As many of you know I'm a breast cancer survivor and a health awareness advocate. I insist that you all check out the following links:
IBC Symptoms
Breast Cancer Diagnosis NBC Chicago
Photos of what IBC looks like
Many women aren't aware of another form of Breast Cancer called Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) as it's not typically detected through self breast exams, mammograms, or the usual means of discovery. It's a highly aggressive form of cancer and by the time it's detected, it's often in the late stages.
I implore the women to be aware of their bodies and any changes it might go through. Please do not overlook what may be a seemingly benign change in your breasts. Please be insistent with your doctors and other health care professionals to not dismiss you or your symptoms.
Men, please take notice of any changes the women in your lives might be going through and identify anything that seems out of the ordinary to you. In addition, advise your women to monitor and maintain their health and please do the same for yourselves.
Love to live; live to love!
Showing posts with label health advocacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health advocacy. Show all posts
05 May 2009
11 June 2008
Health Wealth #6 (final for this series)
Moving along in my series, I'm going to give you a run down of events during my initial recovering process.
After coming home, I had to do light exercises to maintain strength in my right arm and to avoid tightness and other complications that could arise. I saw the reconstructive surgeon on Labor Day even though his practice was closed for the holiday. Yes, he actually went into the office just for me. There aren't too many doctors like him left. Anyhoo, he too the bandages off and changed the dressing and viewed the drain. It was at that point when I saw my breast for the first time. It was a little scary and I was immediately self-conscious about my appearance. He explained that a small amount of saline was in the implant to initiate the inflation and I would undergo inflation about every two weeks or however my body tolerated it. The skin had to completely heal as I had some external abrasions due to the scraping of the breast tissue, which over the next couple of weeks increased my self-consciousness and I found myself wearing button downs quite often.
When it was time for the first inflation, it hurt like heck. The tightness in my chest and the strain on my skin was quite unexpected. I took some ibruprophen to alleviate my discomfort and decided I would take one before each inflation just in case. Over the course of the expansion process, I found myself trying to get used to this hard foreign object that was residing in my chest, which wasn't an easy thing to do. It was hard to get comfortable in bed or while driving, so I used small pillows to cushion myself. I had a total of 3 inflations until the tissue expander reached the size it needed to be and then I was in wait mode.
The doctor had to be sure that my skin was ready for me to undergo the next surgery to remove the expander and put an implant in. In the interim, I saw the breast surgeon for an exam and get his feelings on which implant I should chose. I initially was going for saline, but after talking to him and a woman who had saline, they both recommended silicone. With their endorsement, my mind was made up and I'd done all the reading necessary when trying to decide which of the two to use and I felt comfortble with the combined decision.
Fast forward to January 11th, 2008...
Mum came up again for me to have my next surgery and again stayed at the hospital with me. My recover from anethesia was easy this go around and I felt much better a lot sooner. My unaffected breast was lifted after the implant was placed in the affected breast to provided symetry and better asthetics. I wanted a small implant in the unaffected breast, but the doctor wanted to wait for another chest x-ray and mamo before he felt comfortable doing it just in case there was a problem. I went home the next day and was out of work for 4 weeks. The first go around I was out for almost 8 weeks. I felt pretty good, but still had to take it easy, which I did.
I went through all of my post-op appointments and was back into the swing of things.
In March, 2008, I saw the breast surgeon again as well as the oncologist. Another chest x-ray and mamo was ordered and it was later determined that I was completely clean and could now schedule my final surgery to have the small implant put into my unaffected breast to finalize the reconstruction and symetry.
In May, 2008, I underwent the final surgery and took a week off work to recuperate. It should have been at least two, but I didn't want to go through the disability paperwork drama and I had enough comp time to be out for a week without having to use leave. The pain was actually more than I expected it to be and found myself wondering how women increase their breast sizes because they can. My procedure wasn't for vanity and on a couple of occasions, I wondered if I should have done it. Of course, I know I needed to, but shit, that pain is something.
So, here I am now almost a year to the date of my diagnosis, stronger emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. I feel empowered for being so proactive in how I had to get through it all. Trust me when I tell you that I had some pretty shitty days. I allowed myself to feel whatever I was feeling and then I moved on. I refused to allow myself to wallow in misery or pity. Some very good things came out of it and I'm happy for those blessings.
The moral of this story is to listen to your body; I can't stress that enough. Had I not listened to my uterus acting a fool and continued popping pain pills, it would have been October before I saw my GYN because that's when I would have been due for my annual. Had I not listened and also had a doctor who took advantage of the time he had to examine me, my diagnosis and treatment options could have been a lot different.
I hope my story serves a means to encourage all of my female readers to ignore the discomfort of a mamogram and get it done as you're required. In fact, get all of your tests done! My male readers, please encourage the women in your lives to take care of themselves and get to the doctor when they need to. It's a known fact that women in committed relationships are often the second to know when lump is discovered.
Men, you aren't off the hook here. I implore each of you to get your health checked; know your familiy's medical history; where necessary and able, please ask; and don't ignore your body when it's doing something odd. Ask questions and do your research if you're unsure of what you're being tested for and do not settle for inadequate care.
Thank you all for reading my story, for sharing your heartfelt/heartwarming prayers and good wishes with me, and most of all for seeing me as a resource and testimony for why it's so important to be healthwise.
Love!
After coming home, I had to do light exercises to maintain strength in my right arm and to avoid tightness and other complications that could arise. I saw the reconstructive surgeon on Labor Day even though his practice was closed for the holiday. Yes, he actually went into the office just for me. There aren't too many doctors like him left. Anyhoo, he too the bandages off and changed the dressing and viewed the drain. It was at that point when I saw my breast for the first time. It was a little scary and I was immediately self-conscious about my appearance. He explained that a small amount of saline was in the implant to initiate the inflation and I would undergo inflation about every two weeks or however my body tolerated it. The skin had to completely heal as I had some external abrasions due to the scraping of the breast tissue, which over the next couple of weeks increased my self-consciousness and I found myself wearing button downs quite often.
When it was time for the first inflation, it hurt like heck. The tightness in my chest and the strain on my skin was quite unexpected. I took some ibruprophen to alleviate my discomfort and decided I would take one before each inflation just in case. Over the course of the expansion process, I found myself trying to get used to this hard foreign object that was residing in my chest, which wasn't an easy thing to do. It was hard to get comfortable in bed or while driving, so I used small pillows to cushion myself. I had a total of 3 inflations until the tissue expander reached the size it needed to be and then I was in wait mode.
The doctor had to be sure that my skin was ready for me to undergo the next surgery to remove the expander and put an implant in. In the interim, I saw the breast surgeon for an exam and get his feelings on which implant I should chose. I initially was going for saline, but after talking to him and a woman who had saline, they both recommended silicone. With their endorsement, my mind was made up and I'd done all the reading necessary when trying to decide which of the two to use and I felt comfortble with the combined decision.
Fast forward to January 11th, 2008...
Mum came up again for me to have my next surgery and again stayed at the hospital with me. My recover from anethesia was easy this go around and I felt much better a lot sooner. My unaffected breast was lifted after the implant was placed in the affected breast to provided symetry and better asthetics. I wanted a small implant in the unaffected breast, but the doctor wanted to wait for another chest x-ray and mamo before he felt comfortable doing it just in case there was a problem. I went home the next day and was out of work for 4 weeks. The first go around I was out for almost 8 weeks. I felt pretty good, but still had to take it easy, which I did.
I went through all of my post-op appointments and was back into the swing of things.
In March, 2008, I saw the breast surgeon again as well as the oncologist. Another chest x-ray and mamo was ordered and it was later determined that I was completely clean and could now schedule my final surgery to have the small implant put into my unaffected breast to finalize the reconstruction and symetry.
In May, 2008, I underwent the final surgery and took a week off work to recuperate. It should have been at least two, but I didn't want to go through the disability paperwork drama and I had enough comp time to be out for a week without having to use leave. The pain was actually more than I expected it to be and found myself wondering how women increase their breast sizes because they can. My procedure wasn't for vanity and on a couple of occasions, I wondered if I should have done it. Of course, I know I needed to, but shit, that pain is something.
So, here I am now almost a year to the date of my diagnosis, stronger emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. I feel empowered for being so proactive in how I had to get through it all. Trust me when I tell you that I had some pretty shitty days. I allowed myself to feel whatever I was feeling and then I moved on. I refused to allow myself to wallow in misery or pity. Some very good things came out of it and I'm happy for those blessings.
The moral of this story is to listen to your body; I can't stress that enough. Had I not listened to my uterus acting a fool and continued popping pain pills, it would have been October before I saw my GYN because that's when I would have been due for my annual. Had I not listened and also had a doctor who took advantage of the time he had to examine me, my diagnosis and treatment options could have been a lot different.
I hope my story serves a means to encourage all of my female readers to ignore the discomfort of a mamogram and get it done as you're required. In fact, get all of your tests done! My male readers, please encourage the women in your lives to take care of themselves and get to the doctor when they need to. It's a known fact that women in committed relationships are often the second to know when lump is discovered.
Men, you aren't off the hook here. I implore each of you to get your health checked; know your familiy's medical history; where necessary and able, please ask; and don't ignore your body when it's doing something odd. Ask questions and do your research if you're unsure of what you're being tested for and do not settle for inadequate care.
Thank you all for reading my story, for sharing your heartfelt/heartwarming prayers and good wishes with me, and most of all for seeing me as a resource and testimony for why it's so important to be healthwise.
Love!
10 June 2008
Health Wealth #5
So, by now you know that I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2007. You know that it was (obviously) quite a shock, but a blow that I had to endure and fight through. You should be up to date, but if you're not, please refer back to the previous posts on this Health Wealth series.
Now for more of the story...
I’ve had surgery before, but nothing compared to this. Knowing that a part of my body would be essentially amputated and reconstructed was very scary. I was surrounded by my mum, my manager from work, who’s a role model, friend, and mentor rolled into one, lil lady, and bestie while I waited for the nurses to do their pre-surgery intake stuff. Once that was all taken care of, my mum and manager prayed over me and I was wheeled down to the OR.
Hours later, I woke up in agony, and wondered when the pain meds would actually work. Lil lady was snuck into the recovery room to see me and I stayed awake long enough to see her beautiful face and she was taken away. I really didn’t want her seeing me like that anyway as she already had a hard enough time accepting or dealing with what I was going through. I was finally taken to my room where a few close friends came to see me. I was pretty put of it and let the nurses and mum take care of me. I didn’t do well with the anesthesia and it wasn’t until almost 2:00am that I started to feel some relief. Mum stayed the night in the hospital with me to ensure that I was well taken care of; I was!
The next morning, the breast surgeon came to see me and explained that he was able to perform the surgery with the absolute best outcome and I was thrilled; that being my nipple was still in tact, which was something he couldn’t determine until the surgery was in progress. The reconstructive surgeon came in later and told me he was able to successfully begin the reconstruction; happiness continued. The pain was horrible, but I was alive and with favorable results.
Now, I’m sure there are those of you unfamiliar with breast surgeries, so I’ll explain the procedure I had done as it was not a typical mastectomy.
I received what’s called a Skin Sparing Mastectomy. This form of mastectomy is performed a few different ways, but this is how mine was done because my cancer was in two locations in my breast.
1. The underneath of my breast was cut open and lifted up.
2. The breast muscle was removed along with the breast tissue.
3. All of my breast skin and nipple remained in tact. (A typical mastectomy removes the breast skin and the nipple. Other Skin Sparing Mastectomies remove the nipple and the cancerous tissue).
4. A tissue expander was then placed under the skin with a small amount of saline to begin the process to expand the skin and make room for an implant later on.
5. A drain (typical procedure) was placed into my chest wall to remove excess fluid.
6. A bandage was wrapped around my chest to as a protective aid for the incision, the drain, and the expander.
Although I’m not in favor of “drive-thru” mastectomies (one day hospital stays), I was released from the hospital the day after my surgery because I was fearful of hospital-borne infections and I figured I’d be more comfortable at home.
As required and necessary, lymph nodes are removed and I was fortunate that only one of mine was removed the day of surgery and it was later determined to be within good margins; meaning the cancer was contained and my need for chemo and radiation was not necessary. Praise God!
I went home and began the process of healing and reconstruction.
Love!
09 June 2008
Health Wealth #4
Once, I’d swallowed the jagged little pill (my diagnosis), I became a woman on a mission. I began to research my cancer, its success rate post surgery, my need to be on medicine, my surgical options, and any other related things. I would leave no stone unturned in my quest for receiving the best treatment possible. I visited the oncologist, who explained my pathology results to me again and made an initial decision as to whether or not I’d need chemotherapy and/or radiation. After going through my initial required tests; blood tests, MRI, PET scan, Nuclear Tests, it was off to the breast surgeon. He came recommended by my GYN and I took my bestie with me for moral support and so I could have someone else listen and help me get through the initial consult. Naturally, I had thousands of questions, but the one I really wanted answered; how? He had no answer for. I left his office feeling rather emotional and dejected. Here I was, the poster child for good health and I had breast cancer. I went home and tried to deal with my emotions and what he told me regarding the surgery.
A week or so later, I went to the reconstructive surgeon; whom came highly recommended by the breast surgeon to discuss his role in my surgical process. I took my sis with me for this appt for moral support and also to listen and get a feel for the doctor just as my bestie did with the breast surgeon. I felt completely at ease with the doctor, his staff, and how he explained his role in my surgical process. I had no chose, but to have a mastectomy, and I chose to have reconstruction begin the same day, so I’d be undergoing two procedures on the same day. I left his office feeling educated, but still anxious. I just wanted to get the damn mess done.
Some back story…It took me two days to tell my mother about my diagnosis because I needed time to digest it all and at the time we were barely even speaking. I called my aunt in London first and told her and then I called my mum. She didn’t take it very well, but after regaining her composure, she told me she’d be there for me and would travel from Florida to be there for my surgery. That was the first step in our healing our differences. God is good! *smile* I told only those closest to me as I’m not one for being the center of attention and I didn’t want to be bombarded with questions etc. I just wanted to deal with it in my own way. I was surrounded by love, prayers, and support. There were some days where I was okay to function and other days where all I could do was cry and deal with the conflicted emotions I felt. I was happy that it was diagnosed and treatable, but at the same time I was confused and even a little angry.
Nurse Leslie from the radiology office had given me some information on Gilda’s Club, which is a support group for people living with or have had cancer. I had called when she told me to even though she strongly recommended I should, but on one of my bad days, I called and it was one of the best things I could have done. I went through the intake process and decided that Gilda’s would be beneficial in helping me deal with the diagnosis and be a place where I could learn, heal, and grow.
During one of the special events geared toward breast cancer, I received some information from a reconstructive/cosmetic surgeon from Thomas Jefferson Hospital in PA that would change the outcome of my surgery and give me a better surgical option in terms of my mastectomy and reconstruction. This information was shared with my breast and reconstructive surgeons and they mutually agreed that I was a good candidate for it and could receive that particular surgery. I was ecstatic and felt extremely empowered that I took a proactive and aggressive stand in how I would be treated medically/surgically.
Fast forward to August 29 (2007) and that was the date the first of my three surgeries.
Thanks for your continued support and interest; more next time.
Love!
A week or so later, I went to the reconstructive surgeon; whom came highly recommended by the breast surgeon to discuss his role in my surgical process. I took my sis with me for this appt for moral support and also to listen and get a feel for the doctor just as my bestie did with the breast surgeon. I felt completely at ease with the doctor, his staff, and how he explained his role in my surgical process. I had no chose, but to have a mastectomy, and I chose to have reconstruction begin the same day, so I’d be undergoing two procedures on the same day. I left his office feeling educated, but still anxious. I just wanted to get the damn mess done.
Some back story…It took me two days to tell my mother about my diagnosis because I needed time to digest it all and at the time we were barely even speaking. I called my aunt in London first and told her and then I called my mum. She didn’t take it very well, but after regaining her composure, she told me she’d be there for me and would travel from Florida to be there for my surgery. That was the first step in our healing our differences. God is good! *smile* I told only those closest to me as I’m not one for being the center of attention and I didn’t want to be bombarded with questions etc. I just wanted to deal with it in my own way. I was surrounded by love, prayers, and support. There were some days where I was okay to function and other days where all I could do was cry and deal with the conflicted emotions I felt. I was happy that it was diagnosed and treatable, but at the same time I was confused and even a little angry.
Nurse Leslie from the radiology office had given me some information on Gilda’s Club, which is a support group for people living with or have had cancer. I had called when she told me to even though she strongly recommended I should, but on one of my bad days, I called and it was one of the best things I could have done. I went through the intake process and decided that Gilda’s would be beneficial in helping me deal with the diagnosis and be a place where I could learn, heal, and grow.
During one of the special events geared toward breast cancer, I received some information from a reconstructive/cosmetic surgeon from Thomas Jefferson Hospital in PA that would change the outcome of my surgery and give me a better surgical option in terms of my mastectomy and reconstruction. This information was shared with my breast and reconstructive surgeons and they mutually agreed that I was a good candidate for it and could receive that particular surgery. I was ecstatic and felt extremely empowered that I took a proactive and aggressive stand in how I would be treated medically/surgically.
Fast forward to August 29 (2007) and that was the date the first of my three surgeries.
Thanks for your continued support and interest; more next time.
Love!
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