My hubby has been telling me about the awesomeness of Twitter for a long time. When I just had a personal Twitter account, I mainly followed all things Bravo (Andy Cohen, all the Real Housewives, etc). Even though I love pop culture more than most things, I didn’t go on Twitter too much. But, since starting Funky Genes, I’ve been using Twitter a lot more and I totally get it now! It’s a great way to get news, stories, and info about BRCA, cancer, prevention, and health. If you’re on Twitter, check me out here.

Three more final exams this week and then I’m officially halfway done with nursing school! The final I have tomorrow is Advanced Pharmacology part 2. That means I have about 1000 drugs I’ve attempted to memorize over the past 20 weeks and it all culminates tomorrow. This also means my brain is a bit crazy and exhausted right now, so I’m going to share a video with y’all that makes me laugh every time I see it. I’m sure most of you have seen it already, but it cracks me up every time.

There’s a ton of prep that goes into getting ready for a preventative mastectomy. Some of it is pretty boring/daunting like insurance approvals, figuring out budgets for out-of-pocket expenses, lab work, etc. Some of it is kid of fun like looking at implants, pillows, and trying to make sure I have access to all the bad reality TV I’ll want post-surg.

I’m going to the FORCE 2014 conference next week, which is a conference all about breast and ovarian hereditary cancers. There will be a lot of cancer survivors and previvors (like me). I’m excited to get more info about what to expect. Honestly, the only thing I’ve figured out that I want in my hospital bag/need to buy is an “I woke up like this” beanie. I think it would be pretty funny to wear that in my hospital bed – being a nursing student I just want to make my nurses laugh. Also, Beyonce is one of my spirit divas. I listen to her music to empower me and make me feel like I am a BOSS.

Check out this awesome NY Times video about a rad tattoo artist who tattoos nipples on post-mastectomy women.

 

There are lots of things on my to-do list in order to prep for my upcoming mastectomy. One of the big to-dos is working on my fitness. My incredible surgeon, Dr. Funk, stressed the importance of improving blood flow before the surgery. I mentioned this to one of my friends, who then suggested the Whole Life Challenge to me. I’ve been attempting to eat clean, take supplements, work out for at least 10 mins a day, stretch 10 mins a day, only one alcoholic bev a week, and do other lifestyle activities like meditation for the past 25 days. I haven’t been perfect (sometimes a girl just needs a burger and fries), but I am happy that it is setting me on the right path.

My 3 month till surgery countdown is going to be starting soon – so I’m going to amp up the workouts and clean eating. I’m nervous but also eager to get things going.

Some of you have been asked about my new boobies. Will I get the same size or bigger? Will the implants be placed in during the mastectomy? Have you made a collage of celebrity breasts you like (the answer to that one is a resounding yes, although I’m pretty sure the Chrissy Teigen look won’t work for me). But as much as I would just love to get tig ol’ bitties, there is a lot of consideration that has to go into this process.

There are many ways to go about reconstruction. I’m not a candidate for the flap reconstruction – where tissue from one part of the body is transferred to another – because I am too petite. So my two options were a one or two-step procedure. After speaking with my breast surgeon, plastic surgeon, and others who have gone through the surgery, I decided that the two-step procedure was right for me. Although I want the least amount of surgeries as possible, this method seems to provide me with the best outcomes for optimal blood flow and allowing my skin to slowly stretch instead of just jamming an implant in there. Check out this 3-D breast reconstruction video explaining the different options.

When I get the mastectomy procedure in late August, I’ll have tissue expanders placed in. They are then filled with saline during surgery to about half of the size that my breasts were before (bonus to my friends and family taking care of me – you get to see bizarre droopy looking half boobs).  I then go in for weekly expansions where saline is added to the expanders through a port – I’ll do this around 3-4 times total until I am happy with the size.

From what I’ve heard, once they are filled, these are like tupperware boobs. They feel a bit uncomfortable and sometimes you can run into walls with them or have Mrs. Doubtfire moments.

Then, I go in for my (fingers crossed) final surgery in December where the permanent implants are placed. I like this idea because my body has time to heal and stretch and because if a size doesn’t feel right, I can go bigger or smaller. Also, if my breasts heal in an asymmetrical way, it can be fixed during the final surgery. Hopefully that answers all the reconstruction questions! If not, contact me!

This family is awesome. They found out their risk, understood this is a very personal choice, and did it with some laughs along the way. I love this quote “Their goal was to make cancer just a word, not a state of mind.” Check out their story here.

I just got done with a 12-hour clinical rotation for my nursing program at UCLA. Every time I work with patients I am so glad I made the decision to completely switch career paths after having my “calling” to become a nurse – even though my brain is so tired the only thing I can think about doing is watching some Real Housewives of OC.

I wanted to write a quick post to say thank you so much for the outpouring of love and support after posting my first post last night. It was a really hard decision to make my journey public, but it just felt right in my gut, almost like I had to. I’m so happy I did, I have already had several people write to me about possibly getting the BRCA test. Cancer prevention is my mission and I’m glad so many of you are on board. Thank you all and I can’t wait to keep sharing this journey with you.