The human body is amazing!

Hey y’all!

It’s Thursday, so you know what that means .. UPDATE!

I realize that there are two groups of people following my journey.

those that are following my progress and are interested in a high-level update
those that may be going through a similar journey and are interested in a more detailed update

Breast Cancer isn’t pretty, and I understand that some people may not be ready for the photos that accompany my journey. As a result, I will make an attempt to censor some of the photos as needed.

………..

Today, I strolled into my follow up appointment fully erect (no more hunching over!) AND on time. 9 AM on the dot, I was undressed, robed, and awaiting Dr. Shuck’s entrance. I felt like I gained lots of progress over the week, and I couldn't wait to get his take on it. But before he could enter the room, his nurse Eileen asked if I would allow a med student to shadow. Of course, the more the merrier! That is.. the more people with interest in helping those affected by this disease, the merrier. This isn’t a peep show!

They walked into the room and suddenly I felt 42! He was just a baby! I thought to myself .. is that how old med students look these days? Sheesh!

Anyway, I went right into my questions.

Incisions: Last week, the derma bond began to detach from my abdominal incision. There was a tiny spot where it looked like it may have detached prematurely. Dr. Shuck took a quick look, and confirmed that there was no issue. “Incision looks great. There is no problem here, Tova.” Ok, great. So then I moved to my navel. As the stitches began to heal, a very small piece of skin detached from my outer navel area. “That’s a very superficial wound. No problem there either. Add some anti-biotic ointment and it should heal fine.” He also told me that I didn't need to keep my navel covered with a bandage anymore.

As for the scars on my abdomen and breast, I will begin scar therapy next week. By that time, the derma bond glue should be completely gone. He has prescribed a high-end silicone gel to be applied twice a day. We will see how this works. At some point, I will post a before and after for those who are interested in the efficacy of the scar therapy, specifically on black skin. I understand that results vary for so I will keep a positive attitude.

Here is a photo of my abdominal incision and the navel at its current healing stage (2.5 weeks post DIEP FLAP surgery):

Discomfort in chest area:

Might only look a LITTLE swollen, but it is definitely is a LOT tender

While I understand that the body heals how the body heals, I’d been having some discomfort in my left chest area. It’s tender to touch and feels like constant pressure. But it’s only on the left side. I don’t feel anything like this on the side. All week, I had been praying that there were no underlying issues .. no complications. So when I brought it up to Dr. Shuck today, and he gave me a perfect explanation for my discomfort, I was relieved.

Here was his explanation: A small portion (1-2 cm) of my rib, where it meets the sternum (the breastbone) was removed to get access to the blood vessels that are providing blood flow to the tissue that was moved from the abdomen to the chest. Whoo.. that was a mouthful! Removing this small portion of my rib provides good exposure to these tiny delicate blood vessels. Some surgeons do this procedure by going between the ribs, instead of removing a portion of the rib. The problem with this option is that it can potentially injure the blood vessels (because of the limited exposure) and it makes the connections of the blood vessels much more significant—extending the surgery. More importantly, the removal of the rib does not hinder lung function (hence the reason that I had no issues breathing post-surgery). BUT, there is sometimes pain that lingers in the area for a few weeks after surgery. The pain will dissipate and there will be no long-term impact of removing that small portion of my rib. But in the meantime, it feels like the day after I’ve done 100 push-ups! Ouch!

After those questions were cleared up, Dr. Shuck gave me a once-over and smiled as he told me I looked great. I was making good progress on Operation Recovery. Everything looks exactly as it should at this stage. Incisions, breasts, and swelling (thanks to the binder that I’ve been wearing 24hrs/day.) He insists that I continue to wear my binder to limit the collection of abdominal fluid.

If interested, the binder can be found on Amazon for fewer than $20. Brand is GOEGE. It’s comfy as far as binders go.. and it can be adjusted to be more or less tight based on your needs.

As you can see, I have graduated to a sports bra. Not quite ready for a regular bra just yet. This one is super comfy. It has a zippered front and comes in a 3 pack for less than $30 on Amazon. The brand is WANAYOU. The reason that I switched to this brand is that the one that I wore last week was too tight and left marks from the bra’s binding on my breasts. Flaps are super sensitive. If lines are showing up on my breasts, my opinion is that the bra is too tight so I opted for a change.

Next week, I will be 3 weeks post-op. And I am entering the next stage. Dr. Shuck has referred me to physical therapy to supplement my recovery. While he understands that physical therapy is essential to supplement my recovery, “Take it easy” were his words of advice. Houston Methodist works with Revital Physical therapy for Cancer rehabilitation. They have programs specifically for post-chemo, mastectomy, and diep-flap surgeries. I plan to return to the same therapist I worked with post-mastectomy. Tom and I saw eye to eye. I told him that he shouldn’t plan to make any rash changes to his employment before I return, so I am sure that he is sitting patiently awaiting my return. 🤣

I reminded Dr. Shuck that the Tova 2.0 rebuild doesn’t commence until 2021. In the meantime, I will shift my focus to the next stage of recovery.

With that, Dr. Shuck told me that he would see me next month. You heard that, NEXT MONTH! Whoop! 🎉

What a blessing to be progressing so well that I get a break from weekly appointments! Of course, I always have the option to call, text, or schedule an appt if necessary. But I pray that I don’t need to! Besides, I suspect that I will be busy enough with physical therapy this month to worry about missing Dr. Shuck.

I am a little over 2 weeks post-op, and I can laugh, cough, and sneeze without the fear of dying of excruciating pain. I am no longer converting my coughs to baby coughs. I can bend over to tie my shoe. Next week, I’ll try to sleep in my bed. But if I find that I am not yet ready, no worries… My recliner is quite comfy.

I’m proud of my recovery and attitude during these last few weeks. Daily, I remind myself: