I was just talking with my husband tonight about a new diagnosis of his, and I recommended he look for blog posts. Then I realized I haven't posted since my diagnosis more than a year ago! Shame on me. So, here's the update and it couldn't be better.
I had surgery, basically a lumpectomy with removal of the nipple. Once it had completely healed (and it healed really fast) I went for 27 radiation treatments. No chemotherapy needed. The radiation treatments were relative easy and were prescribed as preventative measures only. I was tired, and in fact, it was probably 6 months before I got all my energy back. My skin got slightly burned during the final treatments, but that went away quickly. Overall, it was really easy. I still have to go for mammograms every 6 months and I see my oncologist every 6 months. This will go on for 5 years. I don't think it is necessary, but I will do it anyway. Better to be on the safe side.
Today they called me from surgery scheduling to schedule a breast reduction for the other side. Medicare mandates that when you have breast cancer surgery, you are also covered for plastic surgery to "even things up". I've thought about not doing it, but I'm only 68 and I don't want to live the rest of my life having to deal with clothing problems. I'm uneven, so that limits my choices in what I buy to wear, and I don't like having to "stuff" one side of my bra. Swimsuits are another issue, and I live in California. We swim here! So, I will go confidently into surgery in September to get things fixed. Hopefully I'll remember to update.
Funny, but when I first got my diagnosis it seemed earth shattering. Now it's just something I'd like to forget about and move on. I hope that will be the way it is with you, too.
