So... This gives you an indication of the vast departure from Tissue Expanders (left) to Silicone Implants (right). The big grey circles on the Tissue Expanders are the 'ports' This is the area where the needle is injected during expansion, through the skin, through the port, allowing saline to be added to the expander form. Thankfully mine are full and with clothes on... look almost like breasts... many are not so fortunate. David had seen enough photographic evidence (from my showing him) on the internet to know... I really am 'one of the lucky ones'!
And just *looks at calendar* 26 days from now, on July 17th... I will be getting Tissue Expanders out of my chest and having them replaced with squishy implants. I know I've been wishing the days away a lot over the past few months, willing the 'next phase' to come, but this is one I honestly can't wait for!
I've heard women in the same stage of reconstruction that I find myself now in saying "It's pretty much like having margarine tubs stuck under my skin" or "it's like what I would imagine (in a nightmare) that someone injecting cement under my skin would feel like". Within the confines of my bi-monthly meetings with the girls of the YSC (where I'm agreeably restricted from revealing any information given by our members... but I'm sure they won't mind my revealing) I hear that this is the 'worst' stage of reconstruction. NOT to be confused with saying that this is the worst part of Breast Cancer... or even DCIS or Crappy Results on a BRCA test!! But from what I understand, once one starts down the road of Breast Reconstruction... 'THIS' is the crappiest part on the roller coaster ride. Of course, that only applies if you're like me and very fortunate not to have any real complications!
I looked at myself in the mirror this morning, fresh out of the shower, as we were getting ready to pick up the kids for a 'Father's Day Breakfast' and thought... 'what I see now, would have made my knees buckle nine months ago, when I was originally diagnosed'. I think in all of his worries, David was most afraid of how I would react to seeing my body after surgery... thankfully my reaction was an accepting one. After living through the past nine months... and learning the reality of all that can go wrong, from being able to see and hear about other women's experiences with Breast Cancer... I looked at myself this morning and thought... actually ... I knew... 'I'm so fortunate to have gotten through all of this as well as I have... and I'm so happy I'm almost at the end of this part of the ride'!!
So... 26 days... 1 1/2 hours in the OR... maybe or maybe not an overnight at Swedish... (Great that Dr. Miles will okay a stay if I feel like I need it). And hopefully only a few days to feeling okay... myself... real... I don't know what I'll feel. Less invaded and more human I hope! I've told myself a million times that I can't expect too much from this surgery ... outside of basic esthetics and swapping hard for soft. I'll still have the aching pains across my ribs from the tissue being removed. I will likely never have any real sensation on the skin of my 'recreated breasts'. I still have to go through physiotherapy for the Cording on my left side. Which I will start next week. It's so insignificant compared to what other women I have met are dealing with... BUT... it is Mine... and we all have our own stuff...
Lisa
From BreastCancerCare.org/uk :
Cording
You may develop pain that feels like a tight cord running from your armpit, down your upper arm through to the back of your hand.
Cording is thought to be due to hardened lymph vessels and can appear six to eight weeks following surgery or even months afterwards. Cording usually gets better and the symptoms go away, though you may need physiotherapy to stretch the cords.
Change in sensation
If you’ve had your lymph glands removed you may temporarily experience a change in sensation running down the inner side of your upper arm.
This happens because the nerves running through the armpit often have to be disturbed to reach the lymph nodes that lie behind them. This can lead to a number of symptoms:
- loss of sensation or reduced sensation
- numbness or coldness
- weakness in the arm
- sensitivity to touch or pressure
- burning or tingling sensations.
If you’ve had a mastectomy you might have similar symptoms in your breast area.
