I went to see I Am Legend with some girlfriends tonight. I knew nothing about the movie beforehand so I was blindsided during the first five minutes when Emma Thompson's character announced that she found a cure for cancer. Next thing you know Will Smith's character is the last man standing in New York, which has been taken over by these zombie/vampire creatures that were exposed to the supposed cancer cure.
The movie was intense but entertaining. I screamed a few times and thought of leaving more than once. Had there not been the cancer connection I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more. Next time I'm going with a comedy.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Gulp!
It's scheduled! I just got a call from the hospital asking me to come in for pre-admission testing. I asked if that means that the surgery is scheduled and the woman said I am all set for Monday January 21st.
Breathe, breathe, breathe!
Breathe, breathe, breathe!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Just kinda odd
Last night when Dr. S called I was sitting on the couch next to Matt. Two feet to my left is my darling husband and in my right hand another man was on the phone telling me I had very large breasts.
I think I've talked about and pointed to my breasts to more people in this last month than my entire lifetime. Every time someone asks how things are going or I talk to friends about things, their eyes always glance down to my breasts.
I sat across the desk from my boss and while I explained things to him I noticed I was grabbing myself in the area of the spots. What in the world??
This is bizarre.
I think I've talked about and pointed to my breasts to more people in this last month than my entire lifetime. Every time someone asks how things are going or I talk to friends about things, their eyes always glance down to my breasts.
I sat across the desk from my boss and while I explained things to him I noticed I was grabbing myself in the area of the spots. What in the world??
This is bizarre.
Two bits of good news
1) The scheduling secretary called this afternoon to say that she's still working on the date. She doesn't have anything yet but will call me as soon as she finds out. While it would be nice to have the date now, I wasn't expecting to hear from her today. It's nice to know that she's working on it.
2) My niece R has agreed to come out and help me after the surgery! This is a huge relief. My mother will also be coming but I was afraid that Cha would be too much of a handful for her. (She's too much of a handful for me!) It will be nice to be surrounded by family.
2) My niece R has agreed to come out and help me after the surgery! This is a huge relief. My mother will also be coming but I was afraid that Cha would be too much of a handful for her. (She's too much of a handful for me!) It will be nice to be surrounded by family.
Call from the plastic surgeon
Dr. S called me last night. He had a consult with Dr. K and said he had some concerns. He said they work very well together and he trusts him, but he's afraid of getting 'burned'. I was confused as to what he was talking about so he explained it to me.
He says he's been burned in the past with women who get the DIEP flap and then have to endure radiation, which destroys the new breasts. He could spend 8 hours of surgery and create two perfect breasts (his work of art!) only to see them ruined by radiation. That leaves unhappy, upset patients.
Dr. K told him that there was a near zero chance that I would need radiation but it's a difficult call since my breasts are so big and we don't know what we might find. They might test the tissue after the mastectomy and find it's loaded with all sorts of invasive cancer. Dr. K doesn't think that will happen, but it is a possibility.
Dr. S said he could always insert tissue expanders following the mastectomy and once the pathology results come back clean (or after I complete radiation, if needed) then he can perform the DIEP flap. That will mean two major surgeries and two recovery periods, which doesn't appeal to me. There's also the chance that insurance will view it as an elective procedure, which means it's all out of pocket for me.
He said it was my choice and he certainly wouldn't have offered to perform the DIEP flap if he didn't think it was possible. He wanted me to know ahead of time that there is a risk that I may need radiation and what it would mean. I appreciate him being upfront about it. I understand that if I end up needing radiation I will have what will appear to be a botched boob job and it will not be the surgeon's fault.
So, we're going ahead with the DIEP flap. I have my fingers crossed that the pathology report shows no advanced cancer so no further treatment is necessary. The scheduling secretary is currently working on lining up the date and I should hear from her in the next couple of days. I'm thinking I'll know something on Tuesday but secretly hoping she'll call tomorrow.
He says he's been burned in the past with women who get the DIEP flap and then have to endure radiation, which destroys the new breasts. He could spend 8 hours of surgery and create two perfect breasts (his work of art!) only to see them ruined by radiation. That leaves unhappy, upset patients.
Dr. K told him that there was a near zero chance that I would need radiation but it's a difficult call since my breasts are so big and we don't know what we might find. They might test the tissue after the mastectomy and find it's loaded with all sorts of invasive cancer. Dr. K doesn't think that will happen, but it is a possibility.
Dr. S said he could always insert tissue expanders following the mastectomy and once the pathology results come back clean (or after I complete radiation, if needed) then he can perform the DIEP flap. That will mean two major surgeries and two recovery periods, which doesn't appeal to me. There's also the chance that insurance will view it as an elective procedure, which means it's all out of pocket for me.
He said it was my choice and he certainly wouldn't have offered to perform the DIEP flap if he didn't think it was possible. He wanted me to know ahead of time that there is a risk that I may need radiation and what it would mean. I appreciate him being upfront about it. I understand that if I end up needing radiation I will have what will appear to be a botched boob job and it will not be the surgeon's fault.
So, we're going ahead with the DIEP flap. I have my fingers crossed that the pathology report shows no advanced cancer so no further treatment is necessary. The scheduling secretary is currently working on lining up the date and I should hear from her in the next couple of days. I'm thinking I'll know something on Tuesday but secretly hoping she'll call tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
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