May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!
~ Robert Frost

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog. This is my story of how I faced my risk of breast cancer, the decisions I made, the support I received and my week by week recovery from surgery. I chose to have a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with immediate DIEP reconstruction at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston (March 2010). For more information on my 'Medical Team' please see tab above. I also have a wonderful circle of friends who have supported me throughout. They have provided us with lots of delicious meals and desserts. Many of those recipes are included above under "Feed the Flap" recipes. "Feed the Flap" is a term I coined when trying to increase my abdominal (fat) flap to ensure that I was a good candidate for the DIEP procedure. This was not something recommended by any medical professional, it was just something that made sense to me. I think it worked!! Feel free to join me on this journey and feel free to post comments.

Select the tabs on the left side marked Week 1, Week 2, Week 3..... to go immediately to the surgical/recovery part of this blog.


Friday, March 26, 2010

Things I am looking forward to.....

It's been a very long year and a half since we started on this journey. During this time I have prepared in so many different ways, some so that I would healthier going in to a rather lengthy surgery and some just very superficial. So, when I am back home and on the road to recovery these are some of the things I am looking forward to:

1. Cutting my hair. I have been growing it so that I can pull it back in the hospital when I can't wash it and not worry how awful it looks. (yeah, pretty superficial).

2. Drinking coffee. I gave this up months ago. Caffeine constricts blood vessels and since the surgery is all about connecting blood vessels from one part of my body to another, I thought it would be good to quit. Plus the deal is that after surgery I can't have coffee for 6 weeks anyway. The last thing I wanted to add to my recovery is withdrawal from caffeine. But what I wouldn't give for a coffee coolatta about now.

3. Eating like a normal person. For months now I have been 'feeding the flap' trying to gain and keep weight so that the plastic surgeon has enough material to work with. I can't really complain about the food - it's been great.

4. Having a glass of wine. Not a big deal, but would like to watch Survivor one night with a glass of wine. (Okay, superficial).

5. Not worrying when in a room of people coughing and sneezing. Now typically I don't really notice that type of thing, but when you really don't want to get sick you can't help but become a bit paranoid. If I get sick before the surgery it will have to be postponed. It was postponed once already and that really freaked me out.

6. Not thinking about surgery looming in my future. I think the biggest relief will be having this behind me. It is hard to wrap my mind around the whole idea of  having a 'tough couple of weeks'. I don't like pain, but if that's what I have to endure to reduce my risk to 2%, so be it.


4 comments:

Hannah C Beattie said...

I have been thinking of you soooo much. And will continue to do so. You can ask me for anything. Love and prayers to you and your family

Teri said...

Just wanted to let you know that your hair probably wont get too yucky. I think it was day 3 that they let me take a shower, and I had 2 nurses helping me. Also, after I got home, for the days I didn't have the energy to wash my hair, I bought some dry shampoo that was awesome! It's from Tigi, called Rockaholic - Dirty Secret, Dry Shampoo (Keeps Your Hair Rockin' One More Day).
You're going to do great! What is your surgery date again?

Joanie said...

Thanks! Teri, surgery date is Monday! No longer can I say a month away, a week away. Today is our last full day with just family before we leave. I just have to keep my eye on the goal and make my way through it all. Thanks to everyone for all your support, love, prayers.

teri said...

wow. okay, well I wish you the best of luck! I'll be thinking of you!

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