Post-Op Day 5

Follow up with Dr. M today and everything is looking fan-freaking-tastic. All of the dressings came off the good twin and most off the evil twin. Though the evil twin is still left with some sutures and the splint. So it kinda looks like this right now...

But by next week's follow up, I should be rid of the remaining sutures and splint as well. And the good twin continues to heal at a record setting pace. Further proof that I just may be part vampire. Ooh! Or maybe part faerie. If I'm not careful, vampire Bill just might try to synthesize my blood...

Cancer humor and True Blood references... where else are you going to find that? I'll tell ya - no where - that's where!

Post-Op Day 3

If you're paying close attention, you may notice post-op days 1 and 2 are missing. You and me both, sister. 'Cause I think they both slipped by me pretty quickly. Time flies when you're still under the influence of anesthesia. But! Friday's procedure came and went with little-to-no excitement. Well, unless you include continuing to beat my personal record for getting kicked out of discharged from the hospital: 6 hours flat this time. 

Pre-op and post-Sharpee. A matching set of "yes" on each clavicle.

Post-op. Clearly still feeling the love of pain meds.

Two days post-ops... goodbye nubbin!

Not pictured above: A fresh, new incision underneath the good twin. There was some asymmetry that hadn't evened out from the exchange surgery in March, so Dr. M re-opened the old scar and swapped out that implant for one that will match the other. Also not pictured here (because this just isn't that kind of blog) the newly constructed nip on the evil twin. The big unveiling won't be until my follow up with Dr. M on Wednesday. Until then it's still "dressed". Complete with plastic splint. You read that right. My new nipple needs a splint. (I guess this is *that* kind of blog.) If you're curious how one creates a nipple where one didn't use to be (or rather, where one *did* use to be but then had to be removed), click HERE. But seriously, it's so not pretty. 

Ahh....now, if I could finally get around to posting all those completely non-surgery related photos from the Fourth. Hope you all had a great holiday!

Deja vu all over again

I had my pre-op phone interview with fine folks of Fairfax Hospital yesterday. Which was pretty quick and easy because it was mostly "Has anything changed since you were here in March?" and "Do you remember where to park?" Yup, same place as last time.

Huh. Not sure how I feel about that. I do kinda feel like me and the anesthesiologist are BFFs by now. I mean, this will make trip number 6 to chemically-induced sleepy town in the last 16 months. Maybe there are frequent flyer miles. Or one of those punch-cards like at the carwash. You know, buy 5 procedures get the 6th one free! That definitely sounds like an amendment to the ACA to me.

Hmmm.... time for a trip down memory lane, shall we? Starting with...

Getting my medi-port in May 4th 2012

Then, the big surgery October 22nd 2012

   

Reconstruction on March 5th 2013

And in just 3 short days I'll bid a fond adieu to the nubbin and put the finishing touches on recontruction.



As Rob would say, "In true Kiki fashion", I just had to squeeze in a summer class before this next procedure. Guess who got herself an "A" in Ethics...


Say it with me now... SUCK IT, CANCER!



July 4th

July 4th may be the day before my next surgery (this will make number 4 for those of you counting along at home), but that's not going to stop us from enjoying the kick-ass fireworks display our neighborhood puts on every year.

Well worth the HOA fees.

If you can't think of a better way to celebrate your independence, 

c'mon out and join us! (Email invite to follow.)

What did you do yesterday?

Did it rhyme with meeting General Colin Powell?

Good, good, good..good vibrations!

The other week, I mentioned Dr. S had me scheduled for a hysteroscopy and I asked you all to send me some good vibes while I'll snoozed my way through the procedure. Short story... you all are awesome, 'cause you're good vibes worked and everything is a-okay! 

The slightly longer story is slightly more graphic, so if that's not your cup of tea stop here at this gratuitous adorable baby pic...

... 6 months old and already half as tall as me. Clearly no blood-relation ;-)

For the rest of you, here's the scoop on the 'scope...

Chemotherapy can potentially send a pre-menopausal woman (as opposed to a pre-menopausal man?) into early and permanent menopause. I'm unsure of the rates and the likelihood - one doc when I was first diagnosed said it was 50/50 (like I couldn't have come up with those odds on my own) - and I'm up to my eyeballs in research for an Ethics class (lethal means restriction in suicidal clients, anyone?), so we'll just go with 50/50 on the whole menopause thing. Amenorrhea during treatment is very common, and can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months post-chemo for a cycle to return. If it's going to.

At roughly the 6 month mark Dr. S (OB/Gyn) wanted to take a little look-see and ordered an ultrasound. The first one showed some ovarian cysts and some endometrium hyperplasia. After a minor freak out on my part, we waited a month and followed up with another ultrasound. The cysts were a lot smaller - suggesting they're going away on their own, as they frequently tend to do. But the second ultrasound still showed the hyperplasia. Which can be an indicator of a small handful of things. One of things it can be is pre-cancerous. So it's a really good idea to take an even closer look-see. 

That all brings us to last week's procedure. Caught up to speed now? Good! So this week I had the follow up appointment with Dr. S to go over what she found - or didn't find - while I was knocked out. She had some awesome news, and some let's-wait-and-see-news. 

First, the awesome news. No signs of uterine cancer! Woohoo! Combine that with a clear pap (screening for cervical cancer) and an a-okay CA125 (blood test for ovarian cancer)... this gal is still foot loose and cancer free!!!

Now, the let's-wait-and-see-news. While Dr. S was all up in my bidness, she said I look post-menopausal. Meaning, the ultrasound images were quite deceiving. What looked on an ultrasound like a very thick endometrium (seriously, you could have stopped at the baby picture up there), IRL is actually quite thin. Evidently this is one of those times when you don't want to be told how thin you look. This trompe l'oeil is likely a side effect of the Tamoxifen. Now all of that is contradictory to hormone blood tests that are all systems go. 

So what does that all mean? Your guess is as good as mine! It could be my system is still shell shocked from all the crap dumped into this last year. And it's just taking a little while to get back to pre-chemo normal. Or it could be that this is part of the post-cancer new normal. But for now, it means we wait and see.

Kinda Crazy. Kinda Awesome.

I have to share something totally wacky with you all. Yesterday was my 18th and final round of treatment (more on that in a minute). In honor of, I rocked my Stupid Cancer shirt to the infusion center, and shared a pic with them on their Facebook page. Which they then shared with their 78K followers...

... and here I am, less than 24 hours later. With 58,621 "likes", 504 "shares", and 973 comments. They weren't kidding when they said it'd go viral. So thanks for all the internet love!

UPDATE: I received a message from Stupid Cancer that mine was their most viral photo ever. Viewed over 4 million times, with 450K likes, 6K comments, and 3.5K shares. Not too shabby.

Now, more on Final. Infusion. Ever. By some wild twist of the universe, not only was yesterday my 18th and final treatment, by it was also the one year anniversary of my very first treatment. 

See, here's I am with nurse Lynn May 31st 2012

And here we are one year later. Don't we look fabulous?

The center didn't have a customary end-of-treatment bell to ring... so I improvised with and iPad app. Sure am going to miss these ladies. The chemo... not so much.

Mom was there to keep me company...

...and take me to lunch.

Then I came home to this...

...and these. What can I say? He's a keeper.

Make it a great Saturday, friends!