I'm back, bitches!
No, I'm not quite ready to be blogging on a regular basis, but I certainly wanted to touch base with my readers (all 6 of you, plus my mom). I am 3 weeks post-op from my double mastectomy, and I'm thrilled to say the long procedure went swimmingly. My heart behaved in the 6 hours while I was under anesthesia, and the breast surgeon saw no other signs of cancer (pathology reports still pending, but she feels confident in what she saw).
Today I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty, physical and emotional aspects of removing my lady lumps. I'm still in too much a Percocet-Valium pain/muscle spasm induced haze to articulate any of the more raw aspects of the mastectomy. All in good time.
This post has been sitting in my draft box unfinished for almost a month, because I had grande plans to publish this the week before surgery. But, as we all know, even the best made plans fall though (or whatever the saying is. I'm high on valium, give a sista a break). There were lists of things I had to get done, so many doctors to meet with to ensure it all went smoothly, and even though it wasn't quite as crazy as my bachelorette party (there was no hot limo driver for me toviolate dance with), I still had my girlfriends throw me an epic Bye Bye Boobies party a few weeks before the big day.
When I was told the date of my surgery would be December 1st, I knew that pretty much made Christmas shopping a bust. I was totally bummed. Call me crazy, but I like the hustle and bustle of the malls/Target during the holiday season. Let me also state that I detest the douche canoes in the parking lots and the dick biscuits who treat store workers like garbage, but, the shopping I love.
So when the oncology NP at one of my last pre-op visits told me I had to go shopping for a post-mastectomy camisole and that the best place to go was Nordstrom? It was if the skies opened and I heard the choir from Sister Act (once Sister Mary Clarence made them sound good!) singing "Hail, Holy Queen."
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Linking up with the Let's Be Friends Blog Hop
No, I'm not quite ready to be blogging on a regular basis, but I certainly wanted to touch base with my readers (all 6 of you, plus my mom). I am 3 weeks post-op from my double mastectomy, and I'm thrilled to say the long procedure went swimmingly. My heart behaved in the 6 hours while I was under anesthesia, and the breast surgeon saw no other signs of cancer (pathology reports still pending, but she feels confident in what she saw).
Today I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty, physical and emotional aspects of removing my lady lumps. I'm still in too much a Percocet-Valium pain/muscle spasm induced haze to articulate any of the more raw aspects of the mastectomy. All in good time.
This post has been sitting in my draft box unfinished for almost a month, because I had grande plans to publish this the week before surgery. But, as we all know, even the best made plans fall though (or whatever the saying is. I'm high on valium, give a sista a break). There were lists of things I had to get done, so many doctors to meet with to ensure it all went smoothly, and even though it wasn't quite as crazy as my bachelorette party (there was no hot limo driver for me to
When I was told the date of my surgery would be December 1st, I knew that pretty much made Christmas shopping a bust. I was totally bummed. Call me crazy, but I like the hustle and bustle of the malls/Target during the holiday season. Let me also state that I detest the douche canoes in the parking lots and the dick biscuits who treat store workers like garbage, but, the shopping I love.
So when the oncology NP at one of my last pre-op visits told me I had to go shopping for a post-mastectomy camisole and that the best place to go was Nordstrom? It was if the skies opened and I heard the choir from Sister Act (once Sister Mary Clarence made them sound good!) singing "Hail, Holy Queen."
Wait, it gets better. The NP wrote a prescription for the camisole that I can send to my insurance company for a refund. Shopping at Nordstrom on Blue Cross' dime?
Sign. Me. Up.
And that is how a week before surgery, Brie and I strolled into the lingerie department at Nordstrom so I could get fitted for a post-mastectomy camisole.
Nordstrom is known for their impeccable service and personal shoppers, and impeccable service is exactly what we received. Nordstrom has a Breast Prosthesis Program, with Certified Prosthesis Fitters who are trained in fitting women for bras and prostheses after breast surgery.
Brie and I were introduced to Lauren, my certified fitter, and we were taken back to a gorgeous fitting room, and treated like royalty.
I sound like a broken record when I repeat over and over and over how difficult, emotional, and scary making the decision to go forward with surgery, and Lauren put me at ease and made us forget why we were there in the first place. I might as well have been at Frederick's of Hollywood buying boobie tassels and G-strings; Lauren didn't treat me like an oncology patient, and it brought a sense of normalcy to the entire experience. Plus, with Brie by my side, we always seem to be funny (read: obnoxious) and get a giggle out of any situation.
Lauren filled out all the paperwork to be sent off to my insurance company for the refund. There is a story behind Nordstrom's Breast Prosthesis Program, and if you visit the site, you'll find a You Tube video explaining how the program was born. Basically, the company wanted there to be a place where women going through such an emotional and painful journey would have a place to go to where they could be treated like a queen and feel beautiful.
Thank you again Lauren, you deserve a raise!
The post-mastectomy camisole is zip-up, so you can put it on without having to lift your arms over your head (3 weeks out and I am still not cleared to lift my arms above my shoulders). It has little pockets that you can take on and off of the cami itself with Velcro, and they hold your drains. There are breast pads you can use to give you the look of having breasts until you have reconstruction. I can't be bothered to use them, but it's certainly gratifying to have the option.
In addition to the cami, there were a few items I either read about, or were told by friends who underwent a mastectomy that would aid in recovery. So now I bring you.....
Graphic design is not my forte....
Linky Cat wanted to make an appearance!
I'm not a good sleeper to begin with, but trying to sleep with drains coming out of your armpits, tissue expanders in place where your tits once were that are so tight it feels like two baby elephants are on your chest? Damn near impossible. I'm normally a side sleeper, which was also impossible given this situation, but the husband pillow (why the frig are they called a husband pillow?) gave me some support because I can't use my arms to push myself up, and made sleeping someone doable.
You will have a lot of time on your hands, so stock up on plenty of magazines. Preferably ones with the hottest J-O-O on the cover.
Since you can't lift your arms above your shoulders, unless you have a loving husband who will shower with you, or a sister willing to get wet to wash your hair, you'll want to have a shower cap since you most likely will not be washing your hair every day. Mine has flying pigs. Because, why not?
Obviously to keep your unwashed hair daisy fresh. Redken Pillow Proof worked well and smells great!
An absurd amount of time will be spent resting in bed or lying on the sofa, and the lap desk came in handy when I was too tired to get up to eat, or worked well to hold my laptop (you all know I can't stay away from FB or Perez Hilton for a few hours).
This is probably the BEST thing to get me through the procedure and my recovery so far, an amazing gift from my friend Melissa. Total. Genius. They were two pockets made from beer koozie material that hang around your neck and hold the JP drains. They were fantastic for the shower, and dried quickly so I can wear them throughout the day. Every single doctor appointment I went to, everyone in the office would stop me and ask where I got them. I felt so fetch. And upon opening them, I quickly realized they hold small bottles of beer and Champs in a Can. All class baby.
Stylin' and profilin'.
Post-mastectomy cami & beer koozies JP drain holders
(lots of these photos have already been seen on FB and IG, a big blogger no-no. Womp womp.)
A few additional things I forgot to take pictures of...
Comfy pajamas with button down tops. I lived in them for the first 2 weeks because you can't lift arms above your head. I bought a bunch of fun pairs from amazon. You can't tell in the picture, but those have cupcakes on them!
Neck Pillow- This was a lifesaver. They do make specific post-mastectomy pillows, but this worked just fine. If I was sitting up reading or watching TV, I wore it to support my neck. When I was sleeping I would put one end under my arm where a drain was being bothersome and the other end between my breasts. It was comforting, and made me feel like nothing could move around.
Microwave that sits on the counter- our microwave is above the stove, and I'm not allowed to reach that high so I ended up having to borrow one from a very generous neighbor. Thanks Lisa!
One thing I did pre-surgery was get the house ready. My morning coffee is EXTREMELY important to me, so I made a space for clean mugs on the counter, bought a drawer for k-cups that the Keurig sits on, made things accessible in the fridge and cabinets. I didn't realize how limited I was until I got home, and as someone who is NOT good at asking for help, I felt a little more self-sufficient being able to do these few things.
I'm sure I could think of a million other things that have helped, but I've reached my sitting in front of the computer limit. I do want to say, that even though I am always smiling and being silly, this was not a piece of cake experience. But I've had more support, more delicious food delivered so Steve and I don't have to cook, more friends and family, neighbors, people I've never met checking in, and I can never put into words how that makes me feel. Loved and grateful just don't seem to be enough.
Not sure when I'll be blogging again, but I want to wish everyone a Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, and a HAPPY HAPPY and HEALTHY 2015!
Love you all.
Linking up with the Let's Be Friends Blog Hop