It’s been a very uneventful few weeks (yay!) with basic checkups with my 1) breast surgeon, 2) hysterectomy surgeon and 3) plastic surgeon. Everything is healing as it should be, and we scheduled my next surgery for Wednesday, July 19. This is the one I have been waiting not very patiently for – the removal of the (awful, hard) temporary tissue expanders and placement of my (soft, natural-ish) permanent implants! This date will be about 9 weeks after my last fill and will have given me enough time to heal. It is a same day, in and out surgery which will take place in the surgery center next to my plastic surgeon’s office. The healing should be very quick, a few days of rest, but then just lifting restrictions for 6-8 weeks. One more step down this path; I am really ready for this process to be over.
I have been on the new medication , Arimidex, for 5 weeks now and dealing with the menopause-ish symptoms. The hot flashes are no joke, happening often during the night and at random times during the day. My face gets red and I start to sweat. If I am home, my shirt and socks come off and I go outside. They only last a few minutes, but it sucks. I am still also having muscle and joint pain from the medication, but they say the side effects often subside within a few months, so I am sticking it out. I am still pretty tired and I nap a lot, but that will unfortunately end as school is out next week. It could be a lot worse.
I went to a Young Survivors Breast Cancer Group on Sunday night. I had gone last time around in 2013, but only a few times. I felt like my “problems” with cancer were so much less than many in the group, and I moved on. Now, with having a new occurrence this year, my nurse navigator suggested I go back. I am glad I did, but it is so emotional to hear the stories and compare journeys. I ended up with a huge headache when I got home, I think from crying and sharing. But I did also get some good information and a reminder, that no matter how big or small my cancer was, I still had cancer and it sucks. My life will never be the same. I am a warrior and a survivor. Right now, just one with hard, fake boobs and hot flashes. This too shall pass. 