Post Sugery

Tomorrow will be one week from my procedure. I wish I could say I was feeling great. This time around there is a lot more pain!! The drain sites are very tender and my chest wall is very sensitive. I have an appointment on Tuesday and hope to get at least one drain out.

I'm hoping I do not have an infection. The left side drain is rather painful, but I'm not running a high fever and there is no red streaking or heat. I hope to know more on Tuesday.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. The meals have been fabulous!

God is good!

Terrie

Surgery Schedule

Next Monday is the day! I hope this is the last surgery ever!!!

Dr Kronowitz will remove the spacer and put in implants on both sides to hopefully even out things. I will stay in the hospital one night. I will have a drain on each side (YUCK!!!) for a maximum of 3 weeks. Back to sponge baths (another YUCK!!!). My poor husband will have to go back to being my nurse maid and empty the drains twice a day.

I had a mammogram last week on the right side and it was clean - YEA!!!!!!!!

We have had a great fall and look forward to Thanksgiving & my birthday and of course Christmas! Already getting most of the shopping done!

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers!

Love,

Terrie

Hello Out There

I know I still have a few readers out there. There isn't much going on right now. I had a 3 month check up last week. No mammograms or ultrasounds. Dr. Theriault just wanted to see how I was doing with the Tamoxifen medication. Which by the way really sucks! Lots of yucky side effects. He has taken me off all meds for 4 weeks to see if it truly is the meds causing the side effects. Then I am to start a different medication called Toremifene. It does the same thing as Tamoxifen with just a different chemical make up.

The kids are back in school this week. We had a great summer. We didn't do everything I wanted, but when do you ever do.

Thanks so much for all the continued support!

Terrie

Long Time No Post

My husband informed that it had been TOO long since I had posted any updates.  He was right!

The drain is out!!!  WOOHOO!!!  The compression bandage is off!!!  Another WOOHOO!!!!  Everything is healing nicely.  Only one downside - I have to stay out of pools, tubs, etc for 6-8 weeks.  That means my poor husband is in charge of taking the kids into the pool while I sit on the side.  Sounds great right??  I just may die from a heat stroke.

Surgery has been officially postponed until October or November.  Dates should be set within the next few weeks.  I am shooting for the first week of November.  Surgery plans as of right now- have the spacer removed and implants on both sides.  That should be it!!  Can you believe it??

I have appointments every 3 months with my oncologist.  I am now taking Tamoxifen and probable will be for the next 5 years.

Schools out and we are planning to have an awesome summer!!!

Good is GREAT!!!

Terrie

Post Report #3

Went back to Kronowitz's office today.  The infection is now gone.  Unfortunately they still did not take the drain out.  They said next Thursday it will come out no matter what the output.  We have officially cancelled our June 8th surgery.  New surgery date will be around October/November.  I should get a date set next week.

Sorry so short - time for bed!

Love you guys!

Post Report #2

I was at my plastic surgeon's office again yesterday.  The infection is still there.  I'm feeling much better, but the redness and heat are still physical symptoms that an infection is still present.  He is still concerned and wants to keep a close eye on it.  If over the weekend I experience fever or start to feel bad again, then I am to go to the ER at MD Anderson.  I will see him again on Tuesday.

We also discussed options for the reconstruction process.  I have a date set for June 8th.  With our initial surgery they were able to salvage a lot more of the breast then they had anticipated - this has opened other doors for other types of reconstruction.

My doctor feels that we can get great results with just implants and have less of a surgery than doing the DIEP with the abdominal tissue.  He is worried about my back with the DIEP procedure because it puts a lot of extra strain on the back.  One of my concerns is the amount of surgeries.  If I have an implant put in on the 8th then we would need to wait a month or two for it fall naturally and then we would have to fix the other side to match.  It would be the same with the DIEP procedure - we would have another surgery to match the other breast.  Another alternative is the let my breast fall naturally with the spacer for about 6 months, then he feels he could put implants in both sides at the same time.  Get everything done with only one surgery.   We are really thinking about the last alternative.  It will give us and everyone else a MUCH NEEDED break.  We will be able to enjoy the summer - just a little lopsided - hee hee!

I have learned one very valuable lesson about the doctors at MD Anderson.  They are always learning and researching and finding better ways to do their job.  They will change their mind at the last possible moment if necessary to better help the patient.  They are on the fore front of new research and technology.  As with my surgery, they were changing things up to "go time" with new procedures.  Once a decision is made - it is not carved in stone - it is ever changing and evolving!  So that being said, our decision right now very well could change in the next few days.  You just never know!!

Thanks for all the wonderful food, child care, play dates, thoughts and prayers.  It looks like we may fly under the radar for a few months.  I'll need you guys back in the fall!

God is so good-

Terrie

CANCER FREE

I just got the call from my surgeon with the pathology and I am officially  cancer free!  All reports are clean.

Side note, I am fighting a possible infection from surgery.  I have been running a low fever and feeling very yucky.  They have me on triple antibiotics.  If they do not see many improvements by my appointment tomorrow then back to the hospital I go.  I'm sure that will not be the case.

I have a surgery follow-up appt tomorrow with my plastic surgeon.  I have appointments on Monday with my oncologist, Theriault, and my surgeon, Hunt.  I will post again after that unless something else comes up!

God is Good!

Terrie