:)

So Michael and I met with Dr. Bindrup on Monday. I feel SO much better about things. So does Michael. This is going to be a bit graphic, so if you are male, you may want your wife/girlfriend/sister to read it first and then just relay the general content back to you.... :)

I have opted to go with an implant. With my size, the TRAM flap (skin/muscle/fat taken from a football-shaped graph that goes from hip to hip) wasn't a great option. I could have taken a flap from my butt, but it's a much longer surgery, a much longer hospital stay and a much longer recovery (translation: more time off of running). It just seems that with where I am in my life right now (two young children), the implant seems to be the best option. More importantly, Michael and I both feel really good about that decision.

Our really great news (brace yourselves!) came when he said that he thinks he can save the nipple. Yay! I had no idea how important my nipple was to me. This was really good news for both of us... :) (Sorry if I have crossed over the "way more information than we ever wanted to know" line.....) Soooooo... Dr. Hansen will remove all of the breast tissue and then Dr. Bindrup will put in a saline implant and stitch things up (complete with drains-- blech--that will stay in 4-7 days...) It is a skin-sparing mastectomy, so I will not need to worry about expanders at all. That was more good news. With the saline implant, they can inject fluid as needed until it is the right size. And once it's the right size, he will replace the saline with a silicone implant.

On the other side, he will remove some breast tissue (a slight reduction) and then do a lift. Yay, again! They will then biopsy the tissue they remove.

Dr. Bindrup said that one of his goals is symmetry. Excellent! He said that his other goal, is that in a year's time, this will just be some surgery I had in my life that I hardly think about anymore. Even more excellent. That is EXACTLY what I wanted to hear. Of course I still wish none of this was necessary, but because it is, I'm glad that both of my dr.'s seem to have been able to make the very best of a lousy situation.

Boob cancer update....

I had no idea how MUCH fluid could fit into the cavity he carved out of my boob. Ugh. I've never nursed, so I've never had milk come in so I don't know how it compares, but this fluid is no fun! My deformed boob is now bigger than the other one... They sent me home after the last surgery with the world's largest ace bandage wrapped around my chest like a mummy. They told me to leave it on for 5-7 days. I didn't know it was to keep the fluid out. I lasted 5 days with it before I couldn't stand it anymore. Well the fluid is worse than the chest strap, so it's back on today. My dr. (Dr. Hansen) said I could come in and he could drain it, but he said it would just fill up again. I told him I would call back if it became unbearable. Hopefully it will redistribute before I reach the unbearable level.

The big M surgery is scheduled for March 11. I was planning on doing it sooner, but the plastic surgeon is out of the country from 2/18-3/8. So my options were having it done next Thursday, Feb. 11, or waiting til March 11. There was no way I was going to be ready this next Thursday to have THAT done, so after checking with Dr. Hansen, who gave the okay to wait, I have scheduled it for March 11. Michael and I will meet with the plastic surgeon (Dr. Bindrup) on Feb. 15 to discuss my reconstruction. Boob rebuilding. I had never, ever thought I would be getting a boob job. Ever. I had no idea there were so many options and so many decisions to make...

Tangent: Thursday is Dr. Hansen's surgery day, so my surgeries are always on Thursdays. Except for Tuesday, Thursday is now my least favorite day of the week. Tuesdays are my least favorite day because Dr. Hansen always calls on Tuesdays to give me bad news, results of the previous Thursdays procedure. Someday I will like Tuesdays and Thursdays again and Monday will once again regain it's rightful place as my least favorite day of the week...

Happy Groundhog Day...

Margins were not clear. Looks like I'm getting new boobs for my birthday this year.