Four weeks of recovery

I am finally starting to get my stamina back, one day at a time.  Although I was told that the recovery from this surgery would be 6 weeks, it has been difficult to adjust.

I have received many books, journals and articles regarding breast cancer experiences.  They have all been informative, supportive and encouraging.  I want to recommend a wonderful book called Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors by Barbara Delinsky (Thanks, Yuki.).  It is a compilation of letters written by breast cancer survivors and those close to them.  Some of the chapters are titled as follows:  On Diagnosis: First Things First; Losing a Breast:  Practical and Emotional; Radiation: Soaking Up the Rays; Chemo and Hair:  Mane Matters; Humor:  You Gotta Laugh; Men: By, For and About; Fast Forward:  Five Years Later.  It was wonderful to read of the many different decisions that have been made on treatment and the positive experiences from all the various paths.  Reading this book helped me come to a comfortable decision for me and my life.

Even though the first mastectomy and pathology indicated that I had no cancer cells that had spread, I understood that there would be a higher risk of developing cancer in the other breast.  As I thought about it, I felt that the concern and preoccupation of that risk would be an underlying stress for me for the rest of my life, continuing to have mammograms and biopsies due to the cystic nature of the remaining breast.  I received that testimony from several women who had a mastectomy many years before saying that if they could go back and do it again, they would have had a bilateral mastectomy and encouraged me to go ahead.  It made sense to me.

More soon . . .

2nd Surgery - Right Mastectomy and Reconstruction

Wow, four months since my last post.

After healing so quickly from the left mastectomy, and negative results back from tests on the lymph nodes, I got back into the swing of things and on with life.  I am on Tamaxofin for the next 5 years, which will inhibit the ability of any pre-cancer cells from "turning on." 

Here we are again, recovering from my second mastectomy and the beginning of the reconstruction process, so, back to my blog.

I write this only for those interested in the details of this process.  I know there is so much that I have learned about breast cancer and the many ways of treating it that I want to be a voice for information to those who might benefit from it.

I have done much reading, listening, consulting, thinking and praying regarding the options.  One thing I have come to understand is that this is a VERY personal decision.  There is not one right way to go.

I still get tired quickly, so I will need to cut this short.  But I wanted to post something here and ask you to continue to come back as I share about my decisions and experiences.

May Love saturate your life,
Mila