a skin sparing mastectomy

Told you earlier I would explain what this was. I guess I am feeling good about Good Monday because of the type of surgery I am getting. I love my doctor and my plastic surgeon and their fellows...so that is going a long way. But after reading up about the surgery so I'd have questions to ask the PS, I became more "excited" so to speak, about it.

What this is not: they are not taking my breast, only the cancer inside and the comfy room that it was living in. Not taking my sense of humor or my spirit!! With that said, let me tell you what they ARE taking.

Skin sparing is just what it sounds like! They are keeping the "pillow case" and taking out the stuffing. They will open the pillow case at the "colored part" and remove all the inside. (sorry...I don't get too graphic!!) That is ONE cut and it is NOT across the breast, but at the colored part. Once the cancer is out, the PS steps in and puts in a tissue expander. This is like a balloon and is filled with saline. I think they put it in behind the muscle there to fill back in the skin that was NOT TAKEN!!! :) Hear the smile in my voice when I say that!!! :) There is a chance that there will be a second cut to take out the lymph nodes, but the PS said that it is possible to do that through the original cut maybe...we'll see! Otherwise, it will be another cut off to the side to remove those. With the expander, I will leave just a flat chested as I went in!! ha ha Sorry, my nearly B is just that...nearly B! But I won't be any flatter, so that's the good news and such a huge encouragement! That a woman can leave the hospital a woman...not feeling just fine and dandy, but better about herself than if there was just emptiness. For me, take all that cancer and it's friends, I don't need them.

I can have chemo with the expander and do whatever it is I need to do with it. BUT, I can't do radiation with it. It will be deflated for the duration of radiation..if I need that. If I do, it will be 6 weeks-all week long, minus the weekends. So, I'm not really liking that part, but by then, I will have adjusted to my new look. If I DON'T have to have radiation, then the expanders come out on April 25 and the new ALL THE WAY B will be put in!!!

Tip top of the colored part will be added later and they tattoo the colored part in a while after that. The whole process start date to end date takes about a year.

The radiation is the part that will either speed things along or draw them to a stand still. So PLEASE no more than one or two lymph nodes affected!!!