5578delAA

It has been a little over 3 weeks since my exchange!!  My incisions are healed and I am on weight restriction for only 3 more weeks.  I have been feeling great.  I have noticed some soreness when I over work my right arm, but other than that I am feeling great.  They do change a lot over the first several weeks.  It is like every morning I look in the mirror to see if I recognize myself!  These things have a mind of their own sometimes!  I have my last follow up with the plastic surgeon in September.  I hope that is my last trip to Kansas City before we are driving on through!!!!

There has been a lot of talk lately trying to understand ones mutation and what does the numbers and letters mean.  My mutation is 5578delAA with a stop codon at amino acid position 1785.  This is a frameshift mutation. What does all this mean?!?  I have no clue.  I just know what my summary stated that this is a deleterious (harmful) mutation  with known breast cancer risk of up to 84% and ovarian cancer up to 40%.  There is a wonderful blog post that talks a little about the different types of mutations.  If you feel like studying, here is the link,
www.bravebosom.com/brca-mutations-made-simple

It really is an interesting article.  I also learned something new recently.  The FORCE website (facingourrisk.org website)  has a BRCA Gene Mutation Database.  I entered my gene into this database and have now met people with my same mutation!  I am super pumped about this.  They even have their own Facebook group.  Which now including me has 11 members!  I am anxious to get to meet these other women and to share stories. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eva-moon/double-mastectomy-whos-breasts-are-these_b_3713800.html

Above I have added a link to an article I came a cross the other day and it really hit home in different aspects.  This article talks about being an independent woman where no body part can define you. I also love the title of the article.... Ask the mutant!

That is all I can think of right now.  I have come to realize that I was a much more interesting blogger when I was on pain medication and muscle relaxers.  I promise to try and find more interesting and humorous topics for the future.

You exchanged what?........

Tomorrow will be two weeks post exchange.It is still hard to believe that I am done with surgery (unless I end up with ptosis- is sagging, Bottoming out-- is one boob dropping out of pocket or capsular contracture - is too much scar tissue, etc...)  I have decided I got my complications out of the way already!! :-)

  I had a follow up and my surgeon was impressed, he said everything looks good.  This is the only acceptable time to be topless and have another guy analyze my chest and telling me how good it turned out, etc...  I have no rippling.  Which even my PS said was actually surprising since most women do.  He even had me lean forward and different ways and still no rippling!!!  I am still on a weight restriction, I have 4 more weeks. My PS has not given me additional instructions such as cardio.  I think it is because of my past and pushing myself too much he knows if he gives me any leniency I will go too far.  Which hey he may be right.  Since he didn't say I was restricted  from cardio I decided to workout today with one of my videos.  I haven't worked out since prior to my mastectomy since I had the complications and then the spasms.  I seriously debated on doing the strength training parts of it with a set of 3 lb weights.  I mean really I am still under my 10 lb weight restriction, right?!?  I don't think my doctor would have been too happy to hear me working out my chest muscles like that yet. I have to remember, although I do not have any pain, I am still healing.  So during those parts of the video I just did some high kicks or some other leg exercise.  So now my legs are like spaghetti!!  I seriously should not have waited so long to get back into some what of a routine.  This is going to be a long road to build me back up. 

So anyone who is part of the BRCA groups on facebook is fully aware of the new trick that is going around for girls that have either had breast augmentation or breast reconstruction.  If you have saline or silicone implants for any reason, if you hold a flashlight up to them.  They glow orange.  When I first saw the article... I was like "Sweet I have to try this."  And sure enough it works.  It doesn't just kind of glow---- They full on light up the entire breast.  What a cool trick, huh!! Just one of those tricks that you can really only show a select few of people.

I went bra shopping for the first time since my mastectomy.  I went to Dillards, but didn't want to spend a lot of money since my chest will still be changing a lot for the next 3-6 months and what I fit in now may not be what I fit in two months. So I went to the associate and was like here is the deal... I just had a mastectomy with reconstruction, my chest is still changing a lot so I don't want to spend a lot of money, but I want a couple of bras with out padding or push up.  What do you have for me?  She was super nice and took me over to the clearance rack and helped me find a couple of simple bras without padding. That was a lot of fun!!!  I can't wait until my chest has fully settled and I can go to Nordstroms or somewhere and get a good fitting and buy some new bras!!!

Guess what we are a little over 6 weeks from moving to Florida!! I can't believe it.  I have one more follow up appointment in KC at the end of September. I am hoping that is my last drive to KC until I am going straight through and not looking back!!!! I had an interview last Wednesday and have a second interview with them this coming Wednesday.  It is in an Emergency Department that is a little bigger than the one I worked at here.  They are in the final stages of becoming a level 2 trauma. I am a little nervous and excited.  It has been 2 1/2 years since I have worked in the emergency department, but I always enjoyed it.

Now I have to talk about my kids.  Connor just recently turned 3!  And Braydin started kindergarten.  I can't believe how much they have grown up.  It seriously is too darn quick.  I am proud to say that I must be doing something right (at least part of the time...)  We generally stick to fairly healthy foods for the boys a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Sometimes we do allow them to be kids and will cook not so healthy meals for them.  Today for lunch we made chicken nuggets, french fries, cucumbers, and cantaloupe.  Both my boys asked me if they could have more cantaloupe and cucumbers instead of their french fries. I was shocked.....Of course you can choose to not eat the unhealthy, fattening food for fruits and vegetables!!!  I do hope they keep up on their healthy eating habits when they get older.   

I don't have a whole lot more to talk about right now.  So have a good rest of the weekend!

Squishy!!!! FYI: little personal but no pictures

Had my exchange surgery yesterday!!  It is so great to be done.  Surgery only took a couple of hours and I could tell an immediate difference from the tissue expanders to silicone implants.  I no longer feel like I am going to injure someone if I hug them.  I am sore (feels more like a pulled muscle)  but that is it.  Since my nerve endings were cut during my mastectomy, I have no incision pain.  Rightie is quite swollen and bruised.  I am guessing that side had a lot more scar tissue. I was shocked after my surgery, due to the amount of disappointment when I first saw my chest.
  I never would have guessed my disappointment though after surgery. I think part of my disappointment is that I have wanted an augmentation for years.  Never did because I was worried about breast cancer in the family and if an augmentation would make it harder to find.  Seeing pictures of girls that had augmentations, everything looks perfect and lays just right.  When you have extra tissue over your implants everything just looks better.  I know mine will never look like that, but hey it's only minor, not devastating. One thing my muscles are still tight and holding in my implants which makes them not look natural and smaller. Also my nipples are not even with each other, but that is most likely due to the fact that my right one is being help up higher by my muscle.
I didn't know really what to expect after surgery, so I got a hold of my girls on prophylactic mastectomy website.  Those women are amazing!!! They told me that over the next few months, my breast will change almost daily.  Once the muscle relaxes and my implants drop they will look a lot more natural and will be a little bigger.  When I wrote about being disappointed, I also felt guilty.  I don't have breast cancer and now never will, so I should be over joyed. I am, but also it is tough to look in the mirror right now.  My incision is bold again and now my boobs have a different shape.  I also think I have some fluid build up on my right side.  My PS also said that I may want fat grafting 3-6 months down the road. You don't want to do that until your implants have had a chance to settle.  As of right now my right one sits a little funny, and my plastic surgeon is a perfectionist and if I was staying he would probably go ahead and schedule me to get the grafting, but he said just to get a PS in Florida, that way if I want I can have minor touch ups.  I have to say this surgery was a whole lot easier than my mastectomy, but it is still exhausting. I think I took 3 naps yesterday, after I got home.  My poor husband, I think I fell asleep once when he was talking to me. 

( This is my reminder that my boobs will become more natural, until then be happy they are squishy not rock hard boulders!!!)

Also, for everyone who was curious... My nasal swab was negative for MRSA!!!  Yea, I know..... I didn't believe it either at first.  As many times as I have taken care of patients with MRSA, I would have bet money on it that I carried it. 

One of the wonderful women in the prophylactic mastectomy group posted and article about how a mother was able to breast feed her newborn after having a bilateral mastectomy.  The mother figured that wasn't going to be an option and sadly excepted she couldn't breast feed.  This article shows the compassion people can have for one another, when the lactation consultant offered to have her try breast feeding with a supplemental feeding system. 

http://fullbellysisters.blogspot.jp/2013/04/opening-closed-door-unexpected.html


I  tried Jamberry nails today for the first time!!!  I can't believe how easy they are to apply.  So much better than painting your nails.  I first off and not that great at painting my nails with out making a mess.  The other part of these that I love is, my nails chip and peel so within a day my nail polish looks horrible.  I think these are going to work great for me!!  So if anyone wants to try these... I know a great consultant to go through!!