10 days post mastectomy and reconstruction
Hi everyone,
It has been a while since I have been on the main page here so I hope everyone is travelling as well as they can be.
After testing positive for the faulty BRCA2 gene, I made the decision to have a bilateral mastectomy and immediate DIEP flap recon. This happened 10 days ago.
Surgery was long - I believe around 9-10 hours in the end. Once the surgeon was there, he discovered that the veins needed for the DIEP recon weren't that great so he needed to use some of my muscle instead - so my recon changed from a DIEP recon to a muscle sparing TRAM flap recon.
I woke in recovery to find people standing around my bed debating something: "she looks pale", "she can't go back to the ward like that", "her breasts look deflated", "her blood pressure is too low", "she needs blood". So I was given a blood transfusion and spent the night in the high dependency unit. Made it back to the ward the next day. Once I had blood, the boobs lost their deflated look.
Second night I had a coughing fit which is a scary experience when you have an abdominal wound. But since then I have been making a steady-paced recovery. First time sitting up was bliss, getting my back up off those hot, sticky sheets. The nurse washing and scratching all those itchy spots - heaven. First shower - even better. I had a fan on me for the entire first week. Just so hot. Had my first walk down the hallway after a couple of days - carrying that little bag of drains with me. Made it further every day. The veins in my "chemo arm" finally packed it in though. Don't think I'll be using them again.
My first look down - where did my tummy go??? Yay! And my boobs! I went into surgery so scared but I am so happy with them. They look great! They are still very bruised and swollen but I love them! Love my surgeons. They did an amazing job.
So I was sent home on day 7, drain free, and am now recovering slowly. Sleep pretty much only happens in one position and with plenty of pillows. But so far the pain is well controlled. I just need to work on getting straighter every day. Getting some sensation back in parts of my boobs - more like the occasional stinging pain or shooting pain. I'm assuming that has something to do with the nerve endings. But they feel natural and warm to touch.
Huge shout out to the nurses at St Vincent's. They were awesome and played a huge part in my positivity and recovery - and for recognizing that I needed a transfusion. And for putting up with my wussiness around needles and pain. I cannot thank them enough. Never underestimate the power of telling someone "you are doing so well".
So that's my update. Hope some of you find it useful to hear my story. Love to you all.
x-Sherril
