Hey All! Here is the latest update...I started hormone therapy in July and boy oh boy did that mess with all of my emotions and body! I started taking an anti-depressant and that has really helped. The hot flashes and mood swings are more under control.
The past couple of months the radiated breast has been giving me all kinds of pain. I didn't know if this was normal or not so I got on the Internet to research. It turns out that a lot of women who have implants and undergo radiation have this problem. Its because the damaged scar tissue from the radiation clamps down on the implant. Mine is worse on the outside of the breast where most of the burning and blistering occurred during radiation. So to correct this tomorrow I am undergoing another surgery to completely remove the implants. Dr. Ferguson is then going to take tissue from my stomach and transfer it up onto my chest. Good...I get a tummy tuck...Bad it is an 8-10 hour surgery because he has to connect blood vessels from the tummy tissue to the blood vessels in my chest. The first thing he will check for is healthy blood vessels in the chest that he can attach the new tissue to. If there are good vessels then he will move to my stomach where he only takes the skin, tissue and fat, but he needs to go through the muscle to get to the blood vessels. Then under a microscope he attaches the blood vessels and continues like that until both breasts are done. I go in tomorrow morning at 5:30. I will most likely be in the ICU until Tuesday night and hopefully going home Thursday or Friday. They have to monitor the blood flow of the newly attached vessels to make sure they are working properly, if they aren't then they have to go back in to repair them. My fears of course are with the anesthesia, but knowing the medications that work on me I can let the doctor know and it shouldn't be a problem.
Gary will try to post an update once I am out of surgery.
Thank you for keeping me and my family in your thoughts and prayers. They truly do give me so much hope and strength!!
Hugs and Kisses...Chandy