5NmsZ_cUIU/s1600/IMG_5514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvT8Vw9PV7c9_THaaw0gfVi35zgu3WDA4A5OFGlEr-SlxOUhBn29Rx1_J1teJWylLWpQvVA0p39vAGg84xm97FYJlrYowaczpOhfSylZAAAdViV5yG4ANf5SV7hDD40taHV5NmsZ_cUIU/s200/IMG_5514.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>For some of us, the diagnosiversary is a tough day</b>. It can bring up a lot of negative emotions and fears and remind us that it isn't truly over. I know some women who really struggle on these days. For me, yesterday was more of a <span style="color: magenta;">celebration</span> in my mind! I never once thought about shedding a tear or being sad (the fear of recurrence is always present but no more yesterday than any other day). </span><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Yesterday's anniversary was just another reminder of how good our God is and how He orchestrates the perfect timing of even the scary stuff in our lives. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Breast Cancer is awful...not going to lie. But, <b><span style="color: magenta;">the diagnosis is NOT the end</span></b>. The battle begins when you get that call. It might be a tough one and you might fall behind along the way. <b>It can be fought</b> though and even won. <b>Your life is NOT OVER with the diagnosis.</b> </span><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You are just taking a new path. And, you may find like I did, that the path is a little rough and patchy at times but there are also new joys and discoveries along the way that you never imagined!</span><br />
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I am ever reminded of the amazing people I have met and befriended on this breast cancer journey. People I NEVER would have met if I hadn't been diagnosed. It's also a reminder of <span style="color: magenta;">what a difference early detection can make and how important it is to be screened on time</span>. I learned so many things about myself and God has stretched me into a ministry I never dreamed I'd be a part of. </div>
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<b>God has a plan. </b> Even when we cannot see or understand it, He has a plan! Trust Him and don't let fear reign. Be open to what He might be doing even in what seems an impossible situation. </div>
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<span style="color: black;">As always, I am happy to answer questions or to chat any time, please leave a comment or message me on</span> my Facebook page @bosomthing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><u><span style="color: black;"></span><b></b><span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"></span><b></b><i></i><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></u></span>Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-60354068924739078142018-10-21T18:32:00.002-07:002018-10-21T18:32:46.706-07:00All Pink All the Time: October 2018 Update<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I haven't posted on here in awhile, but <span style="color: magenta;"><b>I post pretty much DAILY on the Facebook page</b></span> associated with this blog. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "georgia" , "quot"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">That's the main place where I communicate about breast cancer, recovery tips, funny things, updates about me, and events.<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, if you aren't already following my FB page, please do! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can find it at: <span style="color: magenta;"><b>@bosomthing</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Speaking of events.....<br /><br />With October being <span style="color: magenta;">Breast Cancer Awareness Month</span>, it has been a busy month! There has been a lot going on here in San Antonio and there are still a few more things to come. <b>If you haven't already, be sure to check your local community calendar, hospital system, and breast cancer treatment centers for things you might like to attend! </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, what's been happening with me? Sooooo much to tell you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of course, I've been wearing a lot of <span style="color: magenta;">PINK</span> this month. How about you? Some women find this bothersome and don't like all the "pink hype", but personally, I feel like anything that catches ones attention and raises awareness is fine by me. I proudly wear my pink shirts and accessories and have been sporting a new car magnet too!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7Oo10rBCfNj3HE3ZOBhZieyxOupuqJDHZGjJhU1WcT3oRcUQBE2Llad7S72AO3AyUJqGcOcPAE-jhoQSJKrmRt1jCly4VcnmcRLdd3LMpBAmsYP28yQlM-slskVuEa50z5ZoCA0UlAA/s1600/IMG_5592.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7Oo10rBCfNj3HE3ZOBhZieyxOupuqJDHZGjJhU1WcT3oRcUQBE2Llad7S72AO3AyUJqGcOcPAE-jhoQSJKrmRt1jCly4VcnmcRLdd3LMpBAmsYP28yQlM-slskVuEa50z5ZoCA0UlAA/s200/IMG_5592.PNG" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute, huh? Found at The Dollar Tree.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5XF8rXrFzNYO7N1xQCqdEdtf05xD2lD778HFqeJxVcIxzn2sEd0Q8H-hZ4Cv1hQqtVcmPN3OywfO7m2ILZza2JhTNV9f2erZoCb_FaOgzkWpzPh0HGHQhW2X6xEziAv02-YHJ-K3U8Q/s1600/IMG_5589.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5XF8rXrFzNYO7N1xQCqdEdtf05xD2lD778HFqeJxVcIxzn2sEd0Q8H-hZ4Cv1hQqtVcmPN3OywfO7m2ILZza2JhTNV9f2erZoCb_FaOgzkWpzPh0HGHQhW2X6xEziAv02-YHJ-K3U8Q/s200/IMG_5589.PNG" width="151" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last month marked the end of the <span style="color: magenta;">9-week <a href="https://www.overcomersbreastcancer.com/" target="_blank">Overcomers</a> Workshop</span> I previously told you about. It was a fantastic couple of months with these ladies and I could not recommend it highly enough. <b>If you are a survivor and local to the SA area, please consider registering for this.</b> Each week was a new topic and each week was more meaningful. </span><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have now made some amazing new friends and found new Pink Sisters. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">They have a wonderful mission to help women in survivorship and they do so much in our local community to this effect. Super happy to have found these ladies and to now be a part of this group. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnHMN6WMfqWyiqIplSPjiZFn9Dya_5qPN3wsEPZSoywsSeeOPFFfHCBGCkKUCbuowr464YE4EmLuUYShVOtJ5wTIQEkbSOjP3MOsFG0sc-kuaTtVi3LUP1TQCv1Ss3UwuXhL79vpoZmo/s1600/IMG_5314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnHMN6WMfqWyiqIplSPjiZFn9Dya_5qPN3wsEPZSoywsSeeOPFFfHCBGCkKUCbuowr464YE4EmLuUYShVOtJ5wTIQEkbSOjP3MOsFG0sc-kuaTtVi3LUP1TQCv1Ss3UwuXhL79vpoZmo/s320/IMG_5314.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to volunteer at Brighton Collectibles<br />
with the Overcomers to fundraise for a Christmas project</td></tr>
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: magenta;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last month I also had the cool opportunity to be involved in <span style="color: magenta;">a photoshoot for a local neighborhood magazine</span>. It is published for the area around the hospital where I work and where the big <span style="color: magenta;">Paint the Parkway Pink 5k Race</span> is held. It was soooo much fun! I was on the cover with another survivor, Heather, and two of the ladies who help found the race, Liz Blue Braden and Dr. Jean Holt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJktNTbMXg5r4vHM07acZRBF5W-MBP7YnXtf3m68SdW2b5ggBAbP-kkKWzXW_uSSRT6EP8xfwKcDIZU-KxAqYzrHxGPEdDDkL0u5GWLNoJLoSOFR4renXFDAxfcnGLolpwt9s2azS_D80/s1600/IMG_5434.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJktNTbMXg5r4vHM07acZRBF5W-MBP7YnXtf3m68SdW2b5ggBAbP-kkKWzXW_uSSRT6EP8xfwKcDIZU-KxAqYzrHxGPEdDDkL0u5GWLNoJLoSOFR4renXFDAxfcnGLolpwt9s2azS_D80/s400/IMG_5434.PNG" width="312" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dr. Holt is an amazing lady who also help found an organization called <a href="https://wimlc.org/" target="_blank">Women in Medicine and Law for the Cure.</a> This phenomenal group of professional women hit the 2 million dollar mark in fundraising this year...yes, you read that right...<span style="color: magenta;">TWO MILLION DOLLARS</span>! <b>All of that money is donated to a privately funded research grant to find a cure for breast cancer.</b> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDSOhwvdVGOKPyVfbRAiwEJlfm_GsYxWmJ0pDvn5dEy0eipVOs_Vvb4UYJhhoag-7RowYe2abng02AVOMxH5aCnZr4rtiM68Dgj2fCcu937NnA677mbBw8n9tsVD0DXsqmpPTLsw8rzA/s1600/IMG_5490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDSOhwvdVGOKPyVfbRAiwEJlfm_GsYxWmJ0pDvn5dEy0eipVOs_Vvb4UYJhhoag-7RowYe2abng02AVOMxH5aCnZr4rtiM68Dgj2fCcu937NnA677mbBw8n9tsVD0DXsqmpPTLsw8rzA/s320/IMG_5490.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5E2JA989wnutiBlKCTCLnK_GDCjsz03QMJWw4fCHwTXmrWAddd-ReOGBipUWtak_koO98QkuRPuL8JJO9z9qyg8ZrhyDFKCJHchmr6p3G2koSbMxcfVqoPCkLpgVAXjaCjjxUS5Y6VI/s1600/IMG_5495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5E2JA989wnutiBlKCTCLnK_GDCjsz03QMJWw4fCHwTXmrWAddd-ReOGBipUWtak_koO98QkuRPuL8JJO9z9qyg8ZrhyDFKCJHchmr6p3G2koSbMxcfVqoPCkLpgVAXjaCjjxUS5Y6VI/s320/IMG_5495.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun for a cause!</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPE1kOkO2pUqF_Jq83ODVEYdWERk8JU7HC-7XC7Zxd601kby33ERSE_OrePvEZjG2klzgLnSGgSKMWVfyd2IiZoTsOiiArD-t5mGB4S_EvPrnrZ1jplz6IuhSHhlERPy3sANf9vfvE5S0/s1600/IMG_5489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPE1kOkO2pUqF_Jq83ODVEYdWERk8JU7HC-7XC7Zxd601kby33ERSE_OrePvEZjG2klzgLnSGgSKMWVfyd2IiZoTsOiiArD-t5mGB4S_EvPrnrZ1jplz6IuhSHhlERPy3sANf9vfvE5S0/s320/IMG_5489.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The guest speaker was the current<br />President and CEO of Susan G. Komen!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi290s8TMFns2znxhhXKgPCGgOBsoe9BicZ8Yq-JnlK_jWantQMRXN9f5CzX0s2sQCBMxiuXqBF8V1rowXCQ_jSE4tPSh-ZAsGeCnl2_Sl2oT2qJogIpfhXAZOhvIv7HehplvKnncEF63U/s1600/IMG_5473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi290s8TMFns2znxhhXKgPCGgOBsoe9BicZ8Yq-JnlK_jWantQMRXN9f5CzX0s2sQCBMxiuXqBF8V1rowXCQ_jSE4tPSh-ZAsGeCnl2_Sl2oT2qJogIpfhXAZOhvIv7HehplvKnncEF63U/s320/IMG_5473.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This doesn't happen every day! :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJ8jGh12rF1G8LE_evwwUZpF1Usb-53QBsXP5upK-IpbqDjY13XmgSJ0fPRlkE11v4_4FI8nu6g3y_GmXD7zPSCnAPBV4wkPtqvPJ3QcRc4i1_jl2bjWv4WSt6a2umvBl4t95-JEz1WU/s1600/IMG_5505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJ8jGh12rF1G8LE_evwwUZpF1Usb-53QBsXP5upK-IpbqDjY13XmgSJ0fPRlkE11v4_4FI8nu6g3y_GmXD7zPSCnAPBV4wkPtqvPJ3QcRc4i1_jl2bjWv4WSt6a2umvBl4t95-JEz1WU/s320/IMG_5505.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink Glove Dance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwDOn5Sk7FcMhYUA9OICBwj9rZrBkLKEOs4jc4vNdR5QMG9H2O-beJGdYKmGorfiOKOMlCeQgq8pKw9hyVrOaIarMY1aCQrFyJUDEwzRWm_q43GK7gEwFnrDeRm2otUa_I9MQIz0pyD4/s1600/IMG_5508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwDOn5Sk7FcMhYUA9OICBwj9rZrBkLKEOs4jc4vNdR5QMG9H2O-beJGdYKmGorfiOKOMlCeQgq8pKw9hyVrOaIarMY1aCQrFyJUDEwzRWm_q43GK7gEwFnrDeRm2otUa_I9MQIz0pyD4/s320/IMG_5508.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over 2 million dollars toward finding a cure!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I was so excited and honored to be invited by Dr. Holt to attend their annual dinner last week. </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia, &quot; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">It was an amazing night of fundraising and fun! </b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <span style="color: black;">And, the most amazing moment of the night for me...made me misty-eyed....</span><span style="color: magenta;"><i><b>Dr. Holt mentioned this blog by name and quoted from one of my posts in her speech! </b></i> <span style="color: black;">How cool is that?!?!?</span> </span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I started this blog in the hopes of helping other women on their breast cancer journeys and had no idea where it would lead or if anyone would even read it. Just another way <span style="color: magenta;">I have seen God's abundant blessings in my life thru this diagnosis</span>. He can certainly use us when we are willing and in some of the most surprising ways. Even in what seems the worst moments of our lives, He can be glorified and we can be used to minister to others. <b>How amazing is our God?!?!?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><b></b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Monday morning at 6am our hospital hosted a <span style="color: magenta;">Pink Pep Rally</span> to promote the PPP Race! I was off of work so I joined the fun. We posed for silly pictures and chatted with everyone about the upcoming event. And, I have the BEST coworkers who stopped by on their way on shift or coming off shift to say "hi" and to take pics. I love these folks!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48bnJ6YkY-whNgzjdVIHR0sWxdbCdzF4EA-LXtJuWIyalogQhmyBxSPuYzyubOW2qKxIWVU0N7pXTqGx6b3rppIh5s0hT6X0qI5UXCI-PYN3pYMuPmQxIRGfBBprsLsPM8gds4OOWDhc/s1600/IMG_5426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48bnJ6YkY-whNgzjdVIHR0sWxdbCdzF4EA-LXtJuWIyalogQhmyBxSPuYzyubOW2qKxIWVU0N7pXTqGx6b3rppIh5s0hT6X0qI5UXCI-PYN3pYMuPmQxIRGfBBprsLsPM8gds4OOWDhc/s320/IMG_5426.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRGM5j9dGr9-VMFKMOFleCSO118pHAlUE_cAld67iuGXVCjChQo2ZKMYMqSYyVZNkhnHloJMxyP0l1cJh1OoQ_y6oT4lI8werZyiMoxPz_fIiXF-snWkUZTAcrBZce0Ciqcb8xAQuAao/s1600/IMG_5598.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="640" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRGM5j9dGr9-VMFKMOFleCSO118pHAlUE_cAld67iuGXVCjChQo2ZKMYMqSYyVZNkhnHloJMxyP0l1cJh1OoQ_y6oT4lI8werZyiMoxPz_fIiXF-snWkUZTAcrBZce0Ciqcb8xAQuAao/s320/IMG_5598.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3hOVkgSt5P5bRCH5D9Ojxjc6S_KeLXg6TOA2cZX-VzYRFkzHCcDMSJMrrkMgPq-2VmSLfSqxFJnOq8u3pF3FxHTE8okNbBsT42RdBznlNpPMZjt_vhYuAYAMpcCA5hl1AE6Uoltd2FA/s1600/IMG_5597.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="640" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3hOVkgSt5P5bRCH5D9Ojxjc6S_KeLXg6TOA2cZX-VzYRFkzHCcDMSJMrrkMgPq-2VmSLfSqxFJnOq8u3pF3FxHTE8okNbBsT42RdBznlNpPMZjt_vhYuAYAMpcCA5hl1AE6Uoltd2FA/s320/IMG_5597.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer has always been a supporter and friend who does so much for our hospital<br />
and our city promoting healthy living and events. <br />
Andrea was my Nurse Navigator thru the Baptist Breast Center<br />
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and she is the one who first told me about DIEP Flap Reconstruction</div>
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and introduced me to my fantastic team of surgeons and nurses!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To finish off this already awesome week, Saturday was <span style="color: magenta;">Paint the Parkway Pink</span> Race day! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My terrific son was up dark and early with me to head out for the walk. We did not do the full 5k this year but enjoyed the 1 mile fun walk with my great boss and a sweet new coworker who stayed after working nightshift to walk with us!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Even with the very wet weather we've been having lately, the rain stayed away and we had a terrific pink turnout!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pheww…..I'm tired! It has been a whirlwind of a month so far but fantastic all the same.</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Looking forward to whatever God has in store next on this new path He gave me! And, as always, I'm here to chat if I can be of help!</span></div>
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<b><br /></b>Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-10630031063296452112018-07-25T09:18:00.003-07:002018-07-25T09:18:37.017-07:00My Nipples are a Year Old!: one year post-revision (Phase 2) and nipple reconstuction!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><b>WARNING: Graphic and/or NUDE photos of breast reconstruction are posted on this blog!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today marks <span style="color: magenta;">ONE YEAR</span> since my <span style="color: magenta;">Phase 2 Revision & Nipple Reconstruction</span> surgery! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0jxgUvgqjhyphenhypheneJtq8e4qglBAJj_kXEbEeIV8Hlfs97zU4PhRdVrAFhmAGk5dOEH0HEkGFvd5tBpT8yJ-ZHxORA7g9E83-mBEA0yWUufjeAVr_rTe6Yc-00PzEckyGpyAv5rE0mKr2EH8/s1600/IMG_6483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0jxgUvgqjhyphenhypheneJtq8e4qglBAJj_kXEbEeIV8Hlfs97zU4PhRdVrAFhmAGk5dOEH0HEkGFvd5tBpT8yJ-ZHxORA7g9E83-mBEA0yWUufjeAVr_rTe6Yc-00PzEckyGpyAv5rE0mKr2EH8/s320/IMG_6483.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One Year Ago today outside the OR with Dr. Ochoa!</td></tr>
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A year ago, I was in the OR with lots of family and friends all over the country praying for me. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had asked friends and family to post pics of themselves wearing their <span style="color: magenta;">#TeamJules</span> shirts that day. It was so uplifting to wake up later that day and read through the posts and see those pics. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I mean really...how fun and sweet is this???</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlJ2N1hey8fxCSdGFD7qRz7evbRWBo80u6Mf6zDdeqUgB4aOqQeu5xgvz721V6TpvyEG3BOj0eMq7U1eTZofz647T_n7zx6ubEfF0KrJMfAXjDFy0nzxICr17VrDK8-2Mszr3YMgb7Uc/s1600/IMG_4461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlJ2N1hey8fxCSdGFD7qRz7evbRWBo80u6Mf6zDdeqUgB4aOqQeu5xgvz721V6TpvyEG3BOj0eMq7U1eTZofz647T_n7zx6ubEfF0KrJMfAXjDFy0nzxICr17VrDK8-2Mszr3YMgb7Uc/s400/IMG_4461.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlJ2N1hey8fxCSdGFD7qRz7evbRWBo80u6Mf6zDdeqUgB4aOqQeu5xgvz721V6TpvyEG3BOj0eMq7U1eTZofz647T_n7zx6ubEfF0KrJMfAXjDFy0nzxICr17VrDK8-2Mszr3YMgb7Uc/s1600/IMG_4461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Phase 2 was the surgery I was excited about...the <span style="color: magenta;">"make it pretty"</span> one. And, I was not disappointed. Dr. Ochoa did an amazing job!! I was thrilled to have nipples again...made them look like breasts even without the color yet...and to have the breasts shaped perfectly.</span></div>
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I am so thankful for the blessings that God bestowed in my diagnosis, recovery, the amazing physicians He provided, and my supportive family and friends!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I was scrolling through FB memory posts this morning, I figured it was time to <b>post an update for all of you</b>. I know many women are concerned about what things look like down the road. Although we are grateful to be cancer-free, this surgery alters one's body forever...some good things in that and some not so good. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As far as recovery, I have no limitations due to surgery at this point in life. In regard to scars, I'll show you.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I should note that I am TERRIBLE about using scar cream or massaging them. I hardly ever remember to do it. So, that being said, if one was good about it, they might look better. Although, I cannot complain. I am quite happy with how much they've faded.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abdomen and bellybutton...one year post-revision</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One year post-revision: You can see the revision scar on the side...this is<br />
where he removed the dog ears</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_4wEkvvmgNUdxT27e_ZazEkWB7T7k31fjTHYWKMGyq7L7naYnK9F9lbjIFUnH8YnoEXw4m6AMtN97PSFf4evvjTsTMCoRJvdUd-H835Cunc5_w5Co4cZmHxT8tLO0uXcoF9pT0LWZ8Y/s1600/IMG_4442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_4wEkvvmgNUdxT27e_ZazEkWB7T7k31fjTHYWKMGyq7L7naYnK9F9lbjIFUnH8YnoEXw4m6AMtN97PSFf4evvjTsTMCoRJvdUd-H835Cunc5_w5Co4cZmHxT8tLO0uXcoF9pT0LWZ8Y/s320/IMG_4442.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One year post-revision: The scars are completely flat</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's pretty obvious that I've gained weight this past year but that is all me and being lazy about my food choices. From the pics though, I think you can tell that if I ever lose weight, I should have quite a <b>nice shape and flat tummy</b>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My new nipples have flattened a bit (as expected), but they still have nice projection:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73h_6TLOaHkb0F0tF5fwne3QYi0_gHEULvH-t8_QZftmH_kZ1wM2BuvyDyzyM2TkHZgS3tWY2vDPEhcZ25AGvH3O2BXmsOcqN-ocCpOFhSsbmsjEEVqo7_gqvpeIP5pa2_avaQ8RIGEI/s1600/IMG_4452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73h_6TLOaHkb0F0tF5fwne3QYi0_gHEULvH-t8_QZftmH_kZ1wM2BuvyDyzyM2TkHZgS3tWY2vDPEhcZ25AGvH3O2BXmsOcqN-ocCpOFhSsbmsjEEVqo7_gqvpeIP5pa2_avaQ8RIGEI/s200/IMG_4452.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reconstructed Left Nipple ONE YEAR LATER </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDS4E9nb2I1UW4-K5HLeTk5UJT2m3ruPzNndHqYh3-DLr_CRslPITfHAI4jo7Udo7Ds61PBlELB-zgrwnFh4J18k_jgmh1oX-WdwSdHh2pp_fcgTViMCdvmQJ_O5TTOTYjlVEs7UzOUw/s1600/IMG_4455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDS4E9nb2I1UW4-K5HLeTk5UJT2m3ruPzNndHqYh3-DLr_CRslPITfHAI4jo7Udo7Ds61PBlELB-zgrwnFh4J18k_jgmh1oX-WdwSdHh2pp_fcgTViMCdvmQJ_O5TTOTYjlVEs7UzOUw/s200/IMG_4455.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Reconstructed Right Nipple ONE YEAR LATER </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The color has also faded since <span style="color: magenta;">micropigmentation</span> (November, 2017) and looks much more natural. You can see in the above pics that <b>the scars underneath the breasts are hardly noticeable.</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The shape of my breasts is really natural</b> and they "hang" like the real deal! I still have some sensitivity to things like where the bra rides underneath, but I'm just thankful because that means <span style="color: magenta;">I have sensation</span>! At the end of a long day, I have some areas that feel a little numb-ish...slightly tingly...but it goes away by morning.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKy2_m6vkvD3gSg3CRadO3WqmyECDoN1Qv1psWpXmILK_wc8seX5sg6QgYZoK2fNDa2Q1RXARcb_qMPU2eemqZk1Wi4cD5zT5tQvcf0k1DZz02kq82HndsM8J9ZdhPgRZeBcoP-rGX5As/s1600/IMG_4459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKy2_m6vkvD3gSg3CRadO3WqmyECDoN1Qv1psWpXmILK_wc8seX5sg6QgYZoK2fNDa2Q1RXARcb_qMPU2eemqZk1Wi4cD5zT5tQvcf0k1DZz02kq82HndsM8J9ZdhPgRZeBcoP-rGX5As/s320/IMG_4459.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One Year Post-Revision Surgery</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Qgat7tMuNrtQwY01i7nJsf6DwoVV1hXr7-rK3TXcYwvn9el6g-PwsAcUFblpSoLf7OF6CiZqhO8H4XfoRUXKygydpiVboeG7CU-H0uqU14j2y0xokWmxqOlgreIHbHcWPzoQkWkfjwM/s1600/IMG_5595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Qgat7tMuNrtQwY01i7nJsf6DwoVV1hXr7-rK3TXcYwvn9el6g-PwsAcUFblpSoLf7OF6CiZqhO8H4XfoRUXKygydpiVboeG7CU-H0uqU14j2y0xokWmxqOlgreIHbHcWPzoQkWkfjwM/s320/IMG_5595.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One Year Post-Revision Surgery</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Not that I go out without a bra on, but I'm quite impressed with how perky and shapely they look under a tshirt (my old ones didn't look like this anymore!):</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoJ-g43Hl_OGPidH-XOAmqcHxgOLNXxz9lFtJjqQj6ikmDF2rFloxDTV0lX_bxoiu8X60fGwdH_bWOfX16zSfVsANRCsaVn1G32D5pA5BwEH-p5HfD3oDqfacOLDrwHUbFwzBj89QCwc/s1600/IMG_4446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoJ-g43Hl_OGPidH-XOAmqcHxgOLNXxz9lFtJjqQj6ikmDF2rFloxDTV0lX_bxoiu8X60fGwdH_bWOfX16zSfVsANRCsaVn1G32D5pA5BwEH-p5HfD3oDqfacOLDrwHUbFwzBj89QCwc/s320/IMG_4446.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Overall, I'd say I've had pretty great cosmetic results!</b> The scars will continue to fade and life is good!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As always, message me anytime with questions. <span style="color: magenta;">I'm always happy to help a Pink Sister on her journey. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbPq_OoUKBiGu4nIQJUuxBksCOvzyAb1zrdrhNMnNk4FP0JJgrFtj93b9c9CqlbtEwzYptNOzbJAI3Vwc5uMPhKAS0t2s6qSJsmnXeC9Xx6VCGOsXJDHWwrenGI-_hmgk3dkH10ZLcFs/s1600/DSCN7111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="1600" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbPq_OoUKBiGu4nIQJUuxBksCOvzyAb1zrdrhNMnNk4FP0JJgrFtj93b9c9CqlbtEwzYptNOzbJAI3Vwc5uMPhKAS0t2s6qSJsmnXeC9Xx6VCGOsXJDHWwrenGI-_hmgk3dkH10ZLcFs/s200/DSCN7111.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span></span>Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-1835996842340821802018-06-14T14:32:00.000-07:002018-06-14T14:32:16.612-07:00It's Summer 2018! This time last year I was eagerly awaiting my second surgery...scar revision, fat grafting, and nipple reconstruction...on July 25th. This year, I just got back from our longest road trip vacay ever...3,682 miles from SA to the Florida Keys and back (with stops along the way).<br />
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My son turned 16 and this trip was his birthday celebration request and we made the most of it. We were gone for 11 days. It was so fun! <br />
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As far as the new me is concerned, there were no issues. I have a couple of tiny scars on my chest that show (small round ones from the fat grafting cannula) but aren't really noticeable to most folks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIKYBeZCn6xSvkvTgyQfZNnL0Eb6tgsLiCPvw7feKWgbJBM2rbnZ0tyoQAkMLKDcHu0fzfvle07Q05039-7gWSU71Fy3mdQc7Bd9PhLReqZti_i_4tS0wSZljQIKUACO6wAOsbtN9NE8/s1600/IMG_4067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="848" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIKYBeZCn6xSvkvTgyQfZNnL0Eb6tgsLiCPvw7feKWgbJBM2rbnZ0tyoQAkMLKDcHu0fzfvle07Q05039-7gWSU71Fy3mdQc7Bd9PhLReqZti_i_4tS0wSZljQIKUACO6wAOsbtN9NE8/s320/IMG_4067.JPG" width="315" /></a></div>
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I did apply extra sunscreen to the scars when we were out in our swimsuits because my PS warned me that the scar tissue is extra sensitive. His nurse told me that the scars can become dark and then won't ever fade if exposed to too much sun. Really don't need polka-dots on my chest so I went with a little 70spf on there. :)<br />
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A few highlights from a Survivor's Vacation:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGIyjMcyJW-TCwTIgibU4ryRbcKGnXkcjWa0ZufwuqpLJovR_V-aDPSQ4gJ91qcplMz5mf8HGpw1w4opb7bzETp1fkVKsJI7ksHSBKwUyyUCUnC1wi9AsrG9wBV0A-x1VQrSeKUtoMxE/s1600/IMG_4070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGIyjMcyJW-TCwTIgibU4ryRbcKGnXkcjWa0ZufwuqpLJovR_V-aDPSQ4gJ91qcplMz5mf8HGpw1w4opb7bzETp1fkVKsJI7ksHSBKwUyyUCUnC1wi9AsrG9wBV0A-x1VQrSeKUtoMxE/s1600/IMG_4070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGIyjMcyJW-TCwTIgibU4ryRbcKGnXkcjWa0ZufwuqpLJovR_V-aDPSQ4gJ91qcplMz5mf8HGpw1w4opb7bzETp1fkVKsJI7ksHSBKwUyyUCUnC1wi9AsrG9wBV0A-x1VQrSeKUtoMxE/s200/IMG_4070.JPG" width="200" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFbDy9h1o2Qp2mO5cYjXBlIAfQvs8iawSFavvZGYooeSankc8id9nEUAnTw3gj_y5WrsoIp_TT5VkqIlhDnGpnj9m0E7g2QJlfbinxFrlilpA9gcFy4yPU0CfaCeAfZYjn5LOr_O7Z9I/s1600/IMG_4069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFbDy9h1o2Qp2mO5cYjXBlIAfQvs8iawSFavvZGYooeSankc8id9nEUAnTw3gj_y5WrsoIp_TT5VkqIlhDnGpnj9m0E7g2QJlfbinxFrlilpA9gcFy4yPU0CfaCeAfZYjn5LOr_O7Z9I/s1600/IMG_4069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFbDy9h1o2Qp2mO5cYjXBlIAfQvs8iawSFavvZGYooeSankc8id9nEUAnTw3gj_y5WrsoIp_TT5VkqIlhDnGpnj9m0E7g2QJlfbinxFrlilpA9gcFy4yPU0CfaCeAfZYjn5LOr_O7Z9I/s200/IMG_4069.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFbDy9h1o2Qp2mO5cYjXBlIAfQvs8iawSFavvZGYooeSankc8id9nEUAnTw3gj_y5WrsoIp_TT5VkqIlhDnGpnj9m0E7g2QJlfbinxFrlilpA9gcFy4yPU0CfaCeAfZYjn5LOr_O7Z9I/s1600/IMG_4069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><u></u><u></u><br />
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Now that we are home, life is getting into Summer-mode. I'm back at work (and we are busy!), my son is working on Driver's Ed (eek!), and I am staying busy on my days off with my craft business. <br />
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Even though Summer has just begun, we all know it won't be long before Fall is upon us. And, <b><span style="color: magenta;">I am super excited that I have the opportunity to attend the Overcomers Fall Workshop this year</span></b>! If you haven't read up on this group yet, please do! You can find their page <a href="https://overcomersbreastcancer.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. A couple of their members spoke at the last PRMA Pink Ladies event I attended and told y'all about in a <a href="https://bosomthing.blogspot.com/2018/01/origami-cranes-pink-ladies-and.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>.<br /><br />
I registered today for the 9-week Survivors Only Workshop here in San Antonio! It starts on Aug 1st. so if you are interested, get signed up now. Looking forward to telling all of you about it when I get started.<br />
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Hope everyone has a wonderful start to their Summer!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LPy6l1ScXNnmfGELpLT5s0wEb_iIiWyaEh7Uxhss8Ao-R5-flh4wnMJ1WsZHPJrbNZ9EMJtvyjuC36xdSqGtHv7DNerdFWXPOG0ZyEi2Drexw1QEG6S71axac6Udy3sCOanOTNRxyjs/s1600/DSCN7111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="1600" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LPy6l1ScXNnmfGELpLT5s0wEb_iIiWyaEh7Uxhss8Ao-R5-flh4wnMJ1WsZHPJrbNZ9EMJtvyjuC36xdSqGtHv7DNerdFWXPOG0ZyEi2Drexw1QEG6S71axac6Udy3sCOanOTNRxyjs/s200/DSCN7111.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-70997237724449888432018-05-14T16:09:00.001-07:002018-05-14T16:09:59.010-07:0014 month Video Update and Testimonial<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">14 months! So crazy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I just filmed this Video Testimonial for my Reconstructive Surgeon's office and since it is basically a summary of my breast cancer story, I thought I'd share it with y'all today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You can view my latest video here:</span><br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cYgRLjkzFqg" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I have spoken to 3 different prospective patients recently and it has been great having the opportunity to hear their stories and share what I could to help them as they are making their reconstruction decisions. Please feel free to comment or message me if you have questions about my story or about the recovery process.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And, if you are looking for an amazing group of talented surgeons, please check out www.prma-enhance.com. They even do Virtual Consults if you do not live in San Antonio.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Have a great week! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />This past month FB has popped up with lots of memories from last year....<span style="color: magenta;">like today being the anniversary of my <a href="https://bosomthing.blogspot.com/2017/03/today-i-am-less-than-4-days-away-from.html" target="_blank">Pre-op Appointment</a> for my Bilateral Mastectomy</span>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What a crazy and surreal time that was but also <b><span style="color: magenta;">amazing</span></b>! I know, I know....<b>how does someone refer to a breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent life-altering surgery as "amazing"?</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdFumNiP7CF-_L_UkkThYXLfg2eKmdVk7EEQ0s7CRS6mTVJ2XiZDE5GNIGk4WYHrKijEz1lfSBJMBK7gblC9lUVxrhZU9PHDgsUgF0ze4EFBEyH_rJ_8i_NVwBnQpjLePrisazL2x9qk/s1600/struggle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="115" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdFumNiP7CF-_L_UkkThYXLfg2eKmdVk7EEQ0s7CRS6mTVJ2XiZDE5GNIGk4WYHrKijEz1lfSBJMBK7gblC9lUVxrhZU9PHDgsUgF0ze4EFBEyH_rJ_8i_NVwBnQpjLePrisazL2x9qk/s320/struggle.jpg" width="206" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, I'll tell you.....<br /><br /><b><span style="color: magenta;">#1:</span> God is good...ALL the time. (Say it with me) And, ALL the time, God is GOOD!</b><br />Even in the worst moments, He is in control. When we don't understand, He does. Once you relinquish control and let HIM guide, great things can happen. God put me in all the right places at the right time. <br /><br />Some of you know this, but I was not even supposed to be in San Antonio at the time of my diagnosis. If things had gone according to plan, I would have gotten married the Summer before and moved out of town. Obviously, having my heart broken and a relationship ending was NOT something I saw as a blessing at the time! <span style="color: magenta;"><i>But, in hindsight, God knew where I needed to be, who I needed to be with, and what catalyst it would take to get me there.</i> </span> That relationship ending gave me the push I needed to leave my job and get back to work in the NICU that I love. If I had not changed jobs when I did, I would have had an entirely different course of care, physicians, etc. Because of my job, I was in position to work with one of the top surgical oncologists and a renowned plastic surgery group who performed a "gold standard" type of reconstruction! I was also surrounded by a team of people I love and who love me and supported me throughout the whole journey. <b>God knew....even when I didn't....amazing!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">#2:</span> You never know how you will be used.</b><br />As a nurse, its my job to help people. I think that most nurses feel some inner calling to do just that...just part of our nature. As a NICU nurse, I never in a million years thought I'd have anything to do with oncology...breast cancer in particular. Because of my diagnosis, I have met so many people...other women touched by breast cancer, family members and friends. I have friends now that I would never have met. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">By sharing my story openly, other women have been helped. I've volunteered as a patient advocate with two groups and am always willing to lend an ear to another fighter/survivor. Who would have thought I'd be <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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walking in breast cancer 5Ks, attending breast cancer awareness events, and blogging my personal life for the world? <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #111111; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">My son grew a lot throughout this past year and has participated in events with me too. I believe he will have a better compassion and understanding for others in his life now. </span><span style="color: magenta;"><i>Even though this isn't the path I would have chosen, I am happy and blessed that God has allowed me to be used through it. </i><span style="color: black;"><b>It is amazing is it to be able to help others!</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">#3: </span>Grace is typically defined as</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b> "</b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #111111; display: inline !important; float: none; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><i>the free and unmerited favor of God</i>". </b> My <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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breast cancer was caught early (Stage 0) and was contained (DCIS, non-invasive). I got my biopsy within days of the ultrasound that found it. My surgery (within 2 months later) was successful. No other locations were found and my lymph nodes were clear. Yes, I had a bilateral mastectomy, but I woke up CANCER-FREE....no chemo, no radiation. My recovery was certainly not a breeze, but it was relatively complication free. My revision surgery gave me exactly what I needed and again was complication free. My overall results (all completed within 1 calendar year) are wonderful. I was significantly blessed! I know this even more than ever before in my life. I am grateful for things..little things...more than before. I found out that I am as strong as I hoped I'd be in the face of a scary thing and happier than I imagined I would be again. <b><span style="color: magenta;">And, I surely feel HIS <u>amazing</u> grace in my life.<br /></span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here's hoping you feel HIS Amazing Grace in your life this week!</span></div>
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Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-41592150715993771592018-01-26T15:16:00.000-08:002018-01-26T15:16:13.983-08:00Origami Cranes, Pink Ladies, and Diagnosiversaries<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">Two days ago was my first diagnosiversary...one year since I received the biopsy results that said "you have breast cancer". </span> (Here's the <a href="https://bosomthing.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-life-altering-phone-call.html" target="_blank">post I wrote</a> about that life-altering phone call.) Some days, it all feels like a long time ago and other days, it feels like it just happened. I crammed a lot of stuff into 2017!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yesterday, I was asked to come back into my PS office to re-take my "after" photos. They have a new backdrop wall and wanted some extra shots to use on their website. Yep....that's me...<b>"before & after" model</b>. Granny asked if I was posing for Playboy next?!?! Ha! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Last night, I went back to my PS main office for a <span style="color: magenta;">Pink Ladies event</span>. There was quite a turnout for this one and it was good to get out and meet some new pink sisters. I sat next to a woman who is coming up on 5 years cancer-free and three others who are less than 6 months into their journeys....we all have stories to share.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The guest speakers last night were from the local group <a href="https://bosomthing.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-life-altering-phone-call.html" target="_blank">Overcomers: Daughters of the King of Kings</a>. It is a neat organization that <span style="color: magenta;">focuses on breast cancer <b>SURVIVORS</b></span>. This is a much needed ministry and I was excited to hear about it. Overcomers realized (like many of us) that <b><span style="color: magenta;">the journey is NOT over after surgery and reconstruction and treatment is done</span></b>. While I am very blessed to be cancer-free, <b>my life is not the same</b> as it once was and how I feel, think, act is forever changed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">All of the small group leaders are fellow breast cancer survivors. They host a <b>9-week workshop </b>every Fall and Spring that I am really hoping to take part in soon. (Go to their <a href="https://bosomthing.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-life-altering-phone-call.html" target="_blank">website</a> to register for the one starting 02/21/18 if you are interested and available.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After we heard from the Overcomers group, a sweet Pink Sister shared with us her participation in an organization called <a href="http://cranesforcancer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cranes for Cancer</a>. According to Japanese legend, anyone who receives 1,000 origami cranes will have good luck. If you read the story on the website, you'll see why they have chosen to mail a box of 1,000 origami cranes to people battling cancer. There are also photos of some lovely art installations done with these cranes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">After giving us a little history, she taught us all how to make the cranes last night...it was challenging.</span> I cannot imaging making 1,000 of them myself....<b>it's harder than it looks to make just 1</b>! But, it was fun to learn and to laugh with those around me as we attempted the folds.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">My first attempt at an origami crane!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If any of you are local and are interested,<span style="color: magenta;"> PRMA Pink Ladies have events every 2-3 months</span>. Each one is different and they always have one of the nurses available for any one who has reconstruction questions while they are there. Check out the PRMA Facebook page (@PRMAplasticsurgery) for more details.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So, while this week of anniversaries has brought up a lot of emotions, most of all it has reminded me of what a <b>blessed story I now have to share and how much God has taught me throughout this tough year</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Have a terrific weekend!</span><br />
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<br />Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-25611916608720026862018-01-14T14:36:00.000-08:002018-01-14T14:37:28.894-08:00Friendly Reminder! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Sunday!<br />
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<br />Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-84042913826869824802017-12-24T07:21:00.005-08:002017-12-24T07:21:47.143-08:00Merry Christmas and Happy 2018!<u style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><i></i></span></b></span></u><br />
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Wishing all of you a very<b><span style="color: red;"> merry Christmas</span></b> and a wonderful start to <span style="color: lime;"><b>2018</b></span>! Many things to be thankful for as this year ends. Here's hoping you can concentrate on those and enjoy time with your family and friends.<u style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></span></b></span></u></div>
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</i></span></b></span></u><u style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">MY TIMELINE:</span></span></b></span></u><br />
<ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: both; color: #333333; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.2px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">12/22/16 Routine Screening Mammogram</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #919191; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.2px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: magenta;">01/18/17 </span> <span style="color: black;">Repeat Imaging and US of left breast;</span> <span style="color: magenta;">LUMP found</span>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">01/20/17 Core Needle Biopsy</span></span></span></span></li>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: magenta;">01/24/17 </span> <span style="color: magenta;">Biopsy results positive...Stage 0 DCIS, left breast</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">01/25/17 Meeting with Breast Center Navigator and Genetic Testing</span></span></span></span></li>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">01/30/17 Consultation with Surgical Oncologist, Dr. K</span></span></span></span></li>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">02/08/17 Consultation with Plastic Surgeon</span></span></span></span></li>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">02/21/17 Pre-op Visit with Dr. O's nurse</span></span></span></span></li>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">02/27/17 Pre-op Labs and Testing</span></span></span></span></li>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">03/05/17 Lymph Node Injection</span></span></span></span></li>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">03/06/17 SURGERY DAY!</span></span></span></span></li>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">03/10/17 Home!</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.2px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">03/16/17 10 day Post-op Visit with Plastic Surgery nurse</span></span></span></div>
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<li><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.2px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">03/20/17 2 week Post-op Appointment with Surgical Oncologist, Dr. K</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">04/07/17 1 month Post-Op w/Plastic Surgeon, Dr. O</span></span></span></li>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">04/16/17 Returning to work!</span></span></span></li>
<li><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.2px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">05/19/17 Appointment with Dr. O to schedule Phase 2 Surgery!</span></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">07/13/17 Pre-op Visit with Dr. O's nurse; Pre-op Labs/EKG</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">07/25/17 Phase 2 Surgery!!</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">08/08/17 2 week Post-op Visit with Plastic Surgery Nurse</span></span></span></li>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">09/25/17 6 month Follow-Up with Surgical Oncologist Office</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">11/07/17 Micropigmentation (tattoo) Day!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">12/08/17 FINAL Plastic Surgery nurse visit! <span style="color: magenta;">Breast Reconstruction graduation day</span>!!</span></span></span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-57603103784795222472017-12-15T17:06:00.000-08:002017-12-15T17:08:00.245-08:00Breast Reconstruction Graduation<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif; font-size: 14.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">A week ago today, I "graduated" from my breast reconstruction journey! It's still hard to believe that this year of surgeries and appointments and procedures and all of the stress, pain, discomfort, and sleepless nights from those is over. I</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"> still have my surveillance visits with my oncologist's office for a total of 5 years, but as far as reconstructive surgery...I'm done!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">The appointment was quick and went well. Basically, Crystal just looked at how my tattoos had healed and asked me if I had any remaining issues that needed to be addressed. She said that everything looked great and since I'm happy with my results...that's it! We took my final photos and that was that. As soon as she sends me the copies, I'll post my "before and afters" for you.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Honestly, this year does not seem real sometimes. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and in that quiet moment, I think it might have all been a dream. To have been diagnosed and done all in one calendar year is truly a blessing and I am so grateful. This year has been a learning experience. Not just medical information but a lot of learning about myself...who I am, what I can do, and how amazing my support system is. This journey would not have been as smooth without all of my friends and family.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">While last week's appointment marks the end of my reconstruction (and surgeries), it is not the end of my breast cancer journey by any means. My incisions have healed well and my scars will eventually fade some, but I'll always carry them with me. And, that's okay, because they mean I fought a battle and came out on the other side.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwC4HwEtUW1RARO31X50SExAOv_hk2-rABmS4yhyphenhyphenvJyEKdKAgfWfd_3sGuByGEBSnw_HWJvQSMI2t9OSb5eB5VGYPt42Q-EgOWpzs3sY_09qv7rFdXHcOqBcH97Z61BF_wOKW9uxYpl1A/s1600/IMG_4774.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="990" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwC4HwEtUW1RARO31X50SExAOv_hk2-rABmS4yhyphenhyphenvJyEKdKAgfWfd_3sGuByGEBSnw_HWJvQSMI2t9OSb5eB5VGYPt42Q-EgOWpzs3sY_09qv7rFdXHcOqBcH97Z61BF_wOKW9uxYpl1A/s320/IMG_4774.PNG" width="197" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">This diagnosis and subsequent journey also allowed me to meet some great women...fellow fighters and survivors. I am honored to get to share my story here and on social media and to chat with others every day. </span></div>
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<b>So, what's next you ask?</b></div>
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I don't have another oncology appointment until March. Between now and then, it's just life in my <span style="color: magenta;">new normal</span>. Massaging my scars in the hopes of getting them to fade well and I need to focus on getting the extra weight I gained this year off.</div>
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And, <span style="color: magenta;"><b>counting my many blessings!</b></span> Watching one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies, White Christmas, as I type this post and I love this line from one of the many songs: <i>"If you're worried and you can't sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings!"</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My last time wearing the PRMA pink gown!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I plan to continue to post along the way and keep y'all updated on healing, tips and advice, etc. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><u>Tip Time:</u></b><br />With that in mind, many of you have asked about bras and know if you've read my previous posts on the topic that<span style="color: magenta;"> bra shopping post-reconstruction can be quite challenging</span>. Well, I found this bra from Warner's that is just about perfect! It has extra wide sides which provide great support but <b>don't rub on my drain scars </b>like most bras do. I wear it to work all day (12+ active hours) and have no issues. It is available in both wire-free and underwire. And, it is affordable so you could use it between surgeries (before your final size) and not spend a fortune on bras you can't wear later. Walmart carries them for just under $18 here in San Antonio. I've included a photo of the tag so that you can shop online if needed:</span><br />
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: red;">Hope all of you have a <span style="color: lime;">wonderful</span> Christmas!</span></span></b></div>
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<u style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";">MY TIMELINE:</span></b></span></u></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">12/22/16 Routine Screening Mammogram</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: magenta;">01/18/17 </span> <span style="color: black;">Repeat Imaging and US of left breast;</span> <span style="color: magenta;">LUMP found</span>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">01/20/17 Core Needle Biopsy</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: magenta;">01/24/17 </span> <span style="color: magenta;">Biopsy results positive...Stage 0 DCIS, left breast</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">01/25/17 Meeting with Breast Center Navigator and Genetic Testing</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">01/30/17 Consultation with Surgical Oncologist, Dr. K</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">02/08/17 Consultation with Plastic Surgeon</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">02/21/17 Pre-op Visit with Dr. O's nurse</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">02/27/17 Pre-op Labs and Testing</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">03/05/17 Lymph Node Injection</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";">03/06/17 SURGERY DAY!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">03/10/17 Home!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">03/16/17 10 day Post-op Visit with Plastic Surgery nurse<br />03/20/17 2 week Post-op Appointment with Surgical Oncologist, Dr. K</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: black;">04/07/17 1 month Post-Op w/Plastic Surgeon, Dr. O</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">04/16/17 Returning to work!<br />05/19/17 Appointment with Dr. O to schedule Phase 2 Surgery!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quot";"><span style="color: black;">07/13/17 Pre-op Visit with Dr. O's nurse; Pre-op Labs/EKG</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="background-color: white; color: magenta;">07/25/17 Phase 2 Surgery!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">08/08/17 2 week Post-op Visit with Plastic Surgery Nurse<br />09/25/17 6 month Follow-Up with Surgical Oncologist Office<br />11/07/17 Micropigmentation (tattoo) Day!!<br />12/08/17 FINAL Plastic Surgery nurse visit! Breast Reconstruction graduation day!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"></span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><b></b><span style="color: black;"></span><br />Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-56056129859768682112017-11-13T17:26:00.000-08:002017-11-13T17:26:56.221-08:00A Little Color Goes a Long Way: Nipple and Areola Tattoos<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"> WARNING: THERE ARE GRAPHIC/NUDE POST-OP PHOTOS IN THIS POST.</span></div>
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So, it's done...I'm done! <b>Phase 3...micropigmentation (aka tattooing) is complete </b>and that basically ends my breast reconstruction journey! So amazing and surreal to think that I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January and here we are in November and reconstruction is complete. So blessed to have had it all done within a calendar year too (no new insurance deductibles to meet!).</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">The folks at PRMA (my PS office) are fantastic about providing opportunities for patients to share their stories and for providing lots of videos and educational information on their </span><a href="https://prma-enhance.com/" style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;" target="_blank">website</a><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">, </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/PRMAplasticsurgery/" style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;" target="_blank">Facebook page</a><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">, </span><a href="https://prma-enhance.com/breast-reconstruction-blog/" style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;" target="_blank">Blog</a><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">, </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/PRMAplasticsurgery/videos?disable_polymer=1" style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"> and </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/prmaplasticsurgery/?hl=en" style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">. And, m</span><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">any women I've met or chatted with along the way have expressed concern over this last procedure...</span><i style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Will it look real? Will it hurt? Will it fade? Is it worth it? Does it really make a difference? </i><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">To that end, I volunteered to have my micopigmentation procedure filmed at my PS office (see link below).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmY1lQXFtTrfkluDf7wowv0I9SiHZnouCUR3kdXu37p9i-OFfEiK-Uli6rLBEoBH2aAMGPmqvvF1O2T2QxLMVtSrp-9WhNUu4Grjd24Y8eoevkQkRsqR-0x03DH3QrvJOr4fBL03vIppA/s1600/IMG_1171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmY1lQXFtTrfkluDf7wowv0I9SiHZnouCUR3kdXu37p9i-OFfEiK-Uli6rLBEoBH2aAMGPmqvvF1O2T2QxLMVtSrp-9WhNUu4Grjd24Y8eoevkQkRsqR-0x03DH3QrvJOr4fBL03vIppA/s320/IMG_1171.JPG" width="240" /></a>I'll share with you how it all went....</div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">The day of my appointment (a week ago tomorrow!), I arrived early to film an interview portion of a video to talk about my breast cancer/reconstructive journey. At my scheduled appointment time, my fantastic nurse Crystal called me back to the procedure room. She reviewed the consent paperwork with me and then had me change into a gown (just on top). I sat in a chair while she carefully measured each of my new areolas for symmetry. </span><span style="color: magenta;">This is one of those times one is especially thankful for a perfectionist like Dr. O as your Plastic Surgeon!</span><span style="color: #333333;"> My new areolas are practically the exact same size!! This meant that Crystal could just basically "color between the lines" of my new nipples/areolas.</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Next, we looked at colors...like you would when choosing a new foundation at the cosmetics counter.</span><span style="color: #333333;"> She applied the numbing cream (Lidocaine cream) to my left breast and then we tested colors on the right with cotton swabs. Crystal said that just like all tattoos, I should expect these to fade so it was recommended to go with a bit darker shade that we'd normally choose. We both agreed on the second color she tested so she applied the numbing cream to that breast and we got started on the left side!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Now, I should preface this by saying that </span><b style="color: #333333;">I've never had a tattoo of any kind...anywhere!</b><span style="color: #333333;"> Additionally, I am blessed to have </span><span style="color: magenta;">sensation in both breasts</span><span style="color: #333333;"> following my surgery (where Dr. O was able to reconnect my sensory nerves). So, I was a little nervous about how painful this would be. Several friends with tattoos warned me that this would hurt...quite a bit...and that the EMLA cream would not mean much. Well....I am happy to report that this was NOT the case. Crystal was on top of the pain control and</span><b><span style="color: magenta;"> I hardly felt a thing throughout the whole procedure</span></b><span style="color: #333333;">.</span></div>
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The tattoo needle moves very fast so I felt more of the vibration of the needle than anything else. Practically every time, Crystal wiped the site, she also sprayed a numbing spray on the area. After awhile, it felt like your cheeks and chin do with dental work...a little tingly numbness. The areas directly over a scar were a bit more sensitive but even then, it was never painful.</div>
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After Crystal completed the left side, she covered the whole thing with a very thick coat of petroleum jelly and a clear bandage. She then got started on the right breast. <b>Both breasts were completed in about 1.5 hours. </b></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Brittany was filming the procedure and the three of us laughed, told stories, joked around, and intermittently filmed Q&As the whole time! </span><span style="color: #333333;"> I'm hoping that as others watch the videos, they will feel more at ease with their own planned procedures.</span></div>
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This is the link to the first clip (posted on Instagram) filmed as we are just getting started on the first tattoo: </div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbNQUzynBS6/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Thanks so much @itsabosomthing for sharing your #micropigmentation experience with us today!! For patients who are not candidates for #NippleSparingMastectomy nipple reconstruction followed by nipple/areola tattooing (micropigmentation) is an option. #prmaplasticsurgery #breastreconstruction #breastcancer #tattoo #rebuildinglives #cherryontop</a></div>
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A post shared by PRMA Plastic Surgery (@prmaplasticsurgery) on <time datetime="2017-11-07T20:18:30+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 7, 2017 at 12:18pm PST</time></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">After, Crystal finished both breasts she checked them again for oozing and reinforced the dressings. There was a surprising amount of blood under those bandages when I removed them later so be ready with your supplies and clean dressings. I was instructed to change the dressings every 3-4 hours a day (at least 5 times a day) for 1 week. </span><span style="color: magenta;">Emphasis was placed on keeping the newly tattooed areas moist with petroleum jelly at all times and NOT rubbing them.</span><span style="color: #333333;"> The color will come off with any scabs that form and are picked at...no picking, just let them heal and fall naturally. I also have to shower with my back to the shower head for this first week (just like after both previous surgeries).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;">I was told both by Crystal and my friends at work that itching is very common. Again, very important not to scratch but to just apply more jelly. N</span><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="color: #333333;">o soap, sun exposure, or excessive sweaty for the first week. Additionally, no swimming, hot tubs, or saunas for one month. </span><span style="color: magenta;">Following instructions seems to be working, so far my color is intact and I haven't felt any itching!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Here's another clip from that day:</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbcYOnzHUQe/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Ever wonder how nipple & areola tattooing is performed after #BreastReconstruction? Here's a quick glimpse of how we do it at PRMA! #breastcancer #bcsm #tattoo #nippletattoo #medicaltattoo #breastcancertattoo #breastsurgery #diepflap #rebuildinglives #breastcancer</a></div>
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A post shared by PRMA Plastic Surgery (@prmaplasticsurgery) on <time datetime="2017-11-13T17:16:29+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 13, 2017 at 9:16am PST</time></div>
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<b style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">And, the biggest questions...<i>Do I like them and what do they look like, right?</i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>I love them! </b></span><span style="color: #333333;"> It is amazing what a little color can do. Honestly, I could have lived with my new breasts like they were but they still felt unfinished. Now, they are done! It still surprises me a little when I look in the mirror....it's been awhile since there has been color there and I'm taken back with how much like the real deal they look. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxffrmP_c1pytjkpPvqAN8_OjADiNj1jaOLgw5uPiY6dVwhZLZxPOcBtX3A56aEQDQ0OJsOnFU6vaintyVBz9t37jAyD2GV_GNfjD0IC93BXq_dLW-VViXXNmsozbqoNVP49hVloFW9I/s1600/IMG_1193.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxffrmP_c1pytjkpPvqAN8_OjADiNj1jaOLgw5uPiY6dVwhZLZxPOcBtX3A56aEQDQ0OJsOnFU6vaintyVBz9t37jAyD2GV_GNfjD0IC93BXq_dLW-VViXXNmsozbqoNVP49hVloFW9I/s320/IMG_1193.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From this....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VRW0U6sbCe12hNfCBGfq-jk5fmFrUNDD5wiSCxOoiUqz9K05VPwqMx2mRfEXlfiVP0ru0Rcnz867P2VFtBpFs1wveMT4wUgkAtbu4yuPPRjwqJstolA9jLJNHTYUWNmIRNhZiAiYAig/s1600/IMG_1194.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="640" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VRW0U6sbCe12hNfCBGfq-jk5fmFrUNDD5wiSCxOoiUqz9K05VPwqMx2mRfEXlfiVP0ru0Rcnz867P2VFtBpFs1wveMT4wUgkAtbu4yuPPRjwqJstolA9jLJNHTYUWNmIRNhZiAiYAig/s320/IMG_1194.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To this...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="color: #333333;">Throughout this whole year, I've tried to stay positive and see the upside to all of this. <b>And, I <i>have been</i> extremely BLESSED. </b>But, that being said, there is still the side of me that wants to look "normal" and feminine and maybe even sexy to someone someday. When this all began, I was afraid that that idea was unrealistic. Now, it's like a little spark of hope that someone could see me and not pick me out of a line-up as the one with the "fake boobs" or just see the scars right away. </span><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Who knew how much a little color would mean?</b></span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Many survivors face these thoughts. I know I'm not alone in this. If you are contemplating this next step, I encourage you to do it! I hope that you will be as pleased and amazed as I am.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_aO0f9OTWLXUYJe8ZI13EXMoSk7HpIKIV9wZN3GlMbxG8GwY8TRtKPERzevMWrdM2G6IuO5pEAkz6eO9UzlHDnIyOJRiLYR3WtW2Kuup2HzqpMkGQOQ2giHFXwJGZDlLwxsLgQiAjwA/s1600/IMG_1191.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="640" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_aO0f9OTWLXUYJe8ZI13EXMoSk7HpIKIV9wZN3GlMbxG8GwY8TRtKPERzevMWrdM2G6IuO5pEAkz6eO9UzlHDnIyOJRiLYR3WtW2Kuup2HzqpMkGQOQ2giHFXwJGZDlLwxsLgQiAjwA/s400/IMG_1191.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newly tattooed nipples and areolas on my <br />
natural tissue reconstructed (DIEP Flap) breasts!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Have a terrific week!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WACuqNfvjQWdBNZXm0mHFbYUX8LW5wm6lbVeI-WzcnY-nwCg89wrDqIeDKx_PxxIC_2XyHY9b8ut4DyvuyghdLMxSfW_yroIVWiZbxX-apVoLZmjk1i9sbiWDG8HauT99A6yJaBS_MQ/s1600/DSCN7111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #006677; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="1600" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WACuqNfvjQWdBNZXm0mHFbYUX8LW5wm6lbVeI-WzcnY-nwCg89wrDqIeDKx_PxxIC_2XyHY9b8ut4DyvuyghdLMxSfW_yroIVWiZbxX-apVoLZmjk1i9sbiWDG8HauT99A6yJaBS_MQ/s200/DSCN7111.JPG" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span>Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-55312449689126464652017-10-10T08:18:00.000-07:002017-10-10T08:18:48.724-07:00October Update<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"> WARNING: THERE ARE GRAPHIC/NUDE POST-OP PHOTOS IN THIS POST.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Not much post-worthy happening around here but I wanted to touch-base with all of you and give you some photo updates.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's October 10 and today is in the 60's...actually feels like Fall!! Won't last but a few days, but we'll enjoy it today. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4a97oFP7N2PLa5sLnRaEjgFsHeTxqJwVFTcYiNfuQGaZe8TADLWQBsxRaHk72nauu79dpLS0CkZEFsg5nGJA-foR0YDMlfF73HcScd6I9BNVc_PcNwaoyy_OgRO4S3Hjbiqje4GoX28/s1600/fallintexas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="228" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4a97oFP7N2PLa5sLnRaEjgFsHeTxqJwVFTcYiNfuQGaZe8TADLWQBsxRaHk72nauu79dpLS0CkZEFsg5nGJA-foR0YDMlfF73HcScd6I9BNVc_PcNwaoyy_OgRO4S3Hjbiqje4GoX28/s320/fallintexas.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As far as surgical recovery goes, life is pretty okay. I get a little frustrated sometimes with my decreased endurance and lack of upper body and abdominal strength. I was working on a DIY project last week and could not have done it without my teenage son to do the heavy lifting. I used to be able to do so much more in one day, but now I find myself tiring out and needing to take a break. It's not <i>all bad</i>...I tend to push myself too hard to finish projects, but it is frustrating. Everything takes time, I know, but having never had major surgery prior to this year, I never realized just how much its affects can linger. I'm trying to learn to embrace the rest....easier said than done. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Super excited to report that my final Phase 3 is scheduled!!</span></b> My micropigmentation procedure (aka tattoos) will be completed in my PS office by my nurse on Nov. 7th. Yay! <b>This should be the <span style="color: magenta;">last procedure</span> on my breast reconstruction journey. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As my new nipples/areolas have healed, I am even happier with them! As promised, the <b>nipples have gone down about 50%</b> and are not as "noticeable" when I am not wearing a bra (not that I do that in public, but I could! ;) ). </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To see them with color soon...it's like waiting for Christmas as a kid! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxVOATTh2GdsMrizMOPWt_WA7HoLVeTrHgxblvsgJS3C0b4IzAffaV_ecXq7_0AnaJMChSqN9ZvJtJKFNGt-Y6oUiXVqbA50fWfaPKtgNKULMKgCCG9oZPIW4GlZN-Hrfiw49nI07DkE/s1600/IMG_0751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxVOATTh2GdsMrizMOPWt_WA7HoLVeTrHgxblvsgJS3C0b4IzAffaV_ecXq7_0AnaJMChSqN9ZvJtJKFNGt-Y6oUiXVqbA50fWfaPKtgNKULMKgCCG9oZPIW4GlZN-Hrfiw49nI07DkE/s320/IMG_0751.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New nipples built 2.5 months ago...all healed and scars fading. <br />Just waiting on tattoos for color!!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The breasts themselves are great! <span style="color: magenta;">The fat grafting made all the difference in shaping</span> for me and they are very symmetrical. Most of the time, my foobs are soft and natural feeling. When I first wake up in the morning and sometimes after an active day, they will feel a little firm. This goes away immediately with a quick massage. Love that they are "perky" even without a bra....its been years since that was the case!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">My incisions have all healed well and the scars are starting to fade. </span> I'm not very good about massaging them daily like I should, but I'm working on it. Right now, I am alternating between Palmer's Cocoa Butter and Mederma Oil as recommended by my PS. Just recently, I purchased the <a href="http://www.inviciblescars.com/" target="_blank">InviCible Scars cream</a> (made by one of the MD's in my PS office). I've heard great things about it, so we will see how it works and I'll let y'all know. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The scars on my chest from the fat grafting in Phase 2 are not as red and noticeable....made me feel like I had the measles or chicken pox before! :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNgyfy4Mbf6lSsa2SGht57r3I0pirrujO9xrqmgZ3AGXVIES1AKFwL9F2UWN8JgcYeYCtqUqGANH_AW1J7aUldVtSmsGTvn9QMvCpvhORrnxkzD2ktCeFFmZ6xRNU9xFEnpYGMN2EgPI/s1600/IMG_0749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNgyfy4Mbf6lSsa2SGht57r3I0pirrujO9xrqmgZ3AGXVIES1AKFwL9F2UWN8JgcYeYCtqUqGANH_AW1J7aUldVtSmsGTvn9QMvCpvhORrnxkzD2ktCeFFmZ6xRNU9xFEnpYGMN2EgPI/s320/IMG_0749.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fat grafting scars on chest at 2.5 months post-op</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My original abdominal incision looks good...not fading as quickly as my breast incisions, but it is very smooth and flat.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-TCoLT6zoDd9jNiov3oo5KUyVcE8-MI6S2Ta4smm8uKz7L9Fhh8qiHp15kicarbDYs_XZahRRFdJhGMYDSj4mdQt_xRm-tRw0l9MkQtX316wJs6RG_F8DF1Is7Uckad_Q8YWqv3RC6E/s1600/IMG_0746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1212" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-TCoLT6zoDd9jNiov3oo5KUyVcE8-MI6S2Ta4smm8uKz7L9Fhh8qiHp15kicarbDYs_XZahRRFdJhGMYDSj4mdQt_xRm-tRw0l9MkQtX316wJs6RG_F8DF1Is7Uckad_Q8YWqv3RC6E/s320/IMG_0746.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DIEP Flap Abdominal Incision at 7.5 months post-op</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My new flank incisions from Phase 2 surgery on 07/25 are a little different. One is already quite flat and thin. The other side is "indented" and "tighter"....can't figure out a better way to describe that. Obviously, these scars are newer so it'll take them awhile to fade like the original. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLfYu0Iz6GBO4nQIxiEHRItup2oHqtdxJG_-CtltBZqbgPTFQyfIbR0LpCvJP7cFTE3fEBmuL2d7HdWY9TD4J3xYqxAl2hh7MVnd8g_rhi0HzzBNe2O2vHpncNWQ2s8NkvKawFq8ZxHA/s1600/IMG_0743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLfYu0Iz6GBO4nQIxiEHRItup2oHqtdxJG_-CtltBZqbgPTFQyfIbR0LpCvJP7cFTE3fEBmuL2d7HdWY9TD4J3xYqxAl2hh7MVnd8g_rhi0HzzBNe2O2vHpncNWQ2s8NkvKawFq8ZxHA/s400/IMG_0743.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New right flank incision...smooth and flat already at 2.5 months post-op</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've gained weight since all of this began but I'm hoping that some of the indentation will smooth out with weight loss and scar massage.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUxlJ_o_4iCfvzX9GXh6A75aCbnCgA9kqWbsrBFuNgVnQiO-o3cAbSowsfOUOH30SbJzZltZ6GTFgc7QXPvGcaNbenPFS38XZqb7dm852xnCVcA4SE1owAdmZ8mlaog3_9Oi5qPQre0w/s1600/IMG_0742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUxlJ_o_4iCfvzX9GXh6A75aCbnCgA9kqWbsrBFuNgVnQiO-o3cAbSowsfOUOH30SbJzZltZ6GTFgc7QXPvGcaNbenPFS38XZqb7dm852xnCVcA4SE1owAdmZ8mlaog3_9Oi5qPQre0w/s400/IMG_0742.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12.8px;">New left flank incision...thin but a little "indented" at 2.5 months post-op</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, that's my update for today. I've "met" quite a few ladies on this journey and have enjoyed chatting with several this month on Facebook. If you have questions or comments or just want to share your story, please comment below! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: magenta; font-weight: bold;">Since October is officially Breast Cancer Awareness Month, please don't forget to do your self-exams and get your mammograms!! </span>I found this ad amusing:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Have a great week!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WACuqNfvjQWdBNZXm0mHFbYUX8LW5wm6lbVeI-WzcnY-nwCg89wrDqIeDKx_PxxIC_2XyHY9b8ut4DyvuyghdLMxSfW_yroIVWiZbxX-apVoLZmjk1i9sbiWDG8HauT99A6yJaBS_MQ/s1600/DSCN7111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="1600" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WACuqNfvjQWdBNZXm0mHFbYUX8LW5wm6lbVeI-WzcnY-nwCg89wrDqIeDKx_PxxIC_2XyHY9b8ut4DyvuyghdLMxSfW_yroIVWiZbxX-apVoLZmjk1i9sbiWDG8HauT99A6yJaBS_MQ/s200/DSCN7111.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-76179479812384657052017-09-26T16:44:00.001-07:002017-09-26T16:44:30.842-07:006 months Later....Surgical Oncologist Follow-up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2VQeGwIjHsEqulKthymy22ivWHIxSXihctFeVuAxKFiBbiyyEgXpkvS0HolbSxh4gbQn4tqzt_93JbZDIIgh9-zcN-e2HGaQ5FbL3a3LwJiDykyFODiNud4XMLwZadafehDs6vAcGdc/s1600/6+months.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2VQeGwIjHsEqulKthymy22ivWHIxSXihctFeVuAxKFiBbiyyEgXpkvS0HolbSxh4gbQn4tqzt_93JbZDIIgh9-zcN-e2HGaQ5FbL3a3LwJiDykyFODiNud4XMLwZadafehDs6vAcGdc/s1600/6+months.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">September 06 was officially six months since my Bilateral Skin-sparing (non-nipple sparing) Mastectomy with Immediate DIEP Flap Reconstruction. My 6 month follow-up appointment at the Surgical Oncologist's office was yesterday...at almost 7 months actually. <span style="color: magenta;">It doesn't seem real that it has been that long ago!! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>So, here's the lowdown....</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My appointment was with the Nurse Practitioner, Rebecca. She is super sweet and a fellow <span style="color: magenta;">breast cancer survivor</span>. Having personal experience with the reconstructive process and the </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5maalO0sxiOFU3eeDYw1Kp1H5lW0nUFb6ckksNRb4wQk7f-DheiYHcOkemcqJsT2Iz4WMuc_iBW0Uj4iWSIeKUVXtEY3r_I9m5aEjSlesbNTnA34w6WsUmoOrTPGVt2rWthMV9Q6QRog/s1600/pinkribbon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="159" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5maalO0sxiOFU3eeDYw1Kp1H5lW0nUFb6ckksNRb4wQk7f-DheiYHcOkemcqJsT2Iz4WMuc_iBW0Uj4iWSIeKUVXtEY3r_I9m5aEjSlesbNTnA34w6WsUmoOrTPGVt2rWthMV9Q6QRog/s200/pinkribbon.jpg" width="100" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">journey, she is an awesome resource! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because my cancer did not require any chemo or hormone therapy, I am not followed by a Medical Oncologist just the Surgical Oncologist. Therefore, <b>they will conduct all of my labs and breast exams</b>. Rebecca stated that <span style="color: magenta;">I will need 6 month visits (basically a manual breast exam) for 2 years and then annual visits for 3 years</span>....<b><span style="color: magenta;">a total of 5 years surveillance</span></b>. Labs will be drawn annually. After 5 years, my annual OB/GYN breast exam will suffice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: magenta;"><u>Big notes:</u> </span></b><br />*No mammograms ever.<br />*If any physician ever finds something "suspicious", I am to contact my NP immediately for an ultrasound and she will follow-up on it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rebecca was very complimentary of my cosmetic results. It was nice to hear the opinion of a fellow reconstructive patient. She said that everything looks great and that in another 6-12 months I'll be amazed at my results and how much the scars will have faded!! <b>Her exact quote was: <span style="color: magenta;">"You couldn't have asked for a better cosmetic outcome!"</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After my appointment, I ran some errands and made a new wreath for our front door...something special for October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZtH2gzwN5xE0gCMt8iLr8hGTKInJNoisZ3tdrAE6ECVue6Vs3R0dev-jCXkoy0eDCgoSQ5kSCMV9D5HHQd79PSKAQgukzREkL5F2bsKwmzV-LvVa5N5n4KGW01khvSr8imoBrFNQ7n8/s1600/IMG_4463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZtH2gzwN5xE0gCMt8iLr8hGTKInJNoisZ3tdrAE6ECVue6Vs3R0dev-jCXkoy0eDCgoSQ5kSCMV9D5HHQd79PSKAQgukzREkL5F2bsKwmzV-LvVa5N5n4KGW01khvSr8imoBrFNQ7n8/s400/IMG_4463.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October Breast Cancer Awareness Wreath</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then, I got to have dinner with a bunch of old friends. We caught-up and had a lot of laughs!! Everyone needs a night out with friends once in awhile. :)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love these gals!</td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hope y'all have a blessed week!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-14004084318590957652017-09-11T09:42:00.002-07:002017-09-11T09:42:21.333-07:00Life and Bra Shopping at 6 months Post-Bilateral Mastectomy and Reconstruction<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">**WARNING: Post-Surgery photos/Partially Nude photos in this post!**</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Just a few days ago on 09/06/17 was <b><span style="color: magenta;">the 6 month-iversary since my Bilateral Mastectomy</span></b>! Hard to believe that it's been half a year already. Most days it still feels like a dream....hard to explain to anyone who hasn't been there. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In addition to the 6 month milestone, last </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">Tuesday was 6 weeks since my Phase 2 surgery with my nipple reconstruction</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. I am super happy with the results from that surgery (and really looking forward to the finishing touch when they get colored-in).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">School started for my son the second week of August <i>(I know...very early!)</i> so life is full of homework and soccer season is in full swing! Work is busy, I've had several crafty projects going on, and it seems that my calendar always has something on it to do! </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, while for the most part life has moved on, I am reminded by the abdominal swelling by mid-day and the weird numb sensation that accompanies it that I have a new 'normal'</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The abdomen thing is still quite strange and apparently going to go on for awhile, but I've been told that it gets better over time. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's not quite 10am right now and I haven't been very active this morning so my abdomen and thighs feel fine. This afternoon, both will have a strange numbness to them when touched. It's nothing I would particularly notice except when touched or if I bump into something, etc. It is not painful...just odd and sometimes a little annoying. I notice it mostly at work when I lean over a crib rail or isolette or if I'm holding a baby against me. In the past, I've likened it to when your foot falls asleep because there really isn't any other way to describe it that I can think of. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just like a lot of things on this breast cancer journey--time heals. </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The swelling is definitely more pronounced now that I am no longer wearing the compression garment (My PS said I could stop wearing it at 6 weeks.). But overall, going without the garment has not been bad. I'm not throwing any of them away for now because I still feel that my abdominal area is a bit weak and I might need to wear something on a particularly active day. </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My PS said that the abdominal muscles take a longer time to heal than the external incisions. </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Other than that numbness, I do not have anything I would call pain. My abdomen still feels tight all the time. When I get up from a reclining position or bend over is when I notice it the most. I most definitely do not think I could do a bunch of sit-ups yet!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3M5cVqG1nzub9xvNMRhZthK2kDXoBO3CxaNP-RijFPA8fH4H5kqvUMgJwIxRAJa5SyRkxnyDIxvJTCnzSppiuDLy9YAhp_IYXnzUH5ZYCyDSpkdROlpQeZZ9wNXIP4AwKeOTcQ254aI/s1600/IMG_0386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3M5cVqG1nzub9xvNMRhZthK2kDXoBO3CxaNP-RijFPA8fH4H5kqvUMgJwIxRAJa5SyRkxnyDIxvJTCnzSppiuDLy9YAhp_IYXnzUH5ZYCyDSpkdROlpQeZZ9wNXIP4AwKeOTcQ254aI/s400/IMG_0386.JPG" width="315" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Speaking of sit-ups, most of you have heard of the <a href="https://www.livestrong.org/what-we-do/program/livestrong-at-the-ymca" target="_blank">LIVESTRONG Foundation</a>, right? I even got to <a href="https://blog.livestrong.org/sharing-my-breast-cancer-journey-a56f6392278" target="_blank">share my story on their website</a>. <span style="color: magenta;">LIVESTRONG has teamed-up with the YMCA</span> and is offering a FREE program for any and all cancer survivors and/or fighters. <b>It sounds pretty awesome...an interview with a coach, a personalized workout program, 2-sessions a week with a group for discussion, support, and exercise and</b> <b><span style="color: magenta;">it's all free for 12-weeks</span></b>! My PS said I was okay to start exercise (within reason) and we have a new YMCA just down the road from the house. So, I spoke with the Program Coordinator and got on the list for one of the upcoming sessions! <b>Those who know me know that I do NOT exercise by choice, so this is a leap for me. </b>But, I am looking forward to checking this program out and hoping that it will help me to strengthen my abdomen and core again. If you are interested in joining a group, check out your local Y or click on the link I posted above. I'll be sure to post when I get started to let you know how it is!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The other big adventure around here was my release to go BRA SHOPPING! My PS said that at 6 weeks post-Phase 2, I should be whatever size I was going to be....no more swelling. My incisions are all completely healed, no scabs, and everything is soft. So, this past week, I went shopping! A friend had given me a Victoria's Secret gift card so I started there. And, well.....here's how it went for me:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Many of you have had a professional bra fitting and if you haven't, you should. The VS store is lovely albeit a little overwhelming, so i</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">t was nice to have someone measure me and make <b>knowledgeable recommendations based on my new size </b>and fit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Prior to having my son, I was small...I was a 30-32 big A-small B. After breastfeeding and weight gain over the years, I have been anywhere from a 34-36 B-C. Before surgery, a B was too small but many Cs were too big. <span style="color: magenta;">The goal with my PS was to get me to a full C.</span> </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">VS suggested that I was a D! </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJg8RE9NJlPedHXeVqXQ9gXXU8qMe4Ei8pF97fjdt0ZTsD01giJDTiEpcZxy9zvcg-6mRZekDOISqlgtiyhY02azIJ7dF7KKZqTb8INWsPspi4Ypnf_2K7EyglgCYF1cMkdN6JIylYeI/s1600/IMG_0261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJg8RE9NJlPedHXeVqXQ9gXXU8qMe4Ei8pF97fjdt0ZTsD01giJDTiEpcZxy9zvcg-6mRZekDOISqlgtiyhY02azIJ7dF7KKZqTb8INWsPspi4Ypnf_2K7EyglgCYF1cMkdN6JIylYeI/s640/IMG_0261.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I specifically asked for <b>only wire-free</b> because that is all I've been allowed to wear up until now and I've been told that overall it is better for us <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(There's a lot of debate in the bra world on this topic, I guess.)</span></i>. Unfortunately, VS does not have much to offer in this category (other than sports bra-style). </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I entered the dressing room and the sales associate brought me their most popular wire-free bra. It was simple and plain....and quite boring. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EdDoO1MN8V9bXPqcEMxcg4Daqe5kP5_6TO_b_ZdNjp2H1le9wFi7unGqsgxdBnGZ_JIHwFTQnKn8HmqzzWEaHz-zecGC8_6gLp66WMFOyzj-_0dKKYRZvSVYkptJEhpCDz2AAKnO7TQ/s1600/IMG_0268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EdDoO1MN8V9bXPqcEMxcg4Daqe5kP5_6TO_b_ZdNjp2H1le9wFi7unGqsgxdBnGZ_JIHwFTQnKn8HmqzzWEaHz-zecGC8_6gLp66WMFOyzj-_0dKKYRZvSVYkptJEhpCDz2AAKnO7TQ/s320/IMG_0268.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibswwx6-10rqvzfaBAyei3bmZbDLGf37_fyZWbSXr5Pvju-luDs8g_A285kq4LGquGc0hpwIyB5EfsM4oiMG-RZqzvVg7eqi2DMZIp-OBswCGAmKx47Yx1xfgU6TzadR221GnPWXGLEAQ/s1600/IMG_0267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibswwx6-10rqvzfaBAyei3bmZbDLGf37_fyZWbSXr5Pvju-luDs8g_A285kq4LGquGc0hpwIyB5EfsM4oiMG-RZqzvVg7eqi2DMZIp-OBswCGAmKx47Yx1xfgU6TzadR221GnPWXGLEAQ/s320/IMG_0267.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As you can see if the pics, it had some fit issues too. Without the wire support, it gaps at the sides and especially right in the center! Not flattering because you can see the bulge on the side under my shirt and the gap in the front makes it look like I have a "uni-boob". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The associate brought me one of their regular wired bras so that I could see the difference. She also had me try on a smaller measurement with a bigger cup....apparently, a 36DD is almost the same as a 38D?? There is a learning curve in the bra fitting world! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyway....</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5SP6OuqfwE5rIvRRZuZACf2zqcACcFIxPAoqTwJaWg51bWoW7KGuMflCcmicRKu5QHpabRjyErp49P-Rn71zs-bAvRAodGhH-5cXWmqA0cUUgv3SmlgL2X9NEHIF3CvHTSF_GxE3_5E/s1600/IMG_0281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5SP6OuqfwE5rIvRRZuZACf2zqcACcFIxPAoqTwJaWg51bWoW7KGuMflCcmicRKu5QHpabRjyErp49P-Rn71zs-bAvRAodGhH-5cXWmqA0cUUgv3SmlgL2X9NEHIF3CvHTSF_GxE3_5E/s320/IMG_0281.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjQP5Ix6WUGH8PGEnhKB7T4iuPWD5eD1uJUQ_zqUP_dvuIewXNnhQgAElYZ9xAS_A6z2cBxz0d-AsFcbwMht8c0eqRPe1VDfcaIL_vvKBd7LKNXr54HDI-azhh30wcX98BG1kyreg7lw/s1600/IMG_0282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1554" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjQP5Ix6WUGH8PGEnhKB7T4iuPWD5eD1uJUQ_zqUP_dvuIewXNnhQgAElYZ9xAS_A6z2cBxz0d-AsFcbwMht8c0eqRPe1VDfcaIL_vvKBd7LKNXr54HDI-azhh30wcX98BG1kyreg7lw/s200/IMG_0282.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As you can see, the wired bras fit better! No gap on the sides or center. However, I felt that wire!! I'm sure that part of it is because I haven't wore an wired bra in so long. This particular bra was nothing to write home about (and certainly not for the price tag). I agreed to try on their famous and cute sports bra even though it had to go over my head....<i>how hard could that be?</i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfukD-bgYmI_F6ecebJ3CTrpRzIBRF7LD_04a3fFmQkEOmt9kjJMvYj7ScsIUjqZBC1lIsnAuRztCWNzr8ikyxJuMTLEHsoX1JgAylld4INbJyBNiaJYFOqx3_wxb1OsMZzAc_kvpGHY/s1600/IMG_0272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfukD-bgYmI_F6ecebJ3CTrpRzIBRF7LD_04a3fFmQkEOmt9kjJMvYj7ScsIUjqZBC1lIsnAuRztCWNzr8ikyxJuMTLEHsoX1JgAylld4INbJyBNiaJYFOqx3_wxb1OsMZzAc_kvpGHY/s320/IMG_0272.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going on was okay but coming off was NOT easy! <br />I was stuck in this one!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It actually crossed my mind that I might have to buy this one just because I was going to need to be CUT OUT OF IT!! Their sports bra styles do not go up past a 36 and this one was tight!! Panic sets in and my fear that I was going to have to ask a stranger for help getting out of a bra pushed me...I wiggled and was practically upside down trying to get out of it. Never again....never ever again. It's a cute bra for a much smaller woman.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Feeling defeated, I tried on their brand new bra...Sexy Illusions. The sales associate had one on. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She was well-endowed and </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">assured me that it was awesome....smooth and light and the wire was well-padded. It truly is a very nice bra! I can still feel the wire (again, I think I'm just sensitive now) but nothing like the other bras.<br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJs0OND7hSbYnsnyXYGDU970NGHB2i7PGCaJW-d4FezmZX2W61yxeZ1b1kTuGdeoajA71NDDY3mzs516Pa1yM4oVekFwKgYNGFkxA1RUm3RGTWzlfYplJvYw1m3Z091aLgoh3t1YjrcnM/s1600/IMG_0274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="1600" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJs0OND7hSbYnsnyXYGDU970NGHB2i7PGCaJW-d4FezmZX2W61yxeZ1b1kTuGdeoajA71NDDY3mzs516Pa1yM4oVekFwKgYNGFkxA1RUm3RGTWzlfYplJvYw1m3Z091aLgoh3t1YjrcnM/s200/IMG_0274.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No gap in the front and smooth sides!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovvVN04D-ZO2aQ8IYaWOihqnoBwg7E7LouZEInIAbDQybclzVjxYuDcodXpeVgJSqaGmR5-hAt4RIueFRgmEjoNEgpn0iFPa8m7cnsaI5BksnoHQ8ffApJLfQq_OxnxFszy6rl1slOk8/s1600/IMG_0276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1298" data-original-width="1600" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovvVN04D-ZO2aQ8IYaWOihqnoBwg7E7LouZEInIAbDQybclzVjxYuDcodXpeVgJSqaGmR5-hAt4RIueFRgmEjoNEgpn0iFPa8m7cnsaI5BksnoHQ8ffApJLfQq_OxnxFszy6rl1slOk8/s200/IMG_0276.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks smooth under my clothes!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I went ahead and purchased one of these...I even got a free $14 lipstick just for trying on the new style and they had a special panty sale so I walked away with some new undies too!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since VS was not as successful as I'd hoped, I walked over to SOMA....heard great things about their bras. They did offer a couple more options (3 total) in a wire-free but again, none were very pretty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjlJ29fBVMuht78bkc1wDU3EEg-7uYn0BLH7EXF5Bg0yNNBkY6a0ZQZYL7c7ZPZSunuyVHdo89xuUZsv5_ITHcLopfyTHgH1v8mvSzrJvRGIrnF87mRI0dNwxvunzA8yUc-9nHOJA9Hs/s1600/IMG_0285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjlJ29fBVMuht78bkc1wDU3EEg-7uYn0BLH7EXF5Bg0yNNBkY6a0ZQZYL7c7ZPZSunuyVHdo89xuUZsv5_ITHcLopfyTHgH1v8mvSzrJvRGIrnF87mRI0dNwxvunzA8yUc-9nHOJA9Hs/s320/IMG_0285.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The fit was similar at SOMA....I measured as a 38 D. However, I did need a C in one style. The wire-free offered the same issue in the front...this time an even bigger gap! I think I could have fit a Dr. Pepper can in there!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe5_hRiU8gLE6td7Pw6pc0RGmjyLdZG-DrRpw0_tZX8-_apOEBrQ_pi_1neucMHTx_30E-11JWikK22YhzEnvLIYF6eJ9NkE3ZM7nTTHv6YVMM_eq9bWXWPukLbdxwkg4UPu5FBcegDw/s1600/IMG_0288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe5_hRiU8gLE6td7Pw6pc0RGmjyLdZG-DrRpw0_tZX8-_apOEBrQ_pi_1neucMHTx_30E-11JWikK22YhzEnvLIYF6eJ9NkE3ZM7nTTHv6YVMM_eq9bWXWPukLbdxwkg4UPu5FBcegDw/s320/IMG_0288.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ummm....no.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They do have a really nice wire-free called the Vanishing Back that was significantly better! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJGe6sCoH4x5AhsEVjQNCY2n5LQ_-PSLFpbLWhd8hjffPoybb-B5W1NmFi7zmL5zepbxnfD6HC4ofRLBndGAG0T6SQc1jgHxQPzeaaUUNuV6Hqcig56AAi6Ua-gBcDvKFVbxbqdPQG_M/s1600/IMG_0294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJGe6sCoH4x5AhsEVjQNCY2n5LQ_-PSLFpbLWhd8hjffPoybb-B5W1NmFi7zmL5zepbxnfD6HC4ofRLBndGAG0T6SQc1jgHxQPzeaaUUNuV6Hqcig56AAi6Ua-gBcDvKFVbxbqdPQG_M/s320/IMG_0294.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No large gaps but they only had black or green in stock that day so I opted to wait. As I was walking out, I saw the Brighton store and couldn't resist treating myself to a little bling for my bracelet!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_CSkTkxFOvkVIN1UTObOgyYB4c5eiGAXFqPnnNoP5lpTL6M8oUMPx4LfHIgXz8lptVfn5wOzajVfOM3z3GLlvXiYWCQt9DreY84iVVccRZJgPP86hNYjCDHb9npU1ZGWKC_DzeZVkGc/s1600/IMG_0302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_CSkTkxFOvkVIN1UTObOgyYB4c5eiGAXFqPnnNoP5lpTL6M8oUMPx4LfHIgXz8lptVfn5wOzajVfOM3z3GLlvXiYWCQt9DreY84iVVccRZJgPP86hNYjCDHb9npU1ZGWKC_DzeZVkGc/s320/IMG_0302.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On my way home, feeling disappointed in my lack of bra success, I pulled into JCPenney. They came through for me after my Phase 1 so....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbN3AMGr2PgCoxtTAKqb1H47KnhDYTD9pNYSkpx9JVpWAywaHaDvwk1iFjf7kXhR0zHYIrzSYRCz39u-NSzyoy02rYTf3ypl27JmWzsJV1o5Q4maAMTPQ9qYeakrPH63-GitrsKqYTYk/s1600/IMG_0296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbN3AMGr2PgCoxtTAKqb1H47KnhDYTD9pNYSkpx9JVpWAywaHaDvwk1iFjf7kXhR0zHYIrzSYRCz39u-NSzyoy02rYTf3ypl27JmWzsJV1o5Q4maAMTPQ9qYeakrPH63-GitrsKqYTYk/s400/IMG_0296.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>JCPenney for the win again! </b>The selection of wire-free bras was phenomenal! </span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4lxdiVDvndNwTJMx4MOPfBDa6BU-Nt7DFctUi8vD9w_9cC9Hf_kU4F3nZTSJxnrYsEkf4iVeTqVB4NahYBAqza1E9ms-Nond5vY4XpI5SkFeuG4QVqXAHEJEBfwza10G2GKEpXplQ8Y/s1600/IMG_0301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4lxdiVDvndNwTJMx4MOPfBDa6BU-Nt7DFctUi8vD9w_9cC9Hf_kU4F3nZTSJxnrYsEkf4iVeTqVB4NahYBAqza1E9ms-Nond5vY4XpI5SkFeuG4QVqXAHEJEBfwza10G2GKEpXplQ8Y/s640/IMG_0301.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All colors and styles and some were even pretty! I was pressed for time at this point so I did not even try all of the ones they offered. I found this beauty though and bought it:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxqOOuHX9mYQmY6CyqE2dzBLnFpfbTzNrtSLBxDqzQ4IKtbiUssp7VN9LvtToSLNeLpeSwB26uHFR84qMHyENrI_DhAzuJdwQS2nJlolsvoHfoKj7uUIqD5gbAPJGE-ZxPBQxfU13LaA/s1600/IMG_0299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxqOOuHX9mYQmY6CyqE2dzBLnFpfbTzNrtSLBxDqzQ4IKtbiUssp7VN9LvtToSLNeLpeSwB26uHFR84qMHyENrI_DhAzuJdwQS2nJlolsvoHfoKj7uUIqD5gbAPJGE-ZxPBQxfU13LaA/s320/IMG_0299.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Look how small that gap is:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Wk62568AZijpE9kPwjteINyZzR2VeF1tfNRwij4mnRmTsruiriSx2B3tmc77QZaAZdCNgBXsaVkWrRSar9ZWnWqFqsIDWaneFHQKlSzG-JnR4O8G7I7h_0JAYTj2xHX2us03wJnx1Ow/s1600/IMG_0372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Wk62568AZijpE9kPwjteINyZzR2VeF1tfNRwij4mnRmTsruiriSx2B3tmc77QZaAZdCNgBXsaVkWrRSar9ZWnWqFqsIDWaneFHQKlSzG-JnR4O8G7I7h_0JAYTj2xHX2us03wJnx1Ow/s320/IMG_0372.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, at the end of the day, I came home with one wire-free bra from JCPenney (Ambrielle) and one wired bra from Victoria's Secret. I emailed my PS Nurse that evening to ask about my options. I told her that I was not having much success finding supportive bras without underwire and wondered if it was okay to wear underwire routinely now. Thankfully, she responded that I am clear to wear underwire bras now! </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Both of the ones I bought are very comfortable and after wearing the wired bra a couple of times, I am noticing it less. So, I feel more comfortable with trying on more wired options on the next shopping trip.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All of that being said......</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've needed to lose weight for some time now but weight loss has not been my focus this past 6 months. Now that surgeries are complete and I'm healing well, there really isn't an excuse for the terrible eating habits I've developed! </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There's no compression garment or binder to hide it anymore either!</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have gained almost 10 lbs since my diagnosis! <span style="color: magenta;">And, there is nothing like a trip into the harsh reality of a dressing room to make one realize just how bad it has become!! </span></b><br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Getting serious about getting this weight off starts this week! New body, new breasts, new red hair color, new cancer-free me, right? :)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZovu98sZRopJhp7ItfNFTuykzaQfemP-PTgQgl546fv72a7-4wH2M5L9wkyI4KP7rOEVZjQvGYlJdMpD409X4Rt55BZFWvYWz3dVVp13QtP1behzrjPqyBKkw3QUDl9VrVB-pygQAeE/s1600/IMG_0248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZovu98sZRopJhp7ItfNFTuykzaQfemP-PTgQgl546fv72a7-4wH2M5L9wkyI4KP7rOEVZjQvGYlJdMpD409X4Rt55BZFWvYWz3dVVp13QtP1behzrjPqyBKkw3QUDl9VrVB-pygQAeE/s400/IMG_0248.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>For those asking and wondering how the new nipples are healing.....</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am thrilled and think they look great! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwHx6OHovFiaa90_NZwpXq2Qx5j_OsBnyuO1Qe5RayJbBxhX2wn9DEWl06ujawV9a_Z5Q87hrBf2nJ0XrSrLKHXqVGvO7wT2vW9M0fHO0klu6OvJaqerAh0rhNavDjUwLk6Es-JOGmzc/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="1040" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwHx6OHovFiaa90_NZwpXq2Qx5j_OsBnyuO1Qe5RayJbBxhX2wn9DEWl06ujawV9a_Z5Q87hrBf2nJ0XrSrLKHXqVGvO7wT2vW9M0fHO0klu6OvJaqerAh0rhNavDjUwLk6Es-JOGmzc/s320/IMG_0220.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 weeks post-Phase 2 Reconstruction and <br />6 months post-Phase 1 Bilateral Mastectomy</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That's it for my latest adventures on this breast cancer journey! I'll keep you posted on what's new. And, if you have any great bra recommendations, shoot them this way!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy your week!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span>Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-83346603245130348972017-08-16T12:36:00.003-07:002017-08-16T12:38:24.045-07:00GettIn Back to Me: 3 Weeks Post Revision UpdateJust a quick 3 minute update:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/stQNdSGeVPA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/stQNdSGeVPA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-90215076054637084422017-08-08T15:28:00.001-07:002017-08-08T15:28:56.827-07:00Checkin' Those Nipples! Two Week Post-op Visit<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;">WARNING: THERE ARE GRAPHIC/NUDE POST-OP PHOTOS IN THIS POST.</span><br />
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This afternoon was <b><span style="color: magenta;">my two week post-op visit</span></b> with my Plastic Surgery Nurse, C. It was a quick appointment and easy. C started by just asking about how my recovery had been going and if there were any issues. Then, the good part....<b>she took off all of that surgical tape from my incisions and removed those annoying little sutures in my chest!!</b></div>
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Remember, I had <b>five of these little holes where he did the fat grafting</b>? Each one had sutures that were sticking out. They were a little sore, they scratched if you rubbed past them, and you could see them sticking out through my clothes. So happy she removed those sutures! <span style="color: magenta;">I was instructed to start massaging them this week with Cocoa Butter w/Vitamin E or scar cream to soften and flatten them</span>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApY12eWO3Af-rqI-wXaksH7785HFH0MRvfJrMYALQQqFh_HL_OleNMaT8z1NW7YGNI5n2uVZ4jsrNu5DlTmBXHvQjWGCpSWNsnx_-IKdIsp5_QbVUqa5-vUt42q2NvaLlVu9FmiqPHdA/s1600/IMG_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1280" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApY12eWO3Af-rqI-wXaksH7785HFH0MRvfJrMYALQQqFh_HL_OleNMaT8z1NW7YGNI5n2uVZ4jsrNu5DlTmBXHvQjWGCpSWNsnx_-IKdIsp5_QbVUqa5-vUt42q2NvaLlVu9FmiqPHdA/s400/IMG_0014.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are a total of 5 "holes" from the fat grafting on my breasts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIk-4Mh-zfvynTv5Kn8t18NslZufhrR20YJHUhU3rQCafc30SW-niOG8-bbHcr_zvoCrFWO9ydnpAFPeXl2qeke8K-QDJxuXDModWPgQYQH2fpmaMMQvHhCcj37XCZpEAnkTYlAGrEfw/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="825" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIk-4Mh-zfvynTv5Kn8t18NslZufhrR20YJHUhU3rQCafc30SW-niOG8-bbHcr_zvoCrFWO9ydnpAFPeXl2qeke8K-QDJxuXDModWPgQYQH2fpmaMMQvHhCcj37XCZpEAnkTYlAGrEfw/s320/IMG_0015.JPG" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of one of the fat-grafting sites</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
She also removed all of the sticky surgical tape from my breast incisions. <span style="color: magenta;">Again, she was impressed with the healing progress and I can start putting cream on those incisions by the weekend. </span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcFsTddCLFX8-1s0L-gKZc0a1994vD2lgHUXVeO6vHtC2YF9o8SMc-SqoAnrdojlIOEQlzj19HJqekaKewXyBDbF22uJeYM-25bcwHx2w_oMkIym1myyn2EhVZTZ8O0aPw9AMOUTInew/s1600/IMG_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcFsTddCLFX8-1s0L-gKZc0a1994vD2lgHUXVeO6vHtC2YF9o8SMc-SqoAnrdojlIOEQlzj19HJqekaKewXyBDbF22uJeYM-25bcwHx2w_oMkIym1myyn2EhVZTZ8O0aPw9AMOUTInew/s320/IMG_0019.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right abdomen at two weeks post-op Phase 2</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_RvYpRPA_1o7Sm5BEt05On1b8YBAhyIubcXZmOJ4gTT-RXPtunqiRRb5OyQRmnmrLyFQWDtIyaFazJMM-5UbGBZ0RWnuw35m2lYK-KaaU-FxLcD2MpAHL2snD_QD5WZu9Y4L087F3aw/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_RvYpRPA_1o7Sm5BEt05On1b8YBAhyIubcXZmOJ4gTT-RXPtunqiRRb5OyQRmnmrLyFQWDtIyaFazJMM-5UbGBZ0RWnuw35m2lYK-KaaU-FxLcD2MpAHL2snD_QD5WZu9Y4L087F3aw/s320/IMG_0020.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left abdomen at two weeks post-op Phase 2</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXM2qG4WvrEZTaHfAWGEHLGfk4wIh9D7_kdv91qEnje-Bn8oXjNENNdT2qyP0dFzNCNY5bIuytn3IF6rpmsa59VOVoW4CFxeTkonza-dXtk6OkWUm3WTOfS8uiVXoN1OlrpywlUS5Cebo/s1600/IMG_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXM2qG4WvrEZTaHfAWGEHLGfk4wIh9D7_kdv91qEnje-Bn8oXjNENNdT2qyP0dFzNCNY5bIuytn3IF6rpmsa59VOVoW4CFxeTkonza-dXtk6OkWUm3WTOfS8uiVXoN1OlrpywlUS5Cebo/s400/IMG_0021.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abdomen at two weeks post Phase 2 Revision Surgery</td></tr>
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The nipples still have the dissolving sutures, so I am to avoid putting anything on them for now. Hoping those dissolve over the next couple of weeks. There are a couple of spots on my breast "lollipop" incisions that are thick and raised but I know with time and massage they will go down. The cool thing is that I see the potential! <span style="color: magenta;"><b>They look like breasts with real nipples and once the color tattoos are there....it's going to be something!</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnjkLQNgbmQHLHJ586qFHQ5WQfsG4JjG7-e9ITnTIXfCi2hd0V9Ak7p1CoJjZlYeM9-u1uwBpX2pA4FraYRwEffzFfklyK3NpsQ32BjZ8zkqR12jo6sbeO0jzvTBuJRiseOjGXbFdgbg/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnjkLQNgbmQHLHJ586qFHQ5WQfsG4JjG7-e9ITnTIXfCi2hd0V9Ak7p1CoJjZlYeM9-u1uwBpX2pA4FraYRwEffzFfklyK3NpsQ32BjZ8zkqR12jo6sbeO0jzvTBuJRiseOjGXbFdgbg/s320/IMG_0017.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right breast at two weeks post-nipple reconstruction</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIgDq8WBAJ9XpD7GflIh0g-eYqf200CFUhPn-tDJd5sd53w2iqqY_LYf0egXaXGkM1BKUGzvVf2sHy0FxlGM19q3UwqG7y8tRJxsdhbIU-4bZIBkbhuzgvfdtjKU1VCpN-VRpv5f3ciY/s1600/IMG_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIgDq8WBAJ9XpD7GflIh0g-eYqf200CFUhPn-tDJd5sd53w2iqqY_LYf0egXaXGkM1BKUGzvVf2sHy0FxlGM19q3UwqG7y8tRJxsdhbIU-4bZIBkbhuzgvfdtjKU1VCpN-VRpv5f3ciY/s320/IMG_0018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left breast at two weeks post-nipple reconstruction</td></tr>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Until then, I must continue to wear the nursing pads (with holes cut out of the center) in my bra.</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;"></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtU77IYhVcEwaO7D9lt28GZuA8yFJYdqwFRAh2g68iru_LUhbVbD_7NdbsM9WhHBfuv8RvYr-Kan8JveqOgqoZducYbeSv2QZWxQYS7Cwi3ReTdjDSey1EaqcyrAIRZ2A9czwD-U-IQc/s1600/IMG_6517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtU77IYhVcEwaO7D9lt28GZuA8yFJYdqwFRAh2g68iru_LUhbVbD_7NdbsM9WhHBfuv8RvYr-Kan8JveqOgqoZducYbeSv2QZWxQYS7Cwi3ReTdjDSey1EaqcyrAIRZ2A9czwD-U-IQc/s320/IMG_6517.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each side of my bra has to have 3-4 nursing pads <br />
with a hole cut out of the center in order to keep my <br />
new nipples from being "smushed" down by my bra/clothing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you look at the above pics and the one below, you can see that the right breast doesn't really have any bruising, but the <b>left is bruised all over</b>. It is a green-ish hue so that usually means its healing; however, C wants me to <span style="color: magenta;">start massaging them both but focusing on the left breast</span>. She told me to keep an eye on it and let her know if it changes or gets firm....<b>don't want it to turn into a hematoma</b>!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXip-yYQMmKQONvbhIUuZ_27SdCF4PbKXI6kD1vNxw8Bhn5esTrYSMP9TURyOhiNk0u2lWqK2aMp3nU8qm9HxXdK7dcm-w_8MuvM0o4jZ8M70ls-rvfq3jzSnue7srF_WfYymLZiYR3ns/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXip-yYQMmKQONvbhIUuZ_27SdCF4PbKXI6kD1vNxw8Bhn5esTrYSMP9TURyOhiNk0u2lWqK2aMp3nU8qm9HxXdK7dcm-w_8MuvM0o4jZ8M70ls-rvfq3jzSnue7srF_WfYymLZiYR3ns/s320/IMG_0016.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new breasts and nipples....<br />5 months post Bilateral Mastectomy w/Immediate DIEP Flap Reconstruction <br />and 2 weeks post-Nipple Reconstruction and Fat Grafting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Btw, they look huge in this pic but they really aren't that crazy looking in real life! </b>My nurse told me today that <span style="color: magenta;">I am most assuredly a "full C" or even a "small D" now!!</span> That's crazy. Before I had my son (and then got fat), I was a small B. Prior to surgery, I was a big B....a C was loose. I'm actually excited to go bra shopping when this heals!<br />
<br />
C said that the <b>liposuction areas will continue to be a little tender</b> for awhile even though the bruising has faded. <span style="color: magenta;">The compression garment still needs to be worn 24/7 for another month</span>. C also commented on how nice the one I purchased was...and it is a lot more comfy than the one they gave me! I highly recommend it if you are still looking. Since I have to wear it for another month, I stopped at Walmart and picked up another one on my way home for $19.98.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9uAS5M7c0QZHrvisRlrI2qH2wLOgAzQNMKjigeUBxfGEgOwe7XQkv8t9XB_cmQRjrWfjd0bbtZDqMc-ybehK4BiOw7f4K_NOMf9DIhJRkmIUQtexSssxhv2TfoEGp0VeflSsmjGwCW4/s1600/IMG_6426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9uAS5M7c0QZHrvisRlrI2qH2wLOgAzQNMKjigeUBxfGEgOwe7XQkv8t9XB_cmQRjrWfjd0bbtZDqMc-ybehK4BiOw7f4K_NOMf9DIhJRkmIUQtexSssxhv2TfoEGp0VeflSsmjGwCW4/s320/IMG_6426.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">I can start sleeping on my sides again next week...woohoo! </span> I hate sleeping on my back. And, being able to massage and put on the cream will make things softer and more comfy too.</div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">Next up will be to get my tattoo session with my nurse scheduled for this Fall!</span></b> Insurance requires it to be three months from the last surgery so I'm hoping for end of October or early November!</div>
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I head back to work tomorrow and on that note....</div>
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<u><span style="color: magenta;">My Tip for this Phase:</span></u></div>
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Those of you who have been following my Facebook updates know that I originally intended to return to work last week at 9 days post-op. The truth was that I was <b>NOT READY</b>! Physically, I was still tired by afternoon, still feeling queasy with too much exertion, and my brain was foggy. As a NICU nurse, I felt unsafe returning to work in a fog. Thankfully, I have an awesome workplace and understanding boss who had already sensed it and I was cleared to wait to return until tomorrow...which will be 15 days. So, as a note to those of you making this decision now, go ahead and plan for two weeks! Honestly, I was stressing myself out about it and was not sleeping. As soon as I spoke with my boss and she said not to come in, I took a two hour nap!! And, I slept almost through the night that night for the first time since surgery!! </div>
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We often put too much pressure on ourselves...at least I do. So, I would recommend that you plan for more and if you feel okay at one week then go back early. There is no sense in potentially extending your recovery because you pushed yourself too hard.</div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">I've had the opportunity to chat with several women this month who reached out to me via FB and have enjoyed getting to know them all. If I can answer questions or you just need a sounding board, please feel free to message me any time!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><b>Enjoy your week!</b></span><br />
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<u style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span></u>
<u style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span></u>
<u style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span></u>
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<u style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span></u>
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<u style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">MY TIMELINE:</span></b></span></u></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">12/22/16 Routine Screening Mammogram</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">01/18/17 </span> Repeat Imaging and US of left breast; <span style="color: magenta;">LUMP found</span>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">01/20/17 Core Needle Biopsy</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">01/24/17 </span> <span style="color: magenta;">Biopsy results positive...Stage 0 DCIS, left breast</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">01/25/17 Meeting with Breast Center Navigator and Genetic Testing</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">01/30/17 Consultation with Surgical Oncologist, Dr. K</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">02/08/17 Consultation with Plastic Surgeon</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">02/21/17 Pre-op Visit with Dr. O's nurse</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">02/27/17 Pre-op Labs and Testing</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">03/05/17 Lymph Node Injection</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">03/06/17 SURGERY DAY!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">03/10/17 Home!</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">03/16/17 10 day Post-op Visit with Plastic Surgery nurse<br />03/20/17 2 week Post-op Appointment with Surgical Oncologist, Dr. K</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">04/07/17 1 month Post-Op w/Plastic Surgeon, Dr. O</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">04/16/17 Returning to work!</span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">05/19/17 Appointment with Dr. O to schedule Phase 2 Surgery!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">07/13/17 Pre-op Visit with Dr. O's nurse; Pre-op Labs/EKG</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: magenta;">07/25/17 Phase 2 Surgery!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">08/08/17 2 week Post-op Visit with Plastic Surgery Nurse</span></b></span></span></div>
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Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-75795053332798025392017-07-26T08:21:00.001-07:002017-07-26T08:21:40.487-07:00Got Nipples?? Phase 2 is done!<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"> WARNING: THERE ARE GRAPHIC/NUDE POST-OP PHOTOS IN THIS POST.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;">Yesterday was my Phase 2 surgery with my amazing Plastic Surgeon, Dr. O. Not as much preparation needed for this one since it was outpatient and such a big difference in recovery.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jF0DcmEnxUdXSD-iM_rZCX8S2qtUJLFfVQChU-z9-6LlqqRR0wUZ5vllZtG3N_Y5v6JC5Z4RxRGMXz12AP1FAW7MK0jj0i5Phz7E-egFNT6rYdDLLNrrPqThxC8B7EMy-b0g3qlrCZk/s1600/IMG_6521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jF0DcmEnxUdXSD-iM_rZCX8S2qtUJLFfVQChU-z9-6LlqqRR0wUZ5vllZtG3N_Y5v6JC5Z4RxRGMXz12AP1FAW7MK0jj0i5Phz7E-egFNT6rYdDLLNrrPqThxC8B7EMy-b0g3qlrCZk/s320/IMG_6521.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet son is such a trooper getting up at <br />0430 to go with me to the hospital!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;">I had to be at the hospital at 0530 with an 0730 start time....we pretty much started right on time. The whole surgery took about 4 hours and I was home by 3pm. Only negative was that I got nauseated and was vomiting from the anesthesia afterward....no fun! I was still sick all evening off and on but finally took a phenergan and tried to sleep it off. Thankfully, I woke up early this morning feeling more like myself again. No nausea!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;">I am really not in pain, just very sore. My breasts are tender, but the flanks and thighs where he did the liposuction for the fat grafting is where I feel the most discomfort. As I am typing this, my flanks feel sore but not painful; however, it <i>is</i> quite painful to get up and down from sitting position. Once I'm up, I can walk with only that sore feeling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Since I was sick yesterday, I didn't really eat but a few bites. Had a small breakfast this morning and so far so good. Just dropped a pot roast in the crockpot for tonight.....definitely wasn't working in the kitchen after last surgery!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fg7vhURvkEbEUlqil9DjwnOg6gEb_bsJfFQv5Q63wEeKziIKQTJ_J5k5PF3xzcrNuQH86Y1NbX5310NGmmFN6n2SkfiBPWmtXtoY0Eff8Vn8HaWCG2JIcJ8iQawEgW9GN7g9Ndx3YjY/s1600/IMG_6483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fg7vhURvkEbEUlqil9DjwnOg6gEb_bsJfFQv5Q63wEeKziIKQTJ_J5k5PF3xzcrNuQH86Y1NbX5310NGmmFN6n2SkfiBPWmtXtoY0Eff8Vn8HaWCG2JIcJ8iQawEgW9GN7g9Ndx3YjY/s320/IMG_6483.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's get started! Dr. O with me just before surgery.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW2ASibxW2ZVPZKcX5UW5_aYhYiotQTRgPsgZ_9fBPP5hXylAt6eX_LEWNUEKRPXIy9HiPWR4I1AKWhUnAnbY7sA23JUksZx-Kf3eqTe1UGvP_auhyBwzSxSMXDY8DzKkEBgEWP7fUP5Q/s1600/IMG_6485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW2ASibxW2ZVPZKcX5UW5_aYhYiotQTRgPsgZ_9fBPP5hXylAt6eX_LEWNUEKRPXIy9HiPWR4I1AKWhUnAnbY7sA23JUksZx-Kf3eqTe1UGvP_auhyBwzSxSMXDY8DzKkEBgEWP7fUP5Q/s320/IMG_6485.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He marked me up all over....secret language of Plastic Surgeons!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px;">Now for the part y'all have been waiting for....the surgery and results!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Dr. O built my new nipples (3D nipples!) from the skin flaps from my abdomen that he placed during my initial reconstruction in March. There are sutures all around the edges and on the nipples. It looks rough today, but I am so VERY HAPPY with them! My breasts look like breasts again! </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUMLscsH_dFyXqy9V-5TrDo3IXyHpdknBInpxS6D4wiyJBBh-6JDja3OyBO-Chrh5fi0bm-8wGaopeHqqiTGS6RkCgKTDaaSJiFc1fB2tmn_QgUcG0nHGo4pbzH2YgYBNTpIX3zEP3yg/s1600/IMG_6516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUMLscsH_dFyXqy9V-5TrDo3IXyHpdknBInpxS6D4wiyJBBh-6JDja3OyBO-Chrh5fi0bm-8wGaopeHqqiTGS6RkCgKTDaaSJiFc1fB2tmn_QgUcG0nHGo4pbzH2YgYBNTpIX3zEP3yg/s320/IMG_6516.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that dimension!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVM0_vUHL5cItWjxE7qaPj0r2wc__XNG1e38J3uYVEW_nKl6VZynn7l67UZYuFz0_UulG2cogRuz5ku-VWl5Z-THORHXYqyBMxrRx1lf-8uoIhE6FeDoyAY_S-wH5rsgsvNXz8WdJ7DEQ/s1600/IMG_6498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVM0_vUHL5cItWjxE7qaPj0r2wc__XNG1e38J3uYVEW_nKl6VZynn7l67UZYuFz0_UulG2cogRuz5ku-VWl5Z-THORHXYqyBMxrRx1lf-8uoIhE6FeDoyAY_S-wH5rsgsvNXz8WdJ7DEQ/s320/IMG_6498.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gnarly looking today, but once they heal and have the <br />color tattoo, they will be practically perfect!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px;">He also did liposuction on my inner thighs and along both flanks....these are the sore areas today! Dr. O said I will be bruised pretty badly all along there and even maybe the back of my legs. The fat he got from there was used to "plump up" my breasts and give me the size and lift I needed.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Q5h8yIL2GoRqb2Vmt286PyNoOY_YXDPHp-I4BDG2Y8s21DyVqiNsHI8N68NlSlnuqwuGiMH9uoOtC4cDdOh4N1tSCoqYtAd_yAkx3X4kNrgsN0p3udQ2iAkTbdKS2vlJuhCS3jfE09o/s1600/IMG_6508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Q5h8yIL2GoRqb2Vmt286PyNoOY_YXDPHp-I4BDG2Y8s21DyVqiNsHI8N68NlSlnuqwuGiMH9uoOtC4cDdOh4N1tSCoqYtAd_yAkx3X4kNrgsN0p3udQ2iAkTbdKS2vlJuhCS3jfE09o/s320/IMG_6508.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hard to get a good pic of my inner thigh, but the top right is the "hole" <br />from the lipo cannula.<br />Thighs are sore, but maybe I'll have a bit of a high gap after!! :)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px;">My abdominal incision looks great so he did not revise any of it. He did however cut off the overhanging skin ("mini muffin tops" or "dog ears") from each end of the abdominal incision. Again, thrilled with the results there. Even though I am swollen and look Sponge-Bob shaped again, you can tell it's going to be great once the swelling goes down.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_p2XlSl96Vj0Pu8sS9GNsq-CFTQ44k-nUbcHgz1N_faHVnyiopATdSYLseroVmqx5QmNDDYsgsL6EL8FO2qWhr972G8AKtGoDRsV3MuhGQubG38SI4OsTikvXQTQAEPphy4iTFEq68Y/s1600/IMG_6489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="1201" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_p2XlSl96Vj0Pu8sS9GNsq-CFTQ44k-nUbcHgz1N_faHVnyiopATdSYLseroVmqx5QmNDDYsgsL6EL8FO2qWhr972G8AKtGoDRsV3MuhGQubG38SI4OsTikvXQTQAEPphy4iTFEq68Y/s320/IMG_6489.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Incisions on both sides where Dr. O removed my "dog ears".<br />Love not having that overhang!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px;">I woke up from surgery with the ugly surgical bra on and a tight compression garment that goes from just under my breasts to my calves. <b>That sucker is a beast to get on and off! </b> The spare one I bought only goes to my knees and seems to slide up easier. I think both will be better to get in to when I'm less swollen and sore to the touch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">I am supposed to take Tylenol or Ibuprofen every 8 hours....which I probably will just to stay ahead of this soreness (don't want it to turn into pain). I am also on an antibiotic every 8 hours. Otherwise, my instructions were regular diet, light walking, and to sleep!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Sounds like a Netflix day in bed is called for!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTY-T4NAbKzmfAuosr6N4Djf75qVOD3PKj1H0-xRYRxudFYbFH5O2kCCvbaFDumiojidLsmfOTwgSgY3k3DsSIgheUDUE8eIV3-FsKQGu-Cvzl-2885KZMfdeYnySswDiv5c_6XHif3k/s1600/IMG_6520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTY-T4NAbKzmfAuosr6N4Djf75qVOD3PKj1H0-xRYRxudFYbFH5O2kCCvbaFDumiojidLsmfOTwgSgY3k3DsSIgheUDUE8eIV3-FsKQGu-Cvzl-2885KZMfdeYnySswDiv5c_6XHif3k/s400/IMG_6520.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at the difference! First photo was yesterday morning when I was getting <br />ready to head to the hospital. The second photo was this morning, less than 24 hours later!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px;">All in all, I am thrilled with the outcome. I love my new breasts...nipples make all the difference!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">I asked my friends and family to send me pics of them wearing their #teamJules t-shirts yesterday while I was in surgery. <b><span style="color: magenta;">It was so fun to scroll thru my FB feed last night and see all of them!! I have the best group of friends, co-workers, and family!</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px;">Have a blessed week!</span></div>
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Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-13406904734694354122017-07-14T12:03:00.003-07:002017-07-14T12:14:36.547-07:00Phase 2 Surgery: Pre-op Visit and Plans<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">Here we are in mid-July already! Hard to believe how quickly this year is moving along. A lot of days, I can almost forget that any of this breast cancer stuff has actually happened...then I'll roll over in bed and feel a pinch on the side of my breasts where the drains were or catch a glimpse of my incisions in the mirror. The scars honestly don't bother me that much...battle scars aren't all bad. However, I am most definitely ready for the </span><span style="color: magenta; line-height: 18.2px;">nipple reconstruction</span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"> portion.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yesterday, I met with Dr. O's nurse, Crystal. She went over all of the pre-op and post-op instructions for my upcoming <span style="color: magenta;">Phase 2 surgery</span>, sent in my prescriptions, gave me my lab orders, and scheduled my follow-up appointments.</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="background-color: white; color: magenta; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here's what I learned:</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The <b>scar revision</b> portion is "as needed". Crystal explained that any areas where the abdominal incision scar might be wider than necessary, raised, or have hard spots is where Dr. O would target. As I've shown y'all before, my abdominal incision has healed quite nicely so I'm not sure how much (if anything) he will do there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">The <b>nipple reconstruction </b>is pretty much exactly like the video I included in my <a href="http://bosomthing.blogspot.com/2017/05/time-to-build-nipples-planning-phase-2.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>. <b>The new nipples will be large at first (in addition to swollen) because <span style="color: magenta;">they anticipate them reducing in size by 50%!! </span></b></span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">Wow! I have read from a lot of women that over time their new nipples flattened out and were no longer 3D, so I asked my nurse about that. She said that this was very patient-specific and had to do with skin elasticity and health more than anything else. A diabetic patient or a patient with lots of stretch marks on her breasts will have a harder time with the nipple reconstruction staying as intended. Makes total sense since the new nipples are made out of the skin flaps that he placed during my Phase 1 procedures. Since I do not have any issues with elasticity or healing, Crystal believes I should have great results. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The <b>fat grafting</b> portion of the surgery is probably the biggest portion and the one that'll leave quite a bit of bruising and soreness. Dr. O had told me that my thighs would be significantly sore. He will <b>liposuction</b> my flanks and the abdominal area to remove those "dog ears" and smooth things out as needed. What he takes from there and my thighs will then go toward building up some size and the overall shaping of my breasts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">Pre-op for this one is easy. I only had to get </span><span style="color: magenta; line-height: 18.2px;">two labs and an EKG</span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"> (which I took care of yesterday after my office visit). Dr. O wrote for an </span><span style="color: magenta; line-height: 18.2px;">antibiotic for 1 week post-op</span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"> (I picked it up yesterday too!)....I didn't have to take one for Phase 1 interestingly enough. I am allowed to take Tramadol for pain if needed (but the pain meds make me nauseated, so I'll most likely skip this) or just Tylenol and Ibuprofen. She also recommended having the Colace around again...constipation is pretty common after anesthesia and especially with the pain meds. I also had the option of a script for an anti-nausea med....again, I think I took one pill last time, so I'm not worried about needing this.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I will <b>wake-up in a bra</b> similar to the one I had after the first surgery...not attractive but it does the job. I will only <b>wear it for 3 days </b>this time! <b><span style="color: magenta;">At day 4, I can switch to the underwire-free bra</span></b> <b><span style="color: magenta;">of my choice lined with breast pads</span></b>...like the ones used by breastfeeding moms. Crystal instructed me to cut a hole in the center of the pads "like a bull's eye" and to stack 3-4 of them on my new nipples. <b>The goal is for there to be enough padding to keep my new nipples from being smashed by my bra. </b>It was a little weird buying a box of these yesterday...haven't purchased any in 15 years!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXYfNyorML98NwtfFGsua8Shs8AhTQnxGe4vkHgZiWkHx9Y2wlfgDCP6IBbEmzmTlowrLWAPQQJpwtuqrJtindlGLY2eNjXkcsRzvFZKX8eBJ_5kdx9M4So0Qi1ORulW8-XxNB7c79OA/s1600/IMG_6425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXYfNyorML98NwtfFGsua8Shs8AhTQnxGe4vkHgZiWkHx9Y2wlfgDCP6IBbEmzmTlowrLWAPQQJpwtuqrJtindlGLY2eNjXkcsRzvFZKX8eBJ_5kdx9M4So0Qi1ORulW8-XxNB7c79OA/s400/IMG_6425.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I will also <b>wake up in a compression garment</b>. This one will go from just under my breast to my knees. My nurse recommended that I purchase a similar one (Flexees, Spanx, etc.) since<b><span style="color: magenta;"> I will wear it 24/7 for 4-6 weeks</span></b> (Not to mention the fact that it'll be August in South Texas at that time!!). She informed me that the one they provide is quite thick and VERY tight so most patients are more comfortable in a store-bought version. I was able to find one like she described at Walmart yesterday for ~$20.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR7c-GmyrPmrcdttp5jeO-Frt1F7BJvtl4TQeqVTe1wys1OhfPo_mRg6m2rkyXC-AlhSAaM8j9lBEI-cj9BLk_qL7v13YjTNOy41pPIbwWLAyKEvaV-eIwG2-VnqCTGqmGfmRv1wkZtE/s1600/IMG_6426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR7c-GmyrPmrcdttp5jeO-Frt1F7BJvtl4TQeqVTe1wys1OhfPo_mRg6m2rkyXC-AlhSAaM8j9lBEI-cj9BLk_qL7v13YjTNOy41pPIbwWLAyKEvaV-eIwG2-VnqCTGqmGfmRv1wkZtE/s320/IMG_6426.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I liked the Flexees brand abdominal binder best after my last surgery too. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">I am </span><span style="color: magenta; line-height: 18.2px;">not allowed to drive for 1 week </span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">and </span><span style="color: magenta; line-height: 18.2px;">no lifting over 10lbs for 2 weeks</span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">. Exercise is </span><span style="color: magenta; line-height: 18.2px;">limited to walking. </span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">Unfortunately, it's back to</span><span style="color: magenta; line-height: 18.2px;"> showering with the water only on my back for about a month </span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">and</span><span style="color: magenta; line-height: 18.2px;"> no side or back sleeping for at least 3 weeks. </span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">That will take some getting used to again!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Follow-up with the nurse at 2 weeks and with Dr. O at one month. Crystal said that the <b><span style="color: magenta;">stitches in the nipples will usually dissolve in 3-4 weeks</span></b>. Good news: <b>NO DRAINS with this surgery!!! </b> That's definitely a BONUS!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, that's pretty much it. Obviously, all MDs do things a little differently, but this might give you a starting point for asking questions as you discuss your surgical plans. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Y'all know I like to have a plan and the details so I can be prepared. Now that I've got that, I'm good to go. <b>The only things left to do is a little housecleaning and grocery shopping next week. </b>(I'm actually working Sunday and Monday before my Tuesday morning surgery so I won't have time to do anything the day before.) Surgery is at 0730 (got to be there at 0530) and is outpatient so I should be home by late</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> afternoon/evening. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Any of you already been thru this Phase 2 and have advice? Please comment below and share.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Counting down....T-minus 11 days...</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">12/22/16 Routine Screening Mammogram</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">01/18/17 </span><span style="color: #919191;"> </span>Repeat Imaging and US of left breast; <span style="color: magenta;">LUMP found</span><span style="color: #919191;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">01/20/17 Core Needle Biopsy</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">01/24/17 </span><span style="color: #919191;"> </span><span style="color: magenta;">Biopsy results positive...Stage 0 DCIS, left breast</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">01/25/17 Meeting with Breast Center Navigator and Genetic Testing</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">01/30/17 Consultation with Surgical Oncologist, Dr. K</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">02/08/17 Consultation with Plastic Surgeon</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">02/21/17 Pre-op Visit with Dr. O's nurse</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">02/27/17 Pre-op Labs and Testing</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">03/05/17 Lymph Node Injection</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">03/06/17 SURGERY DAY!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">03/10/17 Home!</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">03/16/17 10 day Post-op Visit with Plastic Surgery nurse<br />03/20/17 2 week Post-op Appointment with Surgical Oncologist, Dr. K</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">04/07/17 1 month Post-Op w/Plastic Surgeon, Dr. O</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">04/16/17 Returning to work!</span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">05/19/17 Appointment with Dr. O to schedule Phase 2 Surgery!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">07/13/17 Pre-op Visit with Dr. O's nurse; Pre-op Labs/EKG</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">07/25/17 Phase 2 Surgery!!</span></span></div>
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Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-29605728781939028222017-07-06T16:19:00.000-07:002017-07-06T16:19:02.693-07:00A Post-Mastectomy Mini-Vacay: Summer means Beach Time! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I love going to the beach! It is definitely my happy place. I get in the water but mostly, I just enjoy laying in a lounge chair soaking up the sun and the sounds. Thankfully, my son inherited my love for the beach and we always enjoy a chance to get away there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This year has been a very different year for us with my cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery. While insurance covered my surgical expenses, I still have an OOP and lost pay from some of my time off. My Phase 2 surgery is also coming up on July 25. So, a big vacation was not in the books for us this year. I planned on just a day trip (the Padre Island National Seashore is only 2.5 hrs away) then got an email that I had earned enough points for a free night at La Quinta and it applied to the one on N. Padre Island. Score!! Overnight trips are so much better...especially for the driver (that's me!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As excited as I was to get there, I wondered what I'd feel like once I did...the sun and heat on my chest, the sand on my incisions, and the overall fatigue (I definitely get tired faster than before still.). </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thankfully, it was fantastic! We spent the whole <span style="color: red;">Independence</span> <span style="color: blue;">Day</span> holiday on the beach and then watched fireworks outside the Padre Island Yacht Club (great show!).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kOeuSV_NnpOXfnLn3HNSEVcBrHImq_AAvcdojBw0RANEzksKzddudZvmiDaIPPLC9IJHFD_mVuYPY6lQwEOuIRvO4orqTKiARUPqu9rg9TS1ILUp9dJ3TkyN591qb_PMTs9HQm4jsd8/s1600/19732366_10209297641626543_6982925777422572719_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kOeuSV_NnpOXfnLn3HNSEVcBrHImq_AAvcdojBw0RANEzksKzddudZvmiDaIPPLC9IJHFD_mVuYPY6lQwEOuIRvO4orqTKiARUPqu9rg9TS1ILUp9dJ3TkyN591qb_PMTs9HQm4jsd8/s320/19732366_10209297641626543_6982925777422572719_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The heat did not cause me any issues and, as a matter of fact, even with all the extra activity, <span style="color: magenta;">I did not notice additional swelling or discomfort at the end of the day! </span> The first big wave that hit me straight on did take my breath away for a moment. It felt like I got <b>punch in the stomach</b>...my abdomen incision area is still tender and some of those waves were uncomfortable. I just made sure to use a boogie board to shield my abdomen and I was fine. Laying on my stomach on the low lounge chair provided a little bit of a challenge to get up....the neighbors probably wondered why I hesitated each time I got up.</span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">I think I was also much more conscious of my breasts than usual.</span><span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"> Because they are sometimes a little on the numb side, I was hyper aware of them....worried that I might have a </span><i style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">"wardrobe malfunction"</i><span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"> and not notice! Didn't happen and I was apparently worried for nothing.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiHS2rbegcHOH2Qw8v7VK_39dKTQKxcrrRbYMYtl8k7TVqMY2rIptPU9pqzhyphenhyphenRdevceM2frL3i0LWke4vo52QGI130XVQrbxnngRL6jsyX_zglzUSYAChE9UtUG40Q_jpQiya2G9wSXc/s1600/19732012_10209305632386307_4306237585859560953_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiHS2rbegcHOH2Qw8v7VK_39dKTQKxcrrRbYMYtl8k7TVqMY2rIptPU9pqzhyphenhyphenRdevceM2frL3i0LWke4vo52QGI130XVQrbxnngRL6jsyX_zglzUSYAChE9UtUG40Q_jpQiya2G9wSXc/s400/19732012_10209305632386307_4306237585859560953_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise at Padre Island national Seashore 07/05/17</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The next morning we went back to the park just before sunrise for the Sea Turtle hatchling release. (If you haven't witnessed this, it's a wonderful opportunity to see and lean about these endangered creatures. This was our second time and I'd do it again.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the afternoon, we boarded a boat and went on a 3-hr bay fishing trip. I didn't catch much but my son did and we enjoyed a terrific lunch today at home because of it! The fishing did not bother me at all but I imagine <b>I might have felt it pull some on my abdomen had I caught anything bigger than a little catfish.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Scars look great, no irritation</b>. Mine were covered and not exposed to the sun at all so I can't say how they'd respond to that. I've heard they can get very dark and it's best to avoid sun exposure early on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Overall, it was a wonderful trip that I wish didn't have to end! We enjoyed every minute and I'm so glad we got to get away before this next surgery. <b>Some things may feel different and a lot has changed but it doesn't mean that we can't have fun! <span style="color: magenta;">As long as your MD clears you for activity, don't hesitate to do things and embrace life!</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hope all of you are enjoying a great Summer! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>What are your plans? Anyone trying something new? </b></i></span><br />
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<br />Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-31612904557166027252017-06-11T16:00:00.000-07:002017-06-11T16:00:48.686-07:00Hello Summer! 14 Weeks Post-op Update<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hi Y'all!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Summer is here! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well...they float alright! ;)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Just a quick video update for this week....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy Summer!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-45680959553577772042017-05-19T14:59:00.000-07:002017-05-19T14:59:11.724-07:00Time to Build the Nipples: Planning PHASE 2<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"> WARNING: THERE ARE GRAPHIC/NUDE POST-OP PHOTOS IN THIS POST.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93Nz5AGffiURGOwVHrBowtJ_EP-Mkwe1clMjjwaiGuosAJ7zeNjChjRY1NCaFayXT95wMuodqW3-SgQf8ZNP9tGuqjt8DdR6Qv6H9x7VChJbI1-NwiT4qZJsH83afEeKLPiVgy79SdB4/s1600/IMG_5880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93Nz5AGffiURGOwVHrBowtJ_EP-Mkwe1clMjjwaiGuosAJ7zeNjChjRY1NCaFayXT95wMuodqW3-SgQf8ZNP9tGuqjt8DdR6Qv6H9x7VChJbI1-NwiT4qZJsH83afEeKLPiVgy79SdB4/s320/IMG_5880.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plastic Surgery Post-op Visit at 10.5 weeks</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today was my post-op visit and Phase 2 consult with my fantastic Plastic Surgeon, Dr. O. I am sooooo ready and excited for Phase 2 surgery! <b><span style="color: magenta;">This surgery is the "make things pretty" one and I'll get my nipples!!</span></b> Double yay!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Overall, I've had a very "easy" recovery and I'm happy with the results and the way that my body has healed. There are a few things though that need to be tweaked in this second surgery.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAa9z4krPPTtYd5YSwwnz7BZA8Ku3mHIEuf78IvcLFruK7tIFEYdUEbRNH-jB_1rEC1j6gqIyDA2XEeA-bWOBcilW2450xh1n2XkxQaUjV353dgXm-Nk7qaTTIgFvzqepJnx80dhgPKqo/s1600/IMG_5883.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAa9z4krPPTtYd5YSwwnz7BZA8Ku3mHIEuf78IvcLFruK7tIFEYdUEbRNH-jB_1rEC1j6gqIyDA2XEeA-bWOBcilW2450xh1n2XkxQaUjV353dgXm-Nk7qaTTIgFvzqepJnx80dhgPKqo/s400/IMG_5883.PNG" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You play with SnapChat filters while <br />
you wait too, don't you?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've mentioned before the "dog ears" at the ends of my abdominal scar that will be removed. To me they are my <i><span style="color: magenta;">"mini muffin tops"</span></i>! (I showed them to y'all in the <a href="https://youtu.be/pB_ttP4lPfM" target="_blank">video I posted last week</a>.) Not only do they look funny, but this past week they have become a little annoying. My waistbands sit right on them now and it rubs throughout the day....especially annoying in my scrubs on my 12 hour shifts. Be glad to see them go!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The other issue is that <span style="color: magenta;">my breasts seem to be a bit "droopy" now</span> that the swelling has subsided and the tissue has settled. They both have flattened on top and the right is a bit flatter on top than the left...not super noticeable but noticeable enough. <span style="color: magenta;">Dr. O said they both require a little "filler" on top and a bit of a lift. </span>However, since I am wanting them to also be a bit bigger overall, <span style="color: magenta;">he will do more fat grafting</span> and that will basically provide the lift I need in addition to the larger cup size.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WgWroLU_WHbBVsX7eVVVjkOqUgJ1rJrdS-YRrD4ISfaM5h7aEPfazMJgDqsvcAqeu9d6TfAhOUB7d5ZBtUlKj63G0kbaPxHg7vXfgH7tKMaM1urdaTuLg_aVikOAT5u5A-KkC3MUOKQ/s1600/IMG_5892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WgWroLU_WHbBVsX7eVVVjkOqUgJ1rJrdS-YRrD4ISfaM5h7aEPfazMJgDqsvcAqeu9d6TfAhOUB7d5ZBtUlKj63G0kbaPxHg7vXfgH7tKMaM1urdaTuLg_aVikOAT5u5A-KkC3MUOKQ/s400/IMG_5892.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see that one side is a bit fuller on top? The other <br />
is flatter and they both need a little lift and fullness. <br />
Plus, I will get to be bigger overall!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Dr. O will be doing liposuction on my abdomen</b></span> but said he will have to use fat from another area in order to get enough to increase my bust size. I asked about putting my hated double chin in there, but alas, it was a no-go! Oh well, it was worth a try! :) <span style="color: magenta;">Happily, he will be getting it from my thighs!!</span> I've certainly got plenty to spare there!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">This is also the procedure where he will build my new nipples! </span></b> Really excited about this. <b>Right now, my breasts look a little.....undecorated. </b> It's super cool how they build them, so if you are interested, here's the video from PRMA:</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/21slydkJDhA" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The visit went well and I am happy with the plan. Honestly, I was a bit nervous about making my feelings known. Kinda hate to "complain" to a physician about the amazing work he already did. The thing is though that this is the body I will live with the rest of my life....prayerfully a long life thanks to now being <span style="color: magenta;">cancer free</span>! <b>Please don't hesitate to be honest with your providers about your feelings and your desired outcomes. </b> I'm so glad I did today, because I know the final outcome will be in line with what I want and will make me feel more like "me".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On another note, just wanted to give a shout-out to the awesome staff at <b><span style="color: magenta;">PRMA</span></b> and the <b><span style="color: magenta;"><a href="https://prma-enhance.com/patient-support/" target="_blank">PRMA Pink Ladies Breast Cancer Support Group</a></span></b>! I went to my first event last night and it was fun. We met at an Origins store for mini facials and just to visit. <i><span style="color: magenta;"> </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: magenta;">Nothing like going to meet new people and having all of your makeup removed when you get there!! Ha! </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I met a couple of very nice ladies and my skin looked fantastic! I'm looking forward to participating in more events in the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now to wait for insurance authorization and then we get a surgical date!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Enjoy your weekend!</span><br />
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<u style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">MY TIMELINE:</span></b></span></u></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">12/22/16 Routine Screening Mammogram</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">01/18/17 Repeat Imaging and US of left breast; <span style="color: magenta;">LUMP found</span>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">01/20/17 Core Needle Biopsy</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">01/24/17 <span style="color: magenta;">Biopsy results positive...Stage 0 DCIS, left breast</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">01/25/17 Meeting with Breast Center Navigator and Genetic Testing</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">01/30/17 Consultation with Surgical Oncologist, Dr. K</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">02/08/17 Consultation with Plastic Surgeon</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">02/21/17 Pre-op Visit with Dr. O's nurse</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">02/27/17 Pre-op Labs and Testing</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">03/05/17 Lymph Node Injection</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: magenta;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">03/06/17 SURGERY DAY!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">03/10/17 Home!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">03/16/17 10 day Post-op Visit with Plastic Surgery nurse</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;">03/20/17 2 week Post-op Appointment with Surgical Oncologist, Dr. K</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">04/07/17 1 month Post-Op w/Plastic Surgeon, Dr. O</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">04/16/17 Returning to work!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">05/19/17 Appointment with Dr. O to schedule Phase 2 Surgery!</span></span></div>
Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-32545846835496598392017-05-12T07:32:00.001-07:002017-05-12T07:33:56.955-07:00Sharing my Story on LIVESTRONGMy breast cancer story was shared this week on the LIVESTRONG blog and social media accounts! A little surreal to see it out there but very cool.<br />
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Here's the link: https://blog.livestrong.org/sharing-my-breast-cancer-journey-a56f6392278<br />
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Be sure to check out their website....tons of great resources and info!<br />
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<br />Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237196105629968612.post-43481161812530723442017-05-07T14:48:00.000-07:002017-05-07T14:48:41.315-07:00It's Tummy Time! 9 Weeks Post-op Update<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tomorrow is <span style="color: magenta;"><b>9 weeks post-op</b></span>! It really is hard to believe how quickly life is moving on. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with my friend (& NICU Manager) <br />
getting ready for the NICU Reunion!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've been back at work for 3 full weeks and things are going very well there. I feel <span style="color: magenta;">stronger every shift</span> and was happily able to participate in our annual NICU Reunion yesterday! It was so much fun to see all of our NICU Graduates so happy and healthy and to catch-up with their families. We all look forward to the event every year!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Those of you who follow me on Facebook (@bosomthing) know that <b>I could stop wearing the abdominal binder at week 8</b>. So, this past week has been a bit of an experiment in how it feels to be without that extra support. Overall, it is better than I expected. For now, I will continue to wear it to work...just because I feel more secure with a little extra support on those long, busy shifts. On my days off, however, I am going without it and it's been nice. It is definitely cooler without that extra layer; especially since we've had some really hot days here lately! That's South Texas for you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was very concerned about the amount of swelling I would have when not wearing the binder and have been pleasantly surprised to find that it is not bad at all! <b><span style="color: magenta;">Like everything else on this journey, it seems to improve each week!</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here is a 2.5 minute video to show you the progress on my abdomen:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(I realize I do not have makeup on for this video, but I'm learning through this journey to be less concerned with all of that...or at least trying to be.)</i></span></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pB_ttP4lPfM" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have a great week!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Julie, RNhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344325206336949250noreply@blogger.com1