What's new...

...since my last post? Let's see...

I got my fourth and final drain removed last Thursday! 

As a recap for those of you playing along home; post-op I came home with two surgical drains on each side. Both right side drains were removed on Day 10. One left side drain was removed on Day 17, and the other on Day 24. In case you were wondering, they kinda look a little something like this...

Should we talk about how much fun it is to shower and wear normal clothes with these hanging from you for over three weeks? No? Alright then... moving on!

After the last drain was removed, my tissue expanders received their second saline injection. Another 40 cc's on each side, putting each at right around 305 cc's. There's probably some very advanced math that converts expander cc's to bra size, but I have no idea what that formula is. I do, however, know that my regular, pre-mastectomy bras fit pretty well now. They're just really uncomfortable because the expanders don't move. At all. 

That means that I've got another week or two to let the expanders settle and relax ('cause no one likes an uptight tissue expander) before their next injection. Dr. M explained that once the right size is reached, he gives one additional injection - a 10% overfill - to allow the final implant a little extra room. So I may only have one more injection in my future. Woohoo! 

After the final injection, how long I have the tissue expanders in before they are exchanged for the final implants will depend on radiation (more on that in a minute). Here are the two possible scenarios...

Scenario #1: The radiation oncologist (Dr. G) gives me her blessing that the remaining tissue and nodes don't need radiation. Dr. M gives the tissue expanders a final injection in a week or two. And I can schedule the exchange surgery (exchanging the tissue expanders for the final implants) for 4 to 6 weeks after the last injection. 

Scenario #2: Dr. G does recommend I receive radiation in addition to the neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and bilateral mastectomy I've already received. Radiation would begin in roughly two weeks (they like to allow for 4 to 6 weeks post-op recovery). I would receive treatment five days a weeks for six weeks. Then... I would have an additional 6 months of recovery - allowing my skin to heal - before the exchange surgery. 

Now, to radiate or not to radiate? That is still being discussed and decided. According to Dr. G, here are the reasons to radiate...

1) My age. Because I'm young, my risk is high for the old cancer to come back or a new one to show up.

2) My cancer cells had a "high growth factor". Meaning they liked to move fast. 

3) I had positive lymph nodes. Again, the cancer cells were on the move before we stopped them in their tracks. 

And the reasons not to radiate...

1) My age. The radiation can cause damage to my heart and lungs. Which is bad in general, but worse if I plan to use them for the next 60 years. 

2) My cancer cells were triple positive (estrogen, progesterone, and Her2) and responded really well to treatment. Which is a good indicator that I'll have a lot of success continuing Herceptin and adding Tamoxifen. Meaning those two drugs are likely enough to keep me in the clear for the next 5 years. 

So that's the latest. Happy Thanksgiving to all! Try not to mow anyone down in your Black Friday shopping-induced excitement.