Well...as the title says...I'm almost there. Where...totally healed. Praise God for her undying love and his miracles!
I had reconstruction surgery in September. It went very well. I am in a study group with my implants. They have been used in Europe for about 20 years, but are not approved in the US yet. primary difference, they are actually shaped like a breast. It was not possible to create the pre-surgery size because mu skin would not stretch. That's ok, I just wanted something there so my clothes would actually fit.
I had the first phase of nipple reconstruction November 24, 2008 and the secon January 14, 2009. The surgeon could make the left one with my own skin because that breast was created with a "flap" but the right one was more difficult and there was nothing to form it from. Believe it or not, they cut a pie shape out of one ear and did a skin graph for the base of the nipple and the second surgery was to take from the other ear for the top of the nipple. It worked really good. Now I'm applying lotions to get rid of the scars.
I am taking Arimidex for 5 years, minimum. It will kill all the estrogen in my body to the point where my body makes none. I sure hope I don't end up having to shave as I am unable to take hormone replacements either. I also taken another drug that eases the bone pain and hot flashes the arimidex causes.
The oncologist will begin a new treatment soon. I will be getting Zometa by IV every 6 months for three years. This drug basically wraps my bone to help prevent cancer from going to my bones. They say I am in the highest braket for reoccurrence and are not willing to say I am cancer free so I guess I will do what ever treatments they believe I need to in order to help prevent cancer coming back somewhereelse.
I often think of my friend, Marsha Liddick, who battled breast cancer and finally went to be with the Lord several years later. What an amazing woman. She was a marvel to witness and I am so honored to have known her. Her battle was so intense and she remained ever-so-devoted to her husband, sons and God. I do not know how she ever managed or where she got her strength except from God to be the examples to those of us years later battling the same disease. When I look at what she went thru, it gives me strength and courage too.
Thank you for your continued prayers and good wishes.
Cathy
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Monday, April 28, 2008
Reconstruction....
Today is the first day towards being completely whole. Dr. Kelly (plastic surgeon) put 120 CCs into the right breast and 75 into the left breast. Since the surgery, the left one is larger due to the extra skin / muscle from the back. She said I am healing so well and the skin is in such good shape that they could put more in than anticipated. Initially, she indicated 60 CCs per 2 week period (what an unexpected blessing!)
I return May 8, 22 and June 2nd. After that...final surgery to place the implants. I am very excited but really ask for prayers. The more fluid inserted, the bigger potential for PAIN. I don't want pain, I've had enough. I want to be pain free for the remainder. Anyway, the surgery will probably be in July.
Thanks for your prayers, I truly appreciate every one.
I return May 8, 22 and June 2nd. After that...final surgery to place the implants. I am very excited but really ask for prayers. The more fluid inserted, the bigger potential for PAIN. I don't want pain, I've had enough. I want to be pain free for the remainder. Anyway, the surgery will probably be in July.
Thanks for your prayers, I truly appreciate every one.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Spring Update
Hello Everyone!!
I thought it was time to update this blog since so many have called wanting to know where my journey is at this point...so here goes....
I had my first surgery towards breast reconstruction on March 19th. The plastic surgeon did a "flap procedure" where she took skin and muscle from the left side of my back and fed it under my skin to overlap the left breast. Radiated skin does adhere as well as healthy skin so this procedure will increase the chances of having a normal looking left breast. Skin stretchers were placed under the skin on both breasts and beginning 4-28 60CCs of fluid will be injected into each breast to begin stretching the skin. After about 4 or 5 months, the skin should be stretched enough to have the final surgery to place the final product in. This last surgery has been the toughest to get through. I thank our Lord every day for people who stayed with me my first week home to ensure meds were taken, food was eaten and rest was gotten. My daughter even spent the night with me in the hospital. The poor girl had to put up with a nutty mom as the drugs definitely took over and I'm sure she is still laughing about the wierd things that probably came from my mouth. My doctor is very pleased with my healing and said I am healing "marvelously." My first day back to work was 4-14. I'm working shorter days for the next few weeks and then back to the regular work schedule.
The final step will be to remove the port. I'm not sure whether it will come out with the next surgery or if it will be left in for a while, just in case.
I have 14 more weekly chemo treatments and then 5 years of an oral medication.
There is light at the end of the tunnel and much thanksgiving for this whole process to have gone so well.
I believe it is because of all of you and your prayers that have enabled my body to overcome this illness and heal so well. I cannot thank you enough for you support and hope you will all continue to pray for me and my recovery. Again, you have no idea how thankful I am to each and every person who prays for me.
The Relay for Life in Marion is in June and I will be there with my daughter. It will be our 2nd year for the team and we are looking forward to it.
I thought it was time to update this blog since so many have called wanting to know where my journey is at this point...so here goes....
I had my first surgery towards breast reconstruction on March 19th. The plastic surgeon did a "flap procedure" where she took skin and muscle from the left side of my back and fed it under my skin to overlap the left breast. Radiated skin does adhere as well as healthy skin so this procedure will increase the chances of having a normal looking left breast. Skin stretchers were placed under the skin on both breasts and beginning 4-28 60CCs of fluid will be injected into each breast to begin stretching the skin. After about 4 or 5 months, the skin should be stretched enough to have the final surgery to place the final product in. This last surgery has been the toughest to get through. I thank our Lord every day for people who stayed with me my first week home to ensure meds were taken, food was eaten and rest was gotten. My daughter even spent the night with me in the hospital. The poor girl had to put up with a nutty mom as the drugs definitely took over and I'm sure she is still laughing about the wierd things that probably came from my mouth. My doctor is very pleased with my healing and said I am healing "marvelously." My first day back to work was 4-14. I'm working shorter days for the next few weeks and then back to the regular work schedule.
The final step will be to remove the port. I'm not sure whether it will come out with the next surgery or if it will be left in for a while, just in case.
I have 14 more weekly chemo treatments and then 5 years of an oral medication.
There is light at the end of the tunnel and much thanksgiving for this whole process to have gone so well.
I believe it is because of all of you and your prayers that have enabled my body to overcome this illness and heal so well. I cannot thank you enough for you support and hope you will all continue to pray for me and my recovery. Again, you have no idea how thankful I am to each and every person who prays for me.
The Relay for Life in Marion is in June and I will be there with my daughter. It will be our 2nd year for the team and we are looking forward to it.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Christmas Cheer to All!
It has been so long since I have updated this blog...please accept my apologies.
It was necessary to have radiation. So...I finished my 33rd treatment in September. When I visited my plastic surgeon last month, she was amazed and indicated that it doesn't even look like I've had any radiation. That's quite a feet for a fair, thin-skinned girl. She is so pleased that instead of having to wait 1 to 1-1/2 years after having radiation to have breast reconstruction, I will begin the process in March! That's right, just 6 months after. Talk about miracles and blessings.
I am still having weekly chemo treatments, but the worst side effect is sleepiness the day of chemo due to the benedryl I'm given before each treatment so I won't have any allergic reactions. I will be done with these treatments in August. I have to have 48 total treatments. Then it's on to an oral form of Chemo for 5-years. The good news...No cancer!
My fingers and feet go numb several times a day and I have lost my fingernails three, I've counted them, three times now. But the good news...No cancer!
God is so good to me. As strange as it may sound, having cancer has been a tremendous blessing in my life. Deut. 8 speaks of God taking the Isrealites thru the desert (wilderness) to humble them, test them, to see if they would be faithful. He reminds us that he took care of them during the wilderness and calls us to remember him in the good times. That is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I believe God has brought me through the wilderness to humble me and teach me many things and now I need to remember Him and celebrate Him in the good times too. I do not know why God has chosen to spare my life when many others passs, but I do know that I love the Lord and intend to give him the glory for what he has done in my life.
I thank each and every one of you for your prayers and support and I hope you will all continue to pray for the doctors who will perform the breast reconstruction surgeries this next year and that I will remain cancer-free.
It was necessary to have radiation. So...I finished my 33rd treatment in September. When I visited my plastic surgeon last month, she was amazed and indicated that it doesn't even look like I've had any radiation. That's quite a feet for a fair, thin-skinned girl. She is so pleased that instead of having to wait 1 to 1-1/2 years after having radiation to have breast reconstruction, I will begin the process in March! That's right, just 6 months after. Talk about miracles and blessings.
I am still having weekly chemo treatments, but the worst side effect is sleepiness the day of chemo due to the benedryl I'm given before each treatment so I won't have any allergic reactions. I will be done with these treatments in August. I have to have 48 total treatments. Then it's on to an oral form of Chemo for 5-years. The good news...No cancer!
My fingers and feet go numb several times a day and I have lost my fingernails three, I've counted them, three times now. But the good news...No cancer!
God is so good to me. As strange as it may sound, having cancer has been a tremendous blessing in my life. Deut. 8 speaks of God taking the Isrealites thru the desert (wilderness) to humble them, test them, to see if they would be faithful. He reminds us that he took care of them during the wilderness and calls us to remember him in the good times. That is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I believe God has brought me through the wilderness to humble me and teach me many things and now I need to remember Him and celebrate Him in the good times too. I do not know why God has chosen to spare my life when many others passs, but I do know that I love the Lord and intend to give him the glory for what he has done in my life.
I thank each and every one of you for your prayers and support and I hope you will all continue to pray for the doctors who will perform the breast reconstruction surgeries this next year and that I will remain cancer-free.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Good news!
Mom got a good report from the doctor today. The pathology report showed no cancer in the right breast and no cancer in the lymph nodes on the right or left sides. There was only 5mm area in the left breast that was cancerous. They got all of that out. The chemo was actually working this whole time, but the doctor said the high cancer counts came from the dead cancer cells that were falling into the blood stream so quickly. So the doctor said Mom needs to finish her last chemo treatment because chemo can be like antibiotics--you need to take them all. The next steps: She sees the oncologist on the 29th to set up that last chemo apointment. Then she'll have 48 weeks of Herceptin treatments (to keep killing the estrogen in her body) and 5 weeks of radiation (5 days a week).
Mom got all her drainage tubes out today, so she's happy to have those gone. We're so grateful for these results. This is what we've been praying for! We're so thankful for all your prayers. We feel like the hardest part of this is over. There's still a long road ahead of us, but this is all good news!
L
Mom got all her drainage tubes out today, so she's happy to have those gone. We're so grateful for these results. This is what we've been praying for! We're so thankful for all your prayers. We feel like the hardest part of this is over. There's still a long road ahead of us, but this is all good news!
L
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Recovery time!
Hello all and thanks for praying for mom. I'm sorry I didn't update this the day of, but I was in Alabama and Florida and couldn't! Mom did great with her surgery. The doctor said that she felt confident that they got the whole tumor. I believe we'll find out tomorrow for sure. I talked with Mom on the phone right after her surgery and boy, was she happy! That morphine was good to her. She's surprised me in how well she's been recovering though. She's staying at her parents' house and goes walking with grandpa every other day or so. I don't think I'd be able to walk after that even if I wanted to! She keeps up on her pain pills and apparently feels pretty good. It was nice to see her last night when we got home. She's her usual chipper, upbeat self! Thank you for your prayers and I'll update again after the doctor's appointment tomorrow.
L
L
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
It's surgery time
Well, unfortunately the second kind of chemo is not working either. Mom's cancer counts have gone up into the 80s after starting in the 20s. The good news is that she's done with chemo for right now. This chemo has been rough in a different way than the first. She's felt like an old lady with some serious arthritis. Since the last update, she gave us some fun with some crazy low blood counts. They wanted to do a blood transfusion, but didn't have to go that route because of a blood builder they've been giving her. That was an answer to prayer because Mom really didn't want to have to do that.
So, since the chemo still isn't working and the cancer is still growing, they're going to take it out. She has an MRI tomorrow and then she'll have surgery on June 15. She'll have a double mastectomy. They'll take all the lymph nodes from her left side and will do a biopsy of the nodes on the right. She hopes to spend just one night in the hospital. I want her to stay as long as they tell her to, but you know Mom...she can be stubborn! :) She'll stay with her parents for a week after they let her go. She'll be off work for, at the minimum, four weeks. Ben and I will be in Alabama during her surgery to take pictures at a wedding and I absolutely HATE that. So you friends of Mom--please take care of my Momma while I'm gone. I expect her in one piece when I get back! :)
After surgery, she'll have to have radiation and Herceptin shots for quite a while. (The shots for 48 weeks I think.)
Pray that she'll be prepared mentally for this surgery and that she'll recover quickly. Most importantly, pray that they get every little bit of this cancer out of her. We're ready for this to be over. Mom needs a vacation. :)
Thanks for your continued support!
Linds
So, since the chemo still isn't working and the cancer is still growing, they're going to take it out. She has an MRI tomorrow and then she'll have surgery on June 15. She'll have a double mastectomy. They'll take all the lymph nodes from her left side and will do a biopsy of the nodes on the right. She hopes to spend just one night in the hospital. I want her to stay as long as they tell her to, but you know Mom...she can be stubborn! :) She'll stay with her parents for a week after they let her go. She'll be off work for, at the minimum, four weeks. Ben and I will be in Alabama during her surgery to take pictures at a wedding and I absolutely HATE that. So you friends of Mom--please take care of my Momma while I'm gone. I expect her in one piece when I get back! :)
After surgery, she'll have to have radiation and Herceptin shots for quite a while. (The shots for 48 weeks I think.)
Pray that she'll be prepared mentally for this surgery and that she'll recover quickly. Most importantly, pray that they get every little bit of this cancer out of her. We're ready for this to be over. Mom needs a vacation. :)
Thanks for your continued support!
Linds
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