Tammy The Teaching Dummy

Every time my plastic surgeon came in to change my bandages I was used like a testing dummy in anatomy class. He would always grab a different nurse and explain the procedure to them. I was not super comfortable with it, I almost felt like a side show at a carnival. Day three post-surgery was starting and I noticed that I am starting to get a little cough. The doctor thinks it was because I was not drinking enough and maybe I had some irritation from the intubation tube that I had during surgery. He ordered that a respiratory therapist … Continue reading →

Day Two Post-Surgery

Have you ever noticed how you really cannot get any rest in the hospital? I swear someone was in my room every hour poking, prodding, check my bandages it was insane. So I survived the surgery and the first day post-surgery but I had always known the second day after surgery is always the worst for pain. So my plastic surgeon wants me to get up and walk today. I am really not looking forward to this. SO I get woken up early with the shift change and then about 8 they bring in some breakfast, by this time it … Continue reading →

Day One Post Surgery

The day of my surgery was a total blur to me, when I woke up the first thing I did was check to make sure the doctors gave me my new “girls”. I knew that was the plan but I worried that when the surgery got going they would have found more cancer and therefor they would not be able to do the reconstruction. I was very relieved when I felt these two bandaged bumps. Now I could not sit up because they did cut my abdomen from hip to hip but from where I was looking I looked more … Continue reading →

Surgery Day

Groundhog Day 2007 is pretty much a blur to me, I know I went into surgery for my prophylactic bilateral mastectomies and that I started to cry when I was going under anesthesia but that truly is all I remember. My husband and my mom were at the hospital all day, the surgery was supposed to last 14 hours. I know that seems like a very long surgery but the surgeons both had a lot of work to do. One’s job was to take the “girls” away and the others job was to make me new ones. My hubby and … Continue reading →

Surgery Day Part One

Today is the day of my prophylactic bilateral mastectomies and TRAM flap reconstruction. I had already explained to my three little kids the best that I could why Mommy was going to be in the hospital. I explained that Mommy had Boo- Boo Boobies and the doctor was going to give me knew ones that had no Boo-Boos’. It was just the basics but it was enough for them. I kissed them all while they slept and my husband and I quietly left the kids in my mom’s care. She was going to bring them to daycare once they opened, … Continue reading →

Night Before The Surgery

I have made the decision to have prophylactic bilateral mastectomies, I found the surgeon and the date is set February 2nd. Shortly before my surgery I saw a movie on TV based on a book called “Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomies” the author is Geralyn Lucas. It is real life story about a young woman who chose to do the mastectomies; she saw it as an opportunity to have some control over her life and her cancer. There was something in that movie that seemed to validate my reasons for my upcoming surgery. It helped me feel a … Continue reading →

TRAM Flap Reconstruction

Warning this entry has some details of surgery. Well one surgeon down and yellow pages full of other ones. When the first plastic surgeon said he had to go to the review board I decided I did not want to use him. I did not need to have my private business given to a bunch of strangers for them to decide what is best for me. I did not have a choice whether to get cancer or not, I needed to have control over this part, over my sanity. I made a few calls and found a new surgeon; he … Continue reading →

Time to Find a Surgeon

The oncologist convinced me to wait a year before I decided to do the mastectomies, the year has come and gone and my mind is still made up. I have been doing research all year long trying to decide what to do. This was a big decision but I had my mind made up and my husband was 100% on board so that made the decision easy. I looked over the entire internet looking at different procedures trying to weigh all my options. You would not believe all the choices for surgery’s and reconstruction. Even though I did make the … Continue reading →

My Cancer and Stress

When your cancer treatments are done most people think you are done with cancer. The reality is much different. The psychological issues that come with a cancer diagnosis last long after the last treatment is over. With me, at my first oncology appointment the doctor said to me “We can treat you this time but when it comes back we can’t”. First let me say that those words from him caused me a great deal of stress. Here is this doctor and he is basically telling me I was going to have a recurrence and it would kill me. For … Continue reading →

Seeing Cancer Everywhere!!

Prior to my diagnosis I never really heard from people that they knew of someone or they themselves had cancer. It seems everywhere I turn there is someone knew with the diagnosis. I really don’t know if it is that more people are getting cancer, that people are more willing to talk about it or if they are just willing to talk about it because they have heard that I too am a cancer patient. I am not quite sure when a person turns from being a cancer patient to being a cancer survivor. My oncologist tells me that you … Continue reading →