Phoned yesterday. I'm off the Aromasin for the time being. I see her (Jane) in September. They always order bloodwork, so we will see how the labs come back, and go from there. I'm feeling a little more "like me". Still no hair (well, very little anyway). No telling how long that will take to grow back :( hmmmm, what wig should I wear today? :)
Have a good day, everyone!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Got the Tats!
I got my 3D nipple tattooing on Friday. I was really nervous about it. I did feel a little bit of stinging when MaryAnne first started, but she used some numbing cream, and then everything was pain free! I go back in a month for touchup. MaryAnne is quite the artist, and I am so happy I went this route, rather than more surgery for fipples, then tattooing. It's amazing what can be done with ink!
I tried another medication, Aromasin....since I last posted. I lasted two months this time...and I am ready to throw in the towel for good. These blasted pills just flat~line everything. No energy, no happiness, pretty much nothing. Well, except for being irritable! Aromasin is a steroid! Great....that's what they really need to give women. sheesh!
I want Quality in Life....not long life. And the way I was feeling, living just wasn't fun. Guess I'll take my chances. It's all a crap shoot anyway....no one knows if I even need these drugs or not. So, I say NOT!
Thanks for taking the time to read this.......love to all!
I tried another medication, Aromasin....since I last posted. I lasted two months this time...and I am ready to throw in the towel for good. These blasted pills just flat~line everything. No energy, no happiness, pretty much nothing. Well, except for being irritable! Aromasin is a steroid! Great....that's what they really need to give women. sheesh!
I want Quality in Life....not long life. And the way I was feeling, living just wasn't fun. Guess I'll take my chances. It's all a crap shoot anyway....no one knows if I even need these drugs or not. So, I say NOT!
Thanks for taking the time to read this.......love to all!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Foobs, fipples, and/or 3-D tatts!
This is what I learned on the BCO website :)
Foobs = FAKE BOOBS....which yes, I have.
Fipples = (you guessed it!) Fake nipples..requires MORE surgery....NOT!And I should also mention that it doesn't always work. One or both flatten out, maybe a little...maybe a lot. And since I kind of like not having to worry about nipples showing thru blouses....why would I do it?
3-D tattooing = a permanent makeup artist or tattoo artist, specially trained in creating areolas and the "look" of a nipple, achieved by color alone...NO surgery :) This chapter will begin in July for me. To see examples of this process....check out Vinnie Myers. He's probably the best at it, but he's in Baltimore. www.vinniemyers.com
I have been fortunate enough to find a lady here in Glendale, AZ that does it....and at NO CHARGE! I've been quoted between $300-$500 PER SIDE!!! MaryAnne Baker is CPCP certified, and she says it is her way of "women helping women". Should be interesting.........
Foobs = FAKE BOOBS....which yes, I have.
Fipples = (you guessed it!) Fake nipples..requires MORE surgery....NOT!And I should also mention that it doesn't always work. One or both flatten out, maybe a little...maybe a lot. And since I kind of like not having to worry about nipples showing thru blouses....why would I do it?
3-D tattooing = a permanent makeup artist or tattoo artist, specially trained in creating areolas and the "look" of a nipple, achieved by color alone...NO surgery :) This chapter will begin in July for me. To see examples of this process....check out Vinnie Myers. He's probably the best at it, but he's in Baltimore. www.vinniemyers.com
I have been fortunate enough to find a lady here in Glendale, AZ that does it....and at NO CHARGE! I've been quoted between $300-$500 PER SIDE!!! MaryAnne Baker is CPCP certified, and she says it is her way of "women helping women". Should be interesting.........
I knew it had been awhile since I posted..........but where has the time gone?
November 20th was the last time I said anything on my blog....which was two days before my reconstructive surgery. Of course, that was Thanksgiving week, and I pretty much slept thru that week! Off work a week for post-op, then back to work full steam ahead! And then before I knew it...the year was over....
Fast forward to February 2nd, 2011. I had a redo of the recon. Due to capsular contraction. In my case, the right one was up high and projected, the left was low and flat. Think one-sided cleavage. NOT the look I was going for! Dr. Gawley went thru the same incision, took out the 650 cc implant on the left and replaced it with a 750 cc. Then mesh was added to both sides to hold everything in place. It's now May, and so far, so good :) I think "we" got it right this time :)
I stopped taking the Tamoxifen on April 15th. I could not handle all of the side effects. In the 7.5 months that I was on it, I felt like I was rapidly aging, to about age 90. The oncologist is aware that I stopped, and I was told I could go off for a month, and then call them to see where we go from here. I'll check in later this week...and I honestly don't know what I will agree to do. I feel so much better being off of it, and Tamoxifen is supposed to have less side effects than the other drugs that are available. Which really leaves me with just not taking anything and hoping that the surgery was enough. As the ladies on the breastcancer.org website say...breast cancer is a crap shoot at best!
Fast forward to February 2nd, 2011. I had a redo of the recon. Due to capsular contraction. In my case, the right one was up high and projected, the left was low and flat. Think one-sided cleavage. NOT the look I was going for! Dr. Gawley went thru the same incision, took out the 650 cc implant on the left and replaced it with a 750 cc. Then mesh was added to both sides to hold everything in place. It's now May, and so far, so good :) I think "we" got it right this time :)
I stopped taking the Tamoxifen on April 15th. I could not handle all of the side effects. In the 7.5 months that I was on it, I felt like I was rapidly aging, to about age 90. The oncologist is aware that I stopped, and I was told I could go off for a month, and then call them to see where we go from here. I'll check in later this week...and I honestly don't know what I will agree to do. I feel so much better being off of it, and Tamoxifen is supposed to have less side effects than the other drugs that are available. Which really leaves me with just not taking anything and hoping that the surgery was enough. As the ladies on the breastcancer.org website say...breast cancer is a crap shoot at best!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
From baseball, to softball, to bocce ball.......size :)
That is how my husband as described my expansion progression. And it is a fairly accurate description! I do look like someone has taken two bocce balls and neatly tucked them under my skin. To me, however, weight wise, they feel a bit more like cannon balls!
I am getting close now to my reconstructive surgery date, which is Monday, November 22, 2010. The preop jitters are starting to set in and the fact that my surgery isn't until 3:30 in the afternoon really doesn't help!
I will be glad to have this medical chapter over with......
I am getting close now to my reconstructive surgery date, which is Monday, November 22, 2010. The preop jitters are starting to set in and the fact that my surgery isn't until 3:30 in the afternoon really doesn't help!
I will be glad to have this medical chapter over with......
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Legislation and the insurance companies
I did a little research and found out the following:
In 1998, a law was passed in the USA that now forces insurance companies to pay for any type of reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy. The law also stipulates that the insurance company has to pay for a bilateral mastectomy (both sides) should that be the patient's decision.
Prior to 1998, patient's usually opted for a lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy because it was the most economical way to go for treatment of early stage breast cancer.
Also, states are now mandating insurance plans to STOP the "drive-through" mastectomy....where patient's are basically considered out-patient and discharged ASAP.
This is good information to know. There are options out there. It's a decision that you and your surgeon decide together, and your insurance company cannot dictate what you can and cannot have done :)
In 1998, a law was passed in the USA that now forces insurance companies to pay for any type of reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy. The law also stipulates that the insurance company has to pay for a bilateral mastectomy (both sides) should that be the patient's decision.
Prior to 1998, patient's usually opted for a lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy because it was the most economical way to go for treatment of early stage breast cancer.
Also, states are now mandating insurance plans to STOP the "drive-through" mastectomy....where patient's are basically considered out-patient and discharged ASAP.
This is good information to know. There are options out there. It's a decision that you and your surgeon decide together, and your insurance company cannot dictate what you can and cannot have done :)
Saturday, November 6, 2010
ONE in EIGHT
I wanted to share the following info with you. I copied and pasted it directly from the BREASTCANCER.ORG website. I didn't want to get any of these stats wrong, hopefully the website won't mind that I "borrowed" the info! This website has been extremely important, informative, and a place to reach out to other women living with breast cancer. The time to read this is BEFORE you or a friend or family member is diagnosed. The more you know....is a good thing :)
About 1 in 8 women in the United States (between 12 and 13%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
In 2010, an estimated 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 54,010 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
About 1,970 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 2010. Less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases occur in men.
From 1999 to 2006, breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. decreased by about 2% per year. One theory is that this decrease was partially due to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study called the Women’s Health Initiative were published in 2002. These results suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk.
About 39,840 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2010 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1991. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.
For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. women. More than 1 in 4 cancers in women (about 28%) are breast cancer.
Compared to African American women, white women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer, but less likely to die of it. One possible reason is that African American women tend to have more aggressive tumors, although why this is the case is not known. Women of other ethnic backgrounds — Asian, Hispanic, and Native American — have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer than white women and African American women.
In 2010, there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.
A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 20-30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer.
About 5-10% of breast cancers can be linked to gene mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. Women with these mutations have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, and they are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age (before menopause). An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. In men, about 1 in 10 breast cancers are believed to be due to BRCA2 mutations and even fewer cases to BRCA1 mutations.
About 70-80% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.
The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).
About 1 in 8 women in the United States (between 12 and 13%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
In 2010, an estimated 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 54,010 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
About 1,970 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 2010. Less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases occur in men.
From 1999 to 2006, breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. decreased by about 2% per year. One theory is that this decrease was partially due to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study called the Women’s Health Initiative were published in 2002. These results suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk.
About 39,840 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2010 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1991. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.
For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. women. More than 1 in 4 cancers in women (about 28%) are breast cancer.
Compared to African American women, white women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer, but less likely to die of it. One possible reason is that African American women tend to have more aggressive tumors, although why this is the case is not known. Women of other ethnic backgrounds — Asian, Hispanic, and Native American — have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer than white women and African American women.
In 2010, there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.
A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 20-30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer.
About 5-10% of breast cancers can be linked to gene mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. Women with these mutations have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, and they are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age (before menopause). An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. In men, about 1 in 10 breast cancers are believed to be due to BRCA2 mutations and even fewer cases to BRCA1 mutations.
About 70-80% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.
The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).
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