So I realized the other day that it has been forever since I did an update on how things are going for me. The short update - I am fine. But, if you want the long update, read on!
My new boobs are doing well. They have settled in to their new homes quite nicely. They are d's!!! One seems to sit a bit to the side, but this could also be my imagination! The "pocket" or "flap" that my right boob was placed in was a bit larger than the new boob implant. I had to have a lot of stitches to try and make the pocket smaller and to hold the implant in place while I healed from my surgery. Why was the pocket too large you ask? Well, my theory is that during my first week of recovering from my double mastectomy, I went to sit down on the floor to read my son a book and without really thinking, I put my right hand down on the floor to stabilize myself and boom! I fell over in soo much pain I almost threw up. No joke. I am pretty sure I did some damage and ripped some stitches on the inside. I didn't tell my surgeon about this incident. Maybe I should have!
I still haven't had my nipples tattooed on yet. Wait, what? Yup, you read correctly. I don't have nipples. I just have these 7-inch scars going across my boobs. It's funny because right before I went in for my double mastectomy I came to the realization that I wasn't going to have nipples ever again. Yes, you can have nipple sparing surgery, but I wasn't able to because one of my tumors was located right under my nipple. For some reason, I didn't make the connection between chopping off my boobs and losing my nipples.
I still go every 4 weeks for a Zoladex shot, and I still take a daily does of Tamoxifen. Menopause is awesome. I am soo lucky I get to experience it not once, but twice in my lifetime. Ha. Ha. Ha. But seriously, even though I still get hot flashes, they don't seem to bother me as much as they used to. I see my oncologist and get blood work every 8 weeks. My oncologist says that I have between 2-4 years left for my shot and 4-9 years left for tamoxifen.
I still haven't lost all of my chemo weight, but not much I can do about that. Omar and I started eating Paleo which helped me lose 4 pounds, but even with eating better and working out, the rest of the chemo weight just won't budge! Sometimes is bothers me and sometimes it doesn't. It just depends on what I am trying to wear that day! If my clothes fit, it doesn't bother me. If they don't, it bothers me. Pretty much like every other woman on planet Earth! I also still have chemo brain. Some days are better than others, but I still have problems remembering some basic stuff.
My hair is growing slowly but surely. It is dark brown with a few gray hairs here and there. It is also very soft and super curly! I hope it stays this way!
Well, that's about it for the update in terms of my health! Not bad, right?! Since not much is happening, thank goodness, I will probably start using this blog for other adventures as well. I am sure you would love to hear all about my adventures with re-caulking my bathroom or painting our half-bath! Or how about my desire to paint our cabinets? Or my quest to raise $3k to participate in the the San Diego 3-day breast cancer walk. How about an update on our family summer adventures, including my 36-hour delay at the Las Vegas airport? Stay tuned! But for now, just know that all is well. And that, my friends, is a good thing!
