4 years ago this week, my life forever changed. I just knew the lump (size of a bb) I found in my
Monthly self breast exam was not good. My gut feeling was right and not in a good way. I called and set an on/gyn appointment for the following Tuesday 6/23/19. I did a walk in breast exam appointment at St. Luke’s and told them to have my ob/gyn ok the mammo and diagnostic ultrasound and he did. The mammo showed NOTHING! Ultrasound found my lump and two others. I was told to come back the 25th for a core needle biopsy.................. the sinking feeling I had that day when my ob /gyn felt the bb sized lump... his face was drawn.... he and I go way back through 9 years of fertility issues and 7 miscarriages, so I knew how to read his face. It was not optimistic ... so the journey of breast cancer began this week in June 2015.

Please, women and men out there, do your self breast exams! Yes, men get breast cancer too!

Please PLEASE share this!

#iamBRCA2+
#iamabreastcancersurvivor
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#iamawarrior

The journey continues

Since I last updated in October last year, here are a few things that have happened. December 12, 2016, I had my Latissimus Doris Flap surgery for my right breast. The plastic surgeon took about a 7 inch flap from my back latissimus area and transplanted it Timmy front right breast area. The surgery was painful! Recover was a bit difficult , especially in the back muscle are. The flap ended up in an upside down triangle are below my original mastectomy scar. Now I had to heal. Drains (2), time off work, and pain meds! So forward to march /April, I was still dealing with one of the drains. It was producing 40-80 ml of fluids daily. we took it out then I had to have my back aspirated by needle every week or two. Finally it healed up. June the Doc said I could shoot for surgery in August for putting either an expandera or implant in on the rights side . I was so excited to be moving forward! I have surgery booked for August 15th. Meantime I have managed to fracture my right wrist and go tomorrow to see if it needs a cast. Clumsy me

Current update

I haven't been doing much blogging lately, sorry! I have been working part time so keeping busy. I had my left breast exchange surgery and am recovering well. I have also met with a pulmanologist who thinks the nodule is possibly a Hystoplasma solid pulmonary nodule. He can't rule out cancer and it is too small to biopsy so we put me on a 3-6 month routine follow up CT scan comparison schedule. My liver MRI is possibly  modular hyperplasia, but again, they can't rule out cancer. More follow up on that in 3-6 months too. I'll see the oncologist , who is back from maternity leave, in November. After that I can schedule my right side reconstruction. Lattimus Doris flap. Scary, but I want to have some Sumatra back.

Thinking about my dad.

On September 14, 1995, Jeff and I were asked by my mom to go to our house in Flad to check on dad. He wasn't answering the phone and had been to the doctor earlier that day for a working and X-rays. We got there and found him on the couch bed he had folded out. He was so weak he couldn't climb the stairs one flight to get to bed. I called mom, called my sister and we decided to drive him to the hospital. Deaconess emergency room. I wish we had taken him to SLU. Gah. They checked him out in the ER and gathered all of us around to go over his X-rays and apparent MRI from his doc's office and it showed multiple golf ball sized tumors in his liver. I knew it was cancer. Dangit! He was 49 years old, heavy 3 pack a day smoker and a heavy beer drinker. This was not good. He had plurecy a few years before, he had a battle of melanoma on his neck/ear too. Not good news. After more tests, admitting him and stabilizing him, we learned he had maras tatie cancer in his lungs, liver and bone. 

We miss him so much. He lived from diagnosis of Sept14th to December 15th, 1995 when he took his last breath. 

I cannot believe I am younger then him when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This BRCA2 hormone driven cancer. Ugh. 

Frequent flyer miles don't work for hospital visits!

Bing Bing Bing  bong.....rrrrrrrrrrrrr, Bing, , Bing Bing Bing Bing boooooonnnggggg.. Guess what machine I visited at the hospital today?!!  It involved earplugs, thank goodness. 

MRI on liver done

Times change, but procedures too?

I haven't been to the Cancer Center in a few weeks so I thought I'd make a trip back. Needing answers on what these liver and lung spots are doing. 

I parked top parking garage and headed to the lab with 40 minutes to my appointment time. They changed procedures on me. Kicking out the straight to the lab process to now a registration process. Change noted. I'll make sure I give myself at least 50 minutes for registration and then blood work before I see the oncologist for the future. 

My oncologist is still on maternity leave so I'll be seeing Dr. B. We are going to have a smack down about them now not wanting to do MRI's on liver and lung spots. Ugh second and third opinions looming! Time to gather my records at the hospital. Anyone know a good recommendation for next opinion? 

I am recovering well from the left boob exchange surgery last Thursday. I do hurt a bit, but it is tolerable. 

Reading Harry Potter and The Cursed Child while waiting. 

Poor kiddo is down sick with strep again. 

Ok, off to read. Behave, I'm trying to! 

Do the exchange dance...

Today was the Time for the next round of surgery. Nervous as all get out as this is a new surgery center location for my plastic surgeon (Barnes -Wash U). Didn't sleep much, but looking forward to the twilight sleep by IV soon. Ahhhhh

Send good vibes for the doctor and his surgical staff and a prayer to calm my nerves. Thank you all. This surgery should be outpatient, so hopefully I'll be home later today.

UPDATE: 6 pm.   Been At home resting (I just took a good 2 hour Percocet induced nap, Ahhhhh). Thanks for the good vibes! Next, healing and rest. Thanks to the hubby for entertaining me.