Monthly Archives: April 2014

It has been a while…

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It has been a while…

Which is a good thing in my book.  I am finally falling into a nice rhythm.  The nerve pain seems to have eased up a little.  The muscle spasms are much less frequent (thank goodness). Every day is getting easier.  I’m not gonna lie to you, the first month back to work was EXHAUSTING.  I don’t think I have ever been that tired and worn out continually in my life.  But, for all of you out there, it does get better.  I don’t finish every day blown to smithereens.  When I first returned to work, I couldn’t sit down when I got home until I had completed everything I needed to do.  If I did, I would be toast.  Burnt to a crisp kind of toast. There were days that I made that mistake, only to wake up 2hrs later with my badge, shoes, and winter jacket on with my car keys still in my hand.  Now when I get home, I feel like a “normal” person.  Sure, I am tired, but it’s just the kind of tired you get from standing and working all day.  My scars are feeling better.  Regular bras don’t bother my lat scars even close to as much as they did.  I’m not having any pain and my ROM is very good.  No problems reaching for things for this girl.  I have noticed that I have a hard time doing things like tricep dips.  I have a feeling that has to do with the new position of my lats.  I continue to do my PT. It really isn’t difficult anymore, just an annoyance that I have to do it, but I will continue to do it because no matter how much I hated it, I feel that PT helped me the most. So, if there are any words of advice that I can offer someone having this procedure, having gone through it myself, it is DO THE PHYSICAL THERAPY.  I read a lot of other peoples blogs who are still having lots of pain 6 months, a year, 2 yrs out, and I often wonder if they were offered the extensive PT that I was and if they continually did it.  I am almost 2.5 months out from my last surgery and I must say, I FEEL GOOD!!!!  So ladies that are doing research about possibly having this done, know that there is light at the end of the tunnel and it does get better!  And if any of you out there have questions, leave me a message on here, I will happily answer!  God is good.

Hakuna your ta-tas

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Hakuna your ta-tas.  It means calm your tits.  bahahaha.  I saw this shirt online and ordered it instantly.  Remember that song “Hakuna matata” from the Lion King?  What are the words, something like “it means no worries for the rest of your days” ?  Correct me if I am wrong.  But this shirt represents how I feel now.  When I got the BRCA1 results, I felt like I was in a cartoon and someone had an imaginary anvil hanging over my head, waiting to be cut only to drop and flatten me like a pancake.  So, I did something about it.  I don’t expect everyone, or anyone for that matter, to agree with my choice, but I wouldn’t change a thing.  It is well with my soul.  I know that there are still BIG BAD SCARY things out there that can get me, but now I feel like I have run up the hill and am finally reaching the top.  This experience changed me.  In many good ways, and I am thankful for each way.  God is good and protected me throughout this process.  I am blessed, undeservingly blessed, but blessed beyond belief.  So I hope that those in my life who need a little pick me up can look at this shirt and get a chuckle.  I am praying for you all.

Liz-hopefully that little nugget decides to make an appearance today.  Definitely a little boy, knows how to aggravate you already and knows which buttons to push.  You are almost there!!!

Aunt Patty-I hope today brings you a little more relief and you will be feeling better soon!

Bev – hang in there buddy, this will all get sorted out.  Hakuna your ta-tas is appropriate for you as well.  I need to get you this shirt.  Remember I’ve got your back (and your front) bahhahahahaha 😉

La – Glad things seem to be better for you this week.  Hopefully you can stay on the un-eventful train for a while!

I know there are many other people in my life that need prayers and love sent their way that I have not mentioned, trust me, you are on my mind.  The prayers are going up and the good vibes are going out!

Hakuna your ta-tas everyone!!!!

 

6 week post-op recap

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So here is the 6 week post-op recap….

Looks like everything is going very smoothly.  The areas around my nipple grafts where I am having some drainage is completely normal.  He said these areas are where the stitches under the surface are trying to poke through the surface.  I should expect to have that happen until my scars settle down.

I talked to him about the difference between my breasts.  He said it could be due to a variety of things, but all in all he thinks things are progressing well and he wants me to wait another 2 months to allow them to fully settle.  We will re-evaluate then.  So I have to go back in 2 months.  My nipple scaring will have settled by then, my implants will be more settled, so we can talk about nipple reconstruction providing everything is to my liking.

He took a look at the scars on my back and thought they were looking a little bit better and didn’t want to do the steroid injections yet, if at all.  Another thing we will re-evaluate in 2 months.

As for the muscle spasms, he said he expected them to increase because of the increase in my activity.  For now, he wants to me to continue to do PT (yippee) .  He thinks it will help with the spasms and take the Valium when I need it, hopefully getting to the point where I don’t need it at all.

Speaking of PT, I was supposed to see Richard per his request today, not sure what for, but at my last appointment he asked me to come early to meet with him.  I ended up seeing Dr. Greaney first, then waited for an hour and twenty minutes to see Richard, but when they finally got his attention, he said he didn’t really need to see me, he wanted to see me in 2 months. Lol.

All in all a pretty good appointment.

After my appointment, I met up with Pinder and saw Noah.  It was a very interesting interpretation of the biblical story, but entertaining none the less.  We had heard the reviews before we went so we knew what we were up for.  Apparently a lady that was in the theatre with us didn’t know that it wasn’t a direct representation of the biblical story and she let us know that she wasn’t happy about it while we were in the bathroom after the movie.

6 week post-op appointment

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So I got this Pin from my friend Julie Hamilton yesterday and I couldn’t stop laughing.

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Apparently I like boob humor.

Tomorrow is my 6 week post-op appointment.  Can you believe it has been 6 weeks?

I CANT.

In one respect it feels like all of this happened so long ago, but on days like today when I’m sore and tired, it feels like it just happened a week ago.  It’s mostly my back that is giving me issues.  Lately even when I lean back against a chair my scars bother me.  It’s uncomfortable, I wouldn’t say it’s pain, just discomfort.  That also causes a problem when I go to wear a “normal” bra.  The part that goes around my torso cuts right across my scars and makes them uncomfortable.  That area also feels tight.  My lats are still connected in the back up near my shoulders, but they wrap under my armpits and are settled at the base of my breasts.  I really only tend to feel this when I am having a muscle spasm or if my boobs lock up.  Gosh, I sound like a car.  Bahhahahahaha.  Sometimes they do Tho.  If I have a particularly strenuous day at work, or if I have been doing a lot of things with my arms, they stay almost in a constant state of contraction and that is not comfortable.  Sure, I have Valium for the muscle spasms, but I can’t take it until I get home, because yes, that whopping 2.5 mg dose still makes me sleepy.  I swear, my body doesn’t build up tolerance to things.  Tomorrow is the day that I am possibly going to be getting the steroid shots in those scars.  Hopefully that helps the situation.

I am interested to see what he has to say about the areas on my breasts that are “leaking” .  I have serous fluid that comes out from around my nipple graft somewhere.  Hopefully it’s nothing. I am starting to get some sensation to my breasts.  I can feel deep sensation.  For example, if you were to press on my breast I would be able to feel it at the base of my breast and the sides and I would feel the pressure.  But I can’t feel surface things.  If I scratch the skin, I can’t feel it yet.  It’s a real pain in the tit when you have a phantom nipple itch and can’t scratch it.  (There is a sentence you don’t read everyday!). Seriously almost caused me to lose my mind one night.  I can’t imagine what it would feel like to lose an arm or a leg.

Hopefully tomorrow goes smoothly and the shots don’t hurt too bad because I have to drive myself to meet Pinder so we can see Noah.