New Boob Coming Soon!

November 3rd cannot get here fast enough. The mastectomy and immediate reconstruction is scheduled for Wednesday, November 3rd at St. Luke's South in Overland Park. I will have a single mastectomy of the left breast. I will be in the hospital for 1-2 nights, then several weeks off work to recover and heal.

The plastic surgeon is focused on gaining symmetry with the right breast...still not sure how he will build a saggy boob, but guess we will find out soon. I will be glad to have a cancer free boob and I am thinking I need to lose some weight so I will look good with a new boob.

We talked back in July that there is not a good time for this. Dan's football regular season will be over, but the Bulldogs should be in the State Playoffs and will have a game on Saturday, the 6th. I am hoping my sister (Oh HELL, I KNOW my sister) will get the kids and me to the game on the 6th. I will be basically useless, but know she will take great care of my family and me. I love her to the moon and back!

God's Presence

I have felt the presence of God several times during this fight, but never more than today. I had my final consult with a 3rd Plastic Surgeon in Omaha. I saw 2 in Omaha and 1 in Kansas City over the last few weeks. After my consult today, I was prepared for one of the hardest decisions ever. I have the strongest loyalty to Dr. Silva in Omaha and the Plastic Surgeon in Kansas City is the best by far. The optimal situation for me is to start reconstruction immediately after the mastectomy in the same procedural setting. Unfortunately, immediate reconstruction is nearly impossible with the Oncologist Surgeon in Omaha and the Plastic Surgeon in KC. Dan and I had met with a surgeon and plastic surgeon in KC and liked them both, but I was struggling with the idea of betrayal.

Fortunately, Dr. Silva's nurse called and said they would see me today while I was in Omaha. I visited with his Case Manager first and explained to her how heart-broken I am to make such a tough decision. She reassured me that Dr. Silva would be very supportive and understanding. She reminded me that this is MY FIGHT! Dr. Silva was completely supportive and he was very pleased to hear the surgeon's name that I had consulted in KC to perform the mastectomy. Dr. Silva and the surgeon in KC are medical friends and have a respectful relationship. When I sit back and truly think about it, there is no other explanation other than God's Presence.

The KC surgeon's office called while we were on the way home from Omaha and they had already received a referral phone call from Dr. Silva and they are scheduling a pre-op appointment for me. The end is near...Glory Be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit!

Not the option I was looking for

Shame on me! I should have went to the appointment with more of an open mind. We did meet with a plastic surgeon last week in Omaha. But that is not exactly the option I was looking for. His proposal is to use the Latissimus Dorsi flap from my back AND a tissue expander with implant replacement. It seems to me that people typically do one or the other, not both. He also indicated that if he did anything at all to the right breast (the healthy one), it would probably be a reduction to obtain symmetry. He is the first doctor to warn us that radiated breast tissue does not expand. Not that I want to fill out the DD bra Dan bought me for Christmas, but I really do not want to end up in a training bra either. I was also prepared for an over night stay for the surgery and an 1-2 week recovery. But, this would be a 3-5 day inpatient stay for the surgery and a minimum 4 week recovery. He continually reminded us this will be a year long process and does not just happen overnight.

I am planning to meet with a Plastic Surgeon in Kansas City and a different one in Omaha in the next couple weeks. Dr. Silva's nurse encouraged me to get the other opinions. She said this needs to be the exclamation point and when the fight is over, they want me to be comfortable and confident in the decisions we made.