I'm Good to Go!!!

I got my MRI results from January 19th this morning and everything's ALL CLEAR!!! Even the small mass found during my previous MRI has disappeared!!! WOO HOO!!!! This is such a HUGE relief. I've been a basket case waiting for the results. This just re-emphasized there's no way I could just do increased surveillance...surgery is the only option for me.

Now I just wait for my surgery to be scheduled...
 

Bye Bye Bloating

For as long as I can remember, I've suffered from abdominal bloating and with fairly regular bouts of irritable bowel syndrome. I've also been having ovarian cysts for years. These kept showing up during my ovarian cancer surveillance ultrasounds. One large one was discovered last year and I had to go back for retesting...talk about scary!!!!

Anyway, since my hysterectomy, all these have disappeared. I feel like a new person! Obviously with my ovaries being removed, ovarian cysts aren't going to be a problem any longer, but my horrible abdominal bloating and the irritable bowel syndrome have disappeared completely. I still have a little tummy fat, but the bloating is gone! My digestive system is also as regular as clockwork. After some googling and researching, I discovered all of these are a symptom of endometriosis. As I said before, when Dr. Vilos did my hysterectomy he discovered quite severe endometriosis that had attached to my bladder and throughout my abdominal cavity.

The hysterectomy has made me a new woman!!! It feels so good to feel good again!!!!

Green Goddess

I know this isn't a makeup blog, but in my eyes, it sort of qualifies as a 'beauty' blog...you know, more of the internal beauty thing and being healthy. Since I found out my BRCA2 status, I've been trying to use only natural and organic beauty products.

I received the Green Goddess Collection yesterday. It's from Cargo's PlantLove line and I just had to rave about it!!!!

PlantLove has the embodying the mantra, "Red Lips. Green Conscience.". CARGO introduces a new revolution in eco-friendly beauty. The PlantLove™ professional collection, a complete line of eco-fabulous makeup in a stunning array of breathtaking colors and textures, is as beautiful as it is progressive. The only prestige color brand to carry the globally recognized ECOCERT™ natural designation for its comprehensive environmental commitment, Plantlove™ by CARGO is truly beauty with a conscience. From natural and organic ingredients, to its environmentally award-winning compostable packaging, Cargo PlantLove™ lets us go green glamorously.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrance
- Synthetic Dye
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates

What it has:
- Eco-Product
- Eco-Packaging
- Eco-Process
- No synthetic dyes, colour or fragrance

I tried the palette this morning and the products are gorgeous!!! They go on like silk. Trust me, this picture does the palette absolutely NO justice at all...it's so much prettier in person.

Being Green can be glamorous!!!

Monday's Appointments Update

Monday was a long day!!! We left home at 8:00 am to head to London and didn't get back home until 8:00 that evening.

I first had my MRI. I had to check-in about 30 minutes prior to my scheduled time, which I did, but of course they were behind schedule and I went in about an hour later. I HATE MRIs, so I'm hoping that will be my last one ever. I should have my results next Wednesday.

Later on in the afternoon, I had my consultation with the plastic surgeon. I first saw her Resident, then her Fellow and finally I saw Dr. Temple. The Fellow explained the reconstruction options in great detail, complete with some not-so-nice operating room photos. I saw lots of before and after photos as well. Afterwards, she examined me. She then left the room to speak to Dr. Temple. When Dr. Temple came in, she took one look at my abdominal and said it looks like I am not a candidate for DIEP reconstruction, BUT after hearing what I did about it, I wasn't that upset about it anyway. I was told that once surgery started, if they didn't feel the blood vessels were good enough for DIEP, they would automatically do a TRAM Flap...no way! I do not want a TRAM under any circumstances. I don't want to lose abdominal muscle and strength. I have a fair amount of abdominal scarring from previous surgeries and it's not that she couldn't do DIEP, but some blood supply has probably been cut off to the abdominal and as such, I probably wouldn't heal properly and could end up with necrosis!!! YUCK!!!

So as it now stands, I'll be having a mastectomy with immediate expander reconstruction. I should have my surgery scheduled shortly. They figured I'll have this stage done within 3 - 4 months. Once the expanders are in, I will have to make weekly trips to London for saline injections to fill the expanders. Once I'm filled one size larger than my implant size, I will be scheduled for exchange surgery at which time the expanders will be removed and the implants inserted. Following that there will be 2 smaller surgeries for nipple reconstruction and tattooing.

My surgery will likely be day surgery. Can you believe it??? Who would have thought they'd send you straight home after a mastectomy????? They said if all goes well, the surgery will be about two and a half hours and I'll be sent home with home care to tend to my drains, etc. They said this surgery should be easier on me than the hysterectomy was. That remains to be seen!!! I can't imagine this is going to be pleasant. Even though it's day surgery, I will still have about a 6 week or so recovery. She said she has no problem giving me as much time off work as I need as the expanders are not the most comfortable things in the world!!!

That's about it for now. I'll update when I get my MRI results. Fingers crossed they are fine. I don't want the need for a biopsy or the dreaded "C" to screw around with this surgery!

Thank goodness for MRIs

Although a breast MRI isn't the most pleasant of experiences, it certainly beats the alternative...the dreaded mammogram!!! I head to London on Monday for a follow-up breast MRI that was recommended after my last one. My previous MRI results from this past April showed a small "something" that was too small (6 x 7 x 5 mm) to characterize and a follow-up was recommended. My appointment is at 12:40. My breast surgeon, Dr. Muriel Brackstone wants this done before my mastectomy.

Then, at 2:30, I have my first consultation appointment with the plastic surgeon, Dr. Claire Temple. We're going to discuss my reconstruction options.

My two appointments were originally scheduled on 2 separate dates scheduled 4 days apart. Margo, the nurse practitioner who works with both Dr. Brackstone and the plastic surgery team worked her magic and got me scheduled for both on one day. With Bruce County winters, I'll be lucky to make one trip to London in January, let alone two!!!

I will update how everything goes as soon as I can.