All Pink All the Time: October 2018 Update

I haven't posted on here in awhile, but I post pretty much DAILY on the Facebook page associated with this blog. That's the main place where I communicate about breast cancer,  recovery tips, funny things, updates about me, and events.  So, if you aren't already following my FB page, please do!  

You can find it at: @bosomthing

Speaking of events.....

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 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.  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!  

So, what's been happening with me?  Sooooo much to tell you!

Of course, I've been wearing a lot of PINK 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!

Cute, huh?  Found at The Dollar Tree.

Last month marked the end of the 9-week Overcomers Workshop I previously told you about.  It was a fantastic couple of months with these ladies and I could not recommend it highly enough.  If you are a survivor and local to the SA area, please consider registering for this.  Each week was a new topic and each week was more meaningful.  I have now made some amazing new friends and found new Pink Sisters.  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.  

Getting ready to volunteer at Brighton Collectibles
with the Overcomers to fundraise for a Christmas project

Last month I also had the cool opportunity to be involved in a photoshoot for a local neighborhood magazine. It is published for the area around the hospital where I work and where the big Paint the Parkway Pink 5k Race 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.

Dr. Holt is an amazing lady who also help found an organization called Women in Medicine and Law for the Cure.  This phenomenal group of professional women hit the 2 million dollar mark in fundraising this year...yes, you read that right...TWO MILLION DOLLARS!  All of that money is donated to a privately funded research grant to find a cure for breast cancer.

Fun for a cause!

The guest speaker was the current
President and CEO of Susan G. Komen!

This doesn't happen every day!  :)

Pink Glove Dance

Over 2 million dollars toward finding a cure!

I was so excited and honored to be invited by Dr. Holt to attend their annual dinner last week. It was an amazing night of fundraising and fun!  And, the most amazing moment of the night for me...made me misty-eyed....Dr. Holt mentioned this blog by name and quoted from one of my posts in her speech!  How cool is that?!?!?  

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 I have seen God's abundant blessings in my life thru this diagnosis.  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.  How amazing is our God?!?!?

Monday morning at 6am our hospital hosted a Pink Pep Rally 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!

Jennifer has always been a supporter and friend who does so much for our hospital
and our city promoting healthy living and events.
Andrea was my Nurse Navigator thru the Baptist Breast Center

and she is the one who first told me about DIEP Flap Reconstruction

 and introduced me to my fantastic team of surgeons and nurses!

To finish off this already awesome week, Saturday was Paint the Parkway Pink Race day!  
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!

Even with the very wet weather we've been having lately, the rain stayed away and we had a terrific pink turnout!

Pheww…..I'm tired!  It has been a whirlwind of a month so far but fantastic all the same.  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!

Friendly Reminder!

Happy Sunday!

October Update

                            WARNING:  THERE ARE GRAPHIC/NUDE POST-OP PHOTOS IN THIS POST.

Not much post-worthy happening around here but I wanted to touch-base with all of you and give you some photo updates.

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. :)

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 all bad...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. 

Super excited to report that my final Phase 3 is scheduled!!  My micropigmentation procedure (aka tattoos) will be completed in my PS office by my nurse on Nov. 7th.  Yay!  This should be the last procedure on my breast reconstruction journey.  

As my new nipples/areolas have healed, I am even happier with them!  As promised, the nipples have gone down about 50% and are not as "noticeable" when I am not wearing a bra (not that I do that in public, but I could! ;) ).  To see them with color soon...it's like waiting for Christmas as a kid!  

New nipples built 2.5 months ago...all healed and scars fading.
Just waiting on tattoos for color!!

The breasts themselves are great! The fat grafting made all the difference in shaping 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!! 

My incisions have all healed well and the scars are starting to fade.  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 InviCible Scars cream (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.  

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!  :)

Fat grafting scars on chest at 2.5 months post-op

My original abdominal incision looks good...not fading as quickly as my breast incisions, but it is very smooth and flat.

DIEP Flap Abdominal Incision at 7.5 months post-op

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.  

New right flank incision...smooth and flat already at 2.5 months post-op

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.

New left flank incision...thin but a little "indented" at 2.5 months post-op

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!  

Since October is officially Breast Cancer Awareness Month, please don't forget to do your self-exams and get your mammograms!!  I found this ad amusing:

Have a great week!

6 months Later....Surgical Oncologist Follow-up

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. It doesn't seem real that it has been that long ago!!  

So, here's the lowdown....

My appointment was with the Nurse Practitioner, Rebecca.  She is super sweet and a fellow breast cancer survivor.  Having personal experience with the reconstructive process and the

journey, she is an awesome resource!  

Because my cancer did not require any chemo or hormone therapy, I am not followed by a Medical Oncologist just the Surgical Oncologist.  Therefore, they will conduct all of my labs and breast exams.  Rebecca stated that I will need 6 month visits (basically a manual breast exam) for 2 years and then annual visits for 3 years....a total of 5 years surveillance. Labs will be drawn annually.  After 5 years, my annual OB/GYN breast exam will suffice.  

Big notes:  
*No mammograms ever.
*If any physician ever finds something "suspicious", I am to contact my NP immediately for an ultrasound and she will follow-up on it.

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!!  Her exact quote was: "You couldn't have asked for a better cosmetic outcome!"

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!

October Breast Cancer Awareness Wreath

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.  :)

Love these gals!

Hope y'all have a blessed week!

They Found a Lump??!!??

This all began with my very first routine screening mammogram on December 22, 2016.  Nothing out of the ordinary...never felt anything...just the "you're 40 now and need a mammo" mammogram. The tech was very friendly and explained everything she was going to do.  She also explained to me that as a first timer, I would not have anything for the radiologist to compare to so I shouldn't be surprised if I received a call back asking for more images.  She assured me that most of the time it was nothing. 

Sure enough, I received a call back within a few days asking me to come back for more images.  The imaging center couldn't get me in for almost a month....I figured that definitely signified that this was nothing to worry about.

On January 18, 2017, I went back to the imaging center. The plan was to be in-and-out in under an hour because I had lunch plans with some girlfriends that afternoon.  I walked in and the same tech was in the room. As she was setting-up, she started explaining how they just wanted images of my left breast.  This was the first twinge of nervousness I felt. After the images, she had me wait saying:  "I'm just going to show these to the radiologist.  If he is okay with them, you are free to go.  If he wants more, you'll get an ultrasound."

Within a few minutes, another tech came and got me for an ultrasound.  "Ummm....so...he saw something?", I asked.  She responded: "Oh, yes, we want a closer look. But, don't worry, Dr ____ is great about talking to patients.  He will come in when we are done and talk to you."

I tried to act cool, but I was feeling a little confused.  The room was darkened and I was told to lay on the table with my left arm above my head.  She rolled the wand all around my left breast concentrating what seemed like forever on my armpit.  As a nurse, my mind started clicking away at everything I knew about lymph node locations.  I could not see the screen where I was positioned so I stared at the ceiling while the speaker played "Hotel California". I remember thinking what an odd song that was for this office.  Anyway....

Moments later, the radiologist walks in.  He takes my hand in both of his and gives me this very sad and concerned look........pretty sure, my heart stopped for a moment.  

Long story short, he told me he found a 3cm lesion that was "very unusual in someone my age" and "very concerning" and "needs to be biopsied and removed" and "it's VERY concerning" and  then the two-handed handshake again and "I'm so sorry."

I was further informed that a biopsy appointment would probably take 2 weeks and results another week after that. But, he threw in "it's a slow growing kind, so it's okay. Don't worry".  It didn't seem "okay" to me, but everything was a bit foggy at the moment and i really just wanted to get outside.

I made it out to my car.  I shakily picked up my phone and called my mother....the tears started before she answered and it took me a few minutes to gain control.  She called my Dad who turned around and called me right back. My girlfriends insisted that I still needed to come to lunch.  Within a couple of hours, my brother and grandmother knew and my OBGYN (my referring physician) had called me because he had received a message from the imaging center.  

I picked up my son after school and told him the news.  He is 14 and such a calm, even-tempered kiddo.  His response was quiet and full of wisdom:  "Well, Mom, there's nothing worrying is going to do.  All we can do is pray and trust that it'll be okay.  You're young and healthy, it'll be fine."  He was right about the worrying, of course,  but it is definitely easier said than done.

That night, I posted what had happened on Facebook asking my friends and family for prayer support.  Needless to say, I didn't sleep much.  The next morning I got up and went to work in a fog.  As soon as the Breast Center opened, I called to get scheduled for a biopsy. They were busy and were not sure when my report would be read and approved by the radiologist.  There are many blessings in my job as a nurse....one being the close proximity to the Breast Center, the physicians, and being a part of the hospital family.  My friends helped me (and thanks to a patient who cancelled), my biopsy was scheduled the next day.  

Immediately, a small sense of relief washed over me.  I'm a planner.  If I have a plan, I can deal. Now, a plan was forming....get the biopsy, get the results, get moving.

My amazing coworkers rallied behind me and sent me home that night with a sweet card and a goodie bag of snacks, candy, a candle, puzzle book, etc.  I am so blessed to be back "home" in my NICU.








I'll tell you what to expect with the biopsy (or at least how mine went) in a separate post.
For now, GO GET YOUR MAMMOGRAM!!

Ready for the biopsy....get used to pink gowns, you wear them a lot!

MY TIMELINE:
12/22/16  Routine Screening Mammogram
01/18/17  Repeat Imaging and US of left breast; LUMP found.
01/20/17  Core Needle Biopsy

My Journey...Why Share Here?

As I am beginning my journey with breast cancer, I have been doing a lot of research and reading online. The most helpful websites and YouTube videos were written not by doctors or Breast Cancer organizations, but by the actual women going through it.  In many ways, I think it is as therapeutic for the author as it is helpful for the readers.  For that reason, I decided to post my journey here.  If no one reads it, that's okay. But, if it helps another woman on her journey, then that is great!

First of all, every woman's journey is different.  There is more than one kind of breast cancer and lots of treatment options.  Everyone deals with the diagnosis, the treatment, the process, the recovery, etc. in his or her own way.  I was told in my first meeting with the Breast Center that I had to make decisions that I could live with...that I could live with.  That's important because people have a lot of opinions and some of them will want to share those with you.  Most of them are doing it out of love and concern, so try to take it that way, but remember that this is YOUR journey.  

I'm an advocate for educating yourself. For me, I've sought guidance from my physicians and done a lot of research myself.  I also have the benefit of being a nurse and working in the hospital setting.  Seek out friends and family who have been through this.  Many women have reached out to me....I was surprised how many of my friends have been through this themselves.  1 in 8 actually seems low once you start talking to people. 

As a nurse, I'm not squeamish and actually appreciate the sometimes brutal honesty of surgical photos/videos.  That's not for everyone, but I was glad to have found that there are a few women out there who have been willing to share the not-so-pretty before and afters.  I'm still undecided on how much of that I'll share here, but for now, I'll try to tell you my story as it unfolds.  I'll be honest...even if it isn't pretty.

Feel free to comment and ask questions.