Surgery Date Confirmed

Yesterday was my final pre-op appointment with the surgeon, and my reconstruction surgery has been confirmed for August 8. I'm thinking having it on 8/8 at 8:00 must have some lucky significance! ha

There was a chance the surgery could have been delayed if the skin in the area where I had radiation was not healed ... but the surgeon felt it was healing nicely and we could proceed. Proper healing of the skin equates to adequate blood flow through the area to help aid healing of the incisions and acceptance of the reconstruction graft. So it would have been disappointing to be delayed, but an important factor.

This surgery will be more significant and challenging than my first ... in the sense of immediate and long-term recovery. It is a 6-hour procedure, and they will harvest my own abdominal tissue to create the new area of reconstruction. Women now have options and choices when it comes to reconstruction, and I'm lucky to have the expertise of my surgeon. This is the best option in my personal situation because the radiated skin in my chest is forever compromised and I'm not a good candidate for other types of reconstruction.

I've been told to expect to spend a full 5 days in the hospital, including surgery day. Part of the issue with the length of the stay is due to the fact I'll have difficulty standing upright for awhile with the abdominal incision. I'm semi-prepared for that due to my history of two c-section births, but I'm told this will be more restrictive on movement than I've experienced with that.

During this surgery, they will also remove the medi-port that I had placed in April, 2012 for receiving chemo. It will be good to get it out, even though I'll forever bear the scar of where it was inserted in my upper chest. I'm looking forward to that because it shows in just about any v-neck or scoop neck shirt I wear, and I see people's eyes go to it sometimes. I'm sure they wonder what the heck it is if they haven't ever seen one. It kind of looks like I have an alien bug of some type implanted under my skin, it's odd. And I'm glad to end the routine maintenance it has required ever since I finished chemo last September, in that it required a saline flush every 6 weeks. So I figure I've made about 6 trips to the oncologist's office just for that.

A couple of people have told me I'm brave to undergo this procedure. Not really sure that I'd accept that title ... I am just very ready to do what it takes to just feel normal again. For about 10 months since mastectomy, I've dealt with clothes that don't fit right and the need to sometimes use a prosthesis to just look normal in my work clothes. It will be a good step forward in my physical and emotional healing.

This coming week I'll do double duty on blood work ... I need pre-op blood work and a chest x-ray, and I also need my regular 6 month blood work for the oncologist. My appointment with her is on July 30. The purpose of that appointment is to check tumor markers in my blood and discuss my current health and concerns. We'll also review how successfully the Vitamin D supplements have been in increasing my Vitamin D levels to more of an optimal range. If all goes well with blood work, I think she will probably release me to just an annual appointment instead of 6 month appointments. In a way, it's kind of scary to think of going a whole year without being checked on ... but I'll do whatever she recommends.

The next few weeks hold a lot for me in the sense of being anxious about the upcoming surgery and blood work results, as well as getting through surgery and on the road to what will be a fairly difficult recovery. But it's great to know Team Lisa is always there to lift me up in whatever way I need!