Monday and Tuesday I was feeling what felt like stitches pulling, or a dressing stuck to a wound being pulled on in the right lower outer quadrant of my breast. Wondered what that was about. Perhaps some adhesions loosen as things stretch out more? Dr. C says it's probably scar tissue. I wonder if that will prevent things from being the right shape when we finish up our work. Guess time will tell.
At this week's surgeon visit I asked if we could fill with 40 cc instead of 30 cc. That would cut the number of visits/weeks by 1. It doesn't sound significant, but this is taking a long time. Things were pretty tight before the fill but we decided to try it and stop if we needed to. It wasn't bad - we got 40 in. He had a nurse who was filling in for the regular one so was teaching her how to do the fill. He showed her how to find the valve using a magnet. As he ran it over the area where the valve is the sensation was like that of someone running their finger lightly over my skin even though the breast is numb, or shall we say it has a sensation deficit. It was the pull of the magnet over the metal in the valve.
I had tried once to see if I could get a magnet to stick but I was unsuccessful. I decided I should try it again.
So here's the proof, I do have a magnetic breast. That's a positive thought, isn't it?
 |
| Magnetic breast |
I estimate that I have two more fills left. I'd be done with this phase in two weeks, however, Dr. C is out of the office next week. I asked how long it would be until we could do the surgery for the implant after we got the expander filled. Unfortunately, looks like 8 weeks since the skin is as tight as it is. That puts me about 10/24 or thereabouts. I'm getting impatient, frustrated, and somewhat antsy. I guess that is normal in this process. I should just be glad that I don't have the cancer aspect to deal with.
I had to go to the office for work the day of my fill - took pain med before I left- and the next day for meetings. I'm having a hard time with interest, desire and focus at work. In Dutch I might say "Ik heb geen zin." Translated - I have no interest or appetite. Not at all unusual that people who go through this experience begin to rethink what it is they want to do with their work/life.
The book that I ordered "Breast Reconstruction Guidebook" is excellent. Gee, would have liked to have that about 9 weeks ago! Lots of great info, easy to understand, some personal experiences, and good resources. Interesting - I worked on my "brochure" - my story and things to think about. Much of it confirmed by what was in the book. I really see the importance of a woman who learns that she needs/or decides on a mastectomy to have resources at that time, in preparation for the later decisions that need to be made about reconstruction. How do we get the right information to her at the right time?
I think I have been focused more on the health care system and how it works in this situation and intrigued by the overall topic of breast reconstruction than on finding answers for myself. I figured I had enough basic knowledge that I'd get along by hook or by crook and I'd observe things at work. Kinda dumb in retrospect. Though I think that most likely I would do nothing different in relationship to reconstruction. I would have wasted less of the surgeon's time though because I would have focused on me.
Working on getting the motorcycles ready for at least short trips. Mr's. needs more work and he may have to ride my larger one, and me the little one. Maybe next week. I had hoped to get out this weekend. No luck.
We added another fountain to our water feature. It has a nice trickling sound. The birds like to sit on top of the taller one and drink from it, even sit on top of the bubbler where the water comes out. Sweet.
Nothing much going on here. Later.
No comments:
Post a Comment