Recovery

For some reason, the recovery after my mastectomy is what I worry about/think about the most. I’ve talked to people with a wide variety of experiences of what the recovery from their prophylactic mastectomy was like – ranging from “I had a lot of discomfort but never bad pain” to “I felt like I was run over by a big rig.” As a nursing student, I see firsthand how individualized the post-surgical process is. The bed rest and arm restriction protocols are honestly what worry me even more than the pain. Pain medicine can help when I hurt, but what can help me when I am stuck in bed for weeks? The answer is bad TV. Okay – maybe that’s not the only answer, mindfulness exercises are important too – but I will be calling the cable company soon to see about getting cable in our bedroom for 6 weeks.

For now, I am just focusing on putting out the energy that my recovery is going to go really well and surgery will go smoothly. But, as powerful as energy is, it will only get you so far. So, I’m stepping up my fitness and nutrition game along with making sure I feel as prepared as possible. I know if I have all the supplies I need and support system in place, I’ll feel more in-control when I walk into the hospital at the a$$ crack of dawn on August 26th. I’m also going to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel, which is knowing my breast cancer risk is dropping from a lifetime risk of 87% higher than the general population to around 1%. That is the thing that helps me sleep soundly at night.

One of my favorite bloggers, The Bloggess, recently wrote a great piece on simple euphoric moments after surgery.  Check it out here.

My Girl Flo

Florence Nightingale is definitely one of my heroes. She is a total bada$$. She is said to be the founder of modern nursing, the person responsible for creating professional nursing training schools, and an incredible statistician. She was called “the lady with the lamp” because during the Crimean War, she made rounds at night to the wounded soldiers. Every day that I’m in clinical rotations I love nursing more and more.

Here’s one of my favorite quotes from the lady with the lamp:

“Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter’s or sculptor’s work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God’s spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts.”
– Florence Nightingale

NBA Supporting Funky Genes

Isaiah Austin played basketball for Baylor and was expected to be selected for the NBA draft. Last week, he discovered that he has the genetic disorder, Marfan Syndrome. The Marfan Foundation explains that, “Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. Connective tissue holds all the body’s cells, organs and tissue together. It also plays an important role in helping the body grow and develop properly.” Because of the risk Marfan Syndrome can cause to the heart, Isaiah was ineligible for the NBA.

Throughout all of this, Isaiah has remained positive and has a great outlook on life. Check out the NBA’s touching tribute to Isaiah below. I’ve also included Isaiah’s original interview with ESPN after finding out he has the disorder here. Also, the ABC docu-series NY Med just started again last night. It is an awesome show and last night’s episode featured a man with Marfan Syndrome.

T-Minus 2 Months

Today marks the two month countdown until my mastectomy (otherwise known as ticking time bomb breasts removal). I find myself thinking about the surgery more often and definitely thinking about the recovery. In the next two months – my main goals are to be more fit and eat better, to organize all of the logistics before surgery, and to have some fun over the next few months.  Thanks everyone for your ongoing support!

Nightmare?

I had a nightmare about my mastectomy last night. I think it is a good kind of nightmare though because it wasn’t about anything going wrong with the procedure. My nightmare was that I showed up on the morning of the surgery and realized I had forgotten to do my pre-op labwork and health clearance (these are things I need to do within 30 days of the surgery). In my dream, they said I couldn’t have the surgery until I got those things taken care of, but it conflicted with my nursing school schedule so I wasn’t sure if I could have the surgery.

I guess it’s a good sign that the nightmare I had was about not being able to have the surgery – I guess that shows how much I actually want to have it be in the rear view mirror.

Advocate for Yourself

Stacey Yerpes was told by doctors that her facial numbness and slurred speech was due to stress. She knew it was something more than that. When she was driving, her face became numb and speech slurred again. So – she pulled over and taped herself so she’d have evidence to show her doctors that this was more than stress. Thanks to her quick thinking, her doctors realized she was having transient ischemic attacks (also known as mini-strokes). Read more here and check out the video below.

Back to School

I had a nice week off school and I start up again this week. I thought I would have a nice, relaxing break but ended up running errands and taking care of a lot of logistics during the break (womp womp). I start two 12 hour shifts in a row this summer, which I’m a little bit nervous about. I am happy about it too because I think it will make time go by quickly. The closer it gets to my surgery, the more I just want it to be in the rear view window. It is nerve-racking knowing the surgery is a little over 2 months away, but I am ready for it. I’m going to be getting the recovery supplies I need, eating cleaner, working out more, and practicing mindfulness over the next few months. I’m also going to organize my recovery – having friends and family help out with various things.  So, let’s get going!!

Yaaaaaaaaaas

I spoke with my reconstructive surgeon’s office yesterday and they are going to work with me on out-of-pocket expenses since they were in-network with my insurance when I chose them (they recently went out-of-network with my insurance plan). This didn’t just happen out of nowhere, it was because I called the office and advocated for myself and also because I carefully chose a reconstructive surgeon who is caring and has a wonderful staff. As Shangela from RuPaul’s Drag Race would say:

hallelu

Logistics

One thing I really learned from the FORCE conference was how many logistics are involved in preparing for a prophylactic mastectomy. Right now I’m dealing with insurance (ugh), making lots of appointments, and figuring out what the heck I need to buy to prepare for a mastectomy. Luckily, I now have a network of new friends who have gone through the same surgery. I feel so lucky to have found out about being BRCA positive early and have the luxury of having time to organize. Many people don’t find out they have this gene mutation until they are diagnosed with cancer.

I now have my list of must-haves (who would’ve thought Victoria’s Secret button down satin pajamas are perfect for not being able to lift your arms up and to slide in and out of bed). Check out FORCE’s checklist to see what is helpful for post-mastectomy recovery.