Hello there my little gumdrops! Been awhile huh? Sorry about that but it's been no news is good news around here. Time to catch you up on the little milestones and any news we may have for you. Ready....Set....
Drains! They are out. First one was out a week out after surgery. Second one took a little longer but was finally removed around the 19th. The second one was like foot long! I will say I won't miss emptying those. PT started on the 12th and After a lot of pain and a few frustrated tears shed I can now say she has almost full range of motion and is feeling tons better. Planning on going back to the office next week. She has been working from home but now she is confident driving and the docs have given her the ok. She still has a weight restriction but I think that will be lifted sooner rather than later.
We worked the Brat Pit at the walworth county fair and although Becca had to skip the last day I think she did really well. After sitting around for a month and then be up and working like that I was surprised she lasted the two days she did. Overdid it though and welcome back recliner heating pad and good ole Mr. Valium. This week we finally saw the Radiation Oncologist. I'm going to try my best to explain everything to you here but I'm sure I'll miss something.
Again she has the option to enter a trial. Created for people in her situation (the grey area) who could have radiation or not in the effort to ascertain if radiation after mastectomy should be the standard of care anymore. So she can participate in the trial and be randomized again.Then she would either have radiation or she wouldn't. She can just choose to have radiation or choose not to outside of the trial. There is an increased risk of lymphedema with radiation. Something like 15-20%. But with her type of cancer, and the fact that she is at the higher end of basically saying YES you NEED radiation, the recurrence rate is 12-15% after chemo.
Still he was impressed with her outcome from chemo and surgery. I could tell he was. And I think he should take this into account. She's 95.5% cured here. There is ALWAYS going to be a chance or the cancer returning because it's cancer. It's always going to be in the back of our minds. What we still want to know is IF she has radiation and takes on all the small risks as well as a bigger risk of lymphedema how much does that 12-15% drop? In my opinion if it's not down to less than 5% I'd say no way. But that's me. There is a reason they are doing this study in the first place. They have found that women like her don't necessarily NEED radiation and now they want to back that up. And they should. I just don't want her to risk it.
Add in the fact that she wants this over with. Radiation would postpone her reconstruction for as much as a year! Superficial I know. This is small potatoes when comparing the risk of death I know that too. But with where she is at I can't say I'd blame her. By the way for all you wondering the size will remain the same lol. Not for a lack of trying on my part mind you. I mean come on a free boob job? They can't charge us anymore this year so if she ever wanted bigger or smaller now would be the time to do it right? RIGHT? Help me out here!! Nah it's all good it's fine :) (seriously call and tell her bigger is better).
We have more literature to go through and will be talking with another oncologist today for a second opinion so we'll see where we are at the end of this week. If she decides on no radiation she will start taking her tamoxifen, a couple more fill ups and then then surgery. Oh yeah. The water balloon part of the title. Bet you thought I'd forgotten you silly gumdrop. I did. Sue me we gots nothin lol.
She had a tissue expander put in and filled initially with 150 CC's of fluid. Every week starting a few weeks back we going and they filler' up. Like a water balloon in her chest. They add CC's of saline to the point that the skin has stretched enough to accommodate the implant. Each fill up is 75-100 CC's depending on how the skin looks. Last one was 75 CC's. When the desired size is reached surgery would be scheduled.
Till next time er'body. Hope to have an answer on radiation with the next post and I will try to make it quick.
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