OK..Neal and I have been to 3 different plastic surgeons. It's funny...I never thought I would ever see a plastic surgeon.... Now we have to decide who we are happiest with. I actually have 2 different surgeries scheduled, but I will be cancelling one of them. They are both scheduled for mid September so that looks like what it will be. I am finding that my schedule expectations are not the same as theirs. They seem to think I am being unrealistic with my "completely finished by December 31st" plan. I encouraged them to rethink it, without any success I might add. Actually, one of them actually said that if I find a surgeon that tells me that is possible, I had better run out of the office fast! I am discovering that there are many different options to this reconstructive thing, and some are much more difficult and involved than others. Using my own fat and tissue apparently is not the best option for me. In addition to the fact that the surgery would be 8 to 10 hours and the hospital stay would be around 5 to 7 days, the surgeons, who are either VERY kind or blind, are concerned that I don't have enough FAT for a double reconstruction (HA!) so it looks like it will be expanders followed by implants. Although the process is difficult to explain there is a website that does a good job of it (thank you Patty) so if you go to http://www.myselftogetheragain.org/process.htm it will give you a very visual idea of what I am talking about...(if you are squimish don't go to the website). I guess this whole process takes anywhere from 9 to 12 months....depending on lots of things. (I knew I'd get stuck paying another deductible..oh well, at least I get to still make my own health care decisions right now!) I will make my final decision on a surgeon by Monday or Tuesday which will put my surgery at either the 15th or the 18th of September.
On August 19th I go back to see my oncologist and then after that I hope to go just every 3 months. Also, I do have a little bit of hair growing back and so far it looks to be either white or very blonde! (Kriss, I might finally get to be a blonde!) Like Neal said, "What does it matter? Once it's in you can make it any color you want."
I'll close for now...but just a little FYI...that thing about how cancer doesn't discriminate, well it has followed me to the plastic surgeons office. Yes, there are women there (didn't see any men) purely for personal appearance reasons, but there isn't any shortage of babies and children there because of birth defects and injuries. Once again, "There but by the grace of God, go I."....
My ending "poem" for today is simple, yet true...
"The evergreen reminds us that through all the seasons and in spite of adversity and change, life prevails and hope grows forever new."
No comments:
Post a Comment