Sunday, February 12, 2012

Surgery

I had my mastectomy on Thursday and everything went well. It is so nice to know that the cancer is out of me! I am waiting for the pathology report which will be back on Monday to make sure that all of the margins were clear, and I will also find out howtwill the chemotherapy worked. I am very sore, especially in my right shoulder where the lymph nodes were removed. It also hurts to breathe, I think that this is from the tissue expanders that were placed under my pectoralis muscle. I also have 4 drains in place, these don't hurt, but I have to drain them and record the drainage every 8 hours. Today I get to take off my "surgical bra" and dressings and shower. I haven't seen what I have been left with after the surgery, so I am a little nervous. I think we will do the "unveiling" after Paul gets home from church this afternoon. The plastic surgeon wasn't able to put very much saline into the tissue expanders ( think inflatable implants) because apparently the skin on my breasts is very thin. In the next week I will have my drains removed. In about 2 weeks, my plastic surgeon will start to inject more saline into the tissue expanders. Once they are inflated, I will start radiation. This should be in about 4-6 weeks from now. After the 5 weeks of radiation are finished, then I will have my final reconstruction. The mastectomy has been more painful than I expected, so I am not looking forward to the reconstruction. Paul and I have been overwhelmed with all of the support we have received. We feel very loved. Suzanne has been taking care of the kids and me for the last several days. Zach has been wanting me to hold him, and can't understand why I won't. I'm not supposed to lift anything over 10 pounds for a few weeks. Yesterday, she took Zach and Sam to Fillmore for maybe a week until I am able to take care of Zach again. I am hoping that I will start to feel a lot better soon. Thanks again to everyone for their support. Nancy

3 comments:

  1. Thinking of you Nancy and hoping for the best with the patho report. You are a strong woman! thanks for keeping us updated. Emily Daines

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  2. I'm so glad to hear that you are recovering well and that you got a little vacation before your surgery! You are a great example of strength and faith! Your in our prayers daily!

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  3. I am so glad that we got in touch through email today! I have enjoyed reading your blog and can't wait to meet you and talk with you. Our stories are very similar for sure.

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