Monday, March 10, 2014

Sometimes it's amazing how difficult something so simple can be. I was to see my general surgeon in December. His office cancelled as he was to be out of town. We jointly cancelled early January due to a blizzard. On my third attempt, in weather that was not to be bad at all, I totaled my Suburban en route. Needless to say this visit was making me somewhat paranoid! Finally the weather cleared and I made it safe and sound.

After getting me situated in a room his nurse told me she had a patient who was really struggling with reconstruction. She often is not in the room for the final post op exams so she asked if I would be comfortable showing her the end result of my reconstruction. Of course I have continued to be very open with my experience and I was happy to show her. I mean really, at this point who really cares after all I've been through!  She was quite impressed with my finished product and asked if she could share my story of reconstruction with this patient as she knew I had struggled with the whole idea. I of course agreed and even gave her my number and offered to talk with this woman if it was in her comfort zone. To me it was not an inconvenience or an invasion of my privacy, but more of an honor that of all the women they see who have faced breast cancer, it was me who she thought would be compassionate and helpful to another patient.

My doctor came in and did a thorough exam. He felt I have very good results with my reconstruction and said it was no big deal that I did not continue on with the nipple reconstruction. He said as long as I got the result I was going for, simply some shape back, that's all that mattered. He said he was sorry he couldn't do a better job on the left side, the cancer side, but that he took all that he could of the tissue just to be safe. He did a great job and the only issue is with a small sunken area above my implant. Both he and my plastic surgeon said I can have a lipo injection to fill in that area. I have no desire to mess with it. To me it's just not a big deal. In the meantime I am to continue to be on the look out for any lumps, especially along the incision line. The odds are very slim for a recurrence with mastectomy but it can happen. My surgeon has signed off unless I should find an area of concern. That's a great feeling!!!