Post Surgery

Hello dear ones. Tyler and I just returned from a visit with my plastic surgeon so I wanted to give a quick update. Overall my appointment went well. Dr Shale is basically pleased with the way I am healing. I do have one incision that is still draining. That is a bummer because I was planning to return to work tomorrow and Dr kiboshed that plan. He will release me to return to work on Monday if I promise to play nicely and behave myself until then. Tyler will report to the Dr if I am still having drainage, but I don't anticipate any problems. It's no fair when Tyler and the dr gang up on me!! Anyway, I am feeling pretty good. I am still sore but mostly just uncomfortable now. I am still wearing a super restrictive abdominal binder 24/7.  The good news is that the dr felt my tummy skin was healing really well and I get to take the binder off on Monday!! Yay!! I am also very itchy- I still have dermabond(skin glue) over all my incision sites and it is driving me crazy!!! I return to Dr Shale in about a month to re-evaluate everything once the swelling all goes down. I am still significantly swollen so it is difficult to determine the final results of the surgery at this time. My next appointment will be discussing the options and planning for the next stage of reconstruction (another surgical procedure- boo). I am anxious to get back to work and all my other "normal" activities. I am thrilled, however, for a couple of extra days to hang out with my kiddos after school. I LOVE spending time with these awesome people that I am lucky enough to call my own. Thank you x infinity for your continuing love, prayers, and support. I wish I could give you all a huge and heartfelt (but very careful- still owie ) hug!!      Ps- now that my expanders are gone I can schedule my brain MRI without blowing up!! I plan to call Dr Steffens tomorrow and set up a time for that to happen ;)
 ~ Melissa

Reconstruction at Last!

Melissa checked into the surgery center at 7 o'clock this morning. She was able to get checked in and then had to wait for a little bit. The surgery started at 8:30 and lasted about two hours before Dr. Shale (Dr. Rinard  assisted) came out and met with me. The surgery removed the expanders and replaced them with silicone implants. Part of the surgery was also liposuction and fat grafting in the implant area. He also was able to reshape the breast so that they were more even after the flaps that were left from the mastectomy. They also were able to remove the fat necrosis that was biopsied in September.  They removed the Portacath that was used as access for chemotherapy.  She has come home with a large ace wrap around her chest that must stay on for two days. Melissa has an abdominal binder that she has to wear for two weeks. She has a follow-up appointment with Dr. Shale next Wednesday. We ended up having to stay for a couple of hours extra so she could get away from the fog of the anesthesia.  She has had quite a bit of nausea which has continued even to tonight.  She will also have to be on antibiotics for the next five days. This is just the first of potentially three or four surgeries for the reconstruction.

We thank you for all the love and prayers that we have received.  - Tyler

Hello everyone! Just a quick update tonight. I am scheduled for surgery on October 16th. This will take place at the Mckay surgical center in Ogden. I am very excited to get my expanders and port removed, and become a real "fake" girl! This surgery is an outpatient procedure which means that I get to go home the same day! The plan is also for me to return to work within a week- with a few restrictions of course! The most exciting part is that I will have ZERO drain tubes!! Happy day! This relatively simple surgery represents much more than a few hours in the operating room. It is truly the culmination of a journey of faith and overwhelming love and support. The reconstruction also means that I am a healthy and cancer free Me!! As always, a huge thanks to all of you. I consider myself the luckiest girl on the planet to be surrounded by so much love and goodness. Tyler will send an update on surgery day- it's going to be fabulous! ~ Melissa

1st Haircut!

Hi everyone. Just a quick update today. I wanted to share some exciting news- this morning I had my first haircut in almost a year!!!! A huge thank you to my dear friend, Kandice, who helped shape up my crazy hair while keeping my "length". Length is a relative term here- the longest part is about an inch long. I'm super lucky that short spiky hair is popular right now. Even the color (weird silvery blond) is very in right now!! I count this as another blessing in the nearly incomprehensible list of blessings that have come my way! In non-hair news, I head to Utah Tuesday for a final appt with Dr. Shale (plastic surgeon). I had an appt with Dr Miranda (oncologist) this week, and received the official go ahead for reconstructive surgery in mid October. My lab work and physical exam were both excellent! I am hoping that Dr Shale will be available to perform surgery during the

week of the 16th. I will post a surgery date as soon as I know. The procedure that I have elected to go with is an outpatient surgery with fast recovery ! I anticipate a short amount of down time. I'm very excited to have my expanders and port removed. It has been almost a full year since I was diagnosed with cancer. I can't adequately express my feelings , but please know that I am forever grateful and humbled by all of your love and support. My family continue to be an incredible support as well. God has truly blessed us beyond measure ! ~ Melissa

What A Relief!! 😃

Hello all!! I just wanted to check in with a quick update. In general, I am feeling quite well. My strength and energy are returning and I am working full time. I still struggle with the neuropathy in my hands and feet, but I am learning to adjust. The hot flashes continue to be a constant annoyance, but as the weather cools down I get to enjoy my own personal summer! I am feeling incredibly grateful for some wonderful news I received today. Some of you know that I detected a lump in my right breast a few weeks ago. That is totally weird because I don't have any breast tissue to be lumpy. I had Dr Miranda check it out and he told me he didn't think it was anything scary but we should get an ultrasound to be sure. The ultrasound could not identify what it was, but classified it as highly suspicious. The radiologist who performed the ultrasound recommended a biopsy. This news had me pretty freaked out, and frankly just plain ticked me off. Dr Miranda recommended that I go back to McKay-Dee in Utah for the biopsy because of complications with my tissue expanders. Tyler took me down on Tuesday for the biopsy, which went great. Dr Shale(my plastic surgeon) had spoken with the Dr who performed the biopsy prior to the procedure. That was great because Dr Babcook was already familiar with my case and the placement of the expanders before she even met me. She was excellent and did a great job explaining everything. Her office called me today with pathology results. Benign fat necrosis!! This was probably caused during the mastectomy, and has been slowly collecting over time. Who knew a big gob of dead fat would make me so happy??? Anyway, the plan will be for Dr Shale to remove it during reconstruction, which should happen next month. (It has to come out because it is necrotic-dead things shouldn't hang out inside of you!) This little scare reminded me not to take things for granted. It also served as a reminder of how tremendously blessed I am to have such support. As I contemplated the possibility of resuming chemo again, I kept thinking of all the people that would once again be right by my side. I gather such strength from all of you!! I can never express my gratitude for the support our family has received, and continues to receive. My family has been simply phenomenal through this ordeal, and we are a stronger and closer bunch now. I am simply in awe of a loving Father in Heaven that has heard and tenderly answered countless prayers. My gratitude knows no bounds, and my faith has grown tremendously. I remain convinced that angels are continually rallying round all of us- I am just fortunate to call so many of them friends.  ~ Melissa

Tissue Expansion and Options

Today I had a great appointment with my plastic surgeon, Dr Shale at McKay-Dee hospital. I had my tissue expanders filled again after almost 7 months! I couldn't have them filled while I was receiving chemo because my white blood count was too low ( and also because Dr Miranda said "no" repeatedly!). I will probably have just one more expansion to go- yay!! We also spent a lot of time discussing options for the actual reconstructive surgery. I have heard other women say that reconstructive surgery is actually worse than the mastectomy- and I didn't really believe them. I am less than impressed to report that Dr Shale told me the exact same thing today!! Basically I have a lot of information to consider before I make a decision. He told me I am "lucky" that I am not a "skinny Minnie " because it leaves us with more options!! Ummmm.....thank you??!!  "Lucky" is definitely not the first adjective that leaps to mind as I consider my fluffiness!! I really do feel lucky to have such a marvelous plastic surgeon though! I have been doing well since my last post. I have returned to work and plan to be full time in a few weeks!! I fatigue easily and am struggling with the neuropathy and numbness in my fingers so work is a bit challenging right now. I am frustrated that I am not 100%, but everyone has been very understanding. I am realizing how much we take for granted each day. It is absolutely staggering to me !! I am thankful for the reminder of what is truly important. I am ridiculously excited to be out of solitary confinement!! I can hardly contain myself when I get to run to the store!! I feel like a sunbeam that can finally do things " by mine own self !!" Thank  you one and all for your continuing love and support. We love you all and are so grateful for the many prayers that have come our way. My "blessings list" has grown and continues to grow each day! ~ Melissa

Happy News! 😃

Greetings dear ones! Today I had an appointment with Dr Miranda (oncologist) and thought I would update everyone. First of all, my lab results mostly look awesome! My liver enzymes were not even elevated a tiny bit- woohoo!! My blood counts look ok for the most part too. My vitamin D level was low so I am now taking an oral supplement. That level will be checked again in a few months to see if the pills are sufficient or we need to add an Iv infusion to protect my bones. This time my tumor marker number is considered a baseline. It will be checked in 3 months to see how it looks. We hope it remains the same or even drops. It's not so much the actual number as it is the trend of rising or falling that is significant. If the number rises it could indicate new growth of cancer cells- that's why we are keeping a close eye on it. In other news, I was scheduled to have a repeat brain MRI on Monday, but that had to be cancelled due to my tissue expanders. Apparently the magnets in my expanders might make me or the machine blow up. That minor detail will delay the MRI until the expanders are removed. The removal is a surgical procedure that will take place during reconstruction. I found out today that my port a cath can be removed at that time as well. Yay! Dr had initially told me that my port had to stay put for at least 6 months (preferably a year) but due to increased risk of blood clots we get to pull it earlier. The other exciting(?) thing that happened today is that Dr wrote my prescription for tamoxifen. This is a pill that blocks estrogen. This is because my tumor was shown to be estrogen receptor positive. Basically we are trying to create an environment that is hostile to cancer growth. I will be on this medication until the end of time- or maybe even longer! There are new guidelines that pre-menopausal women take it for 5 yrs, then if they are still pre-menopausal they take for 5 more years, then switch to a different med. wow that seems like forever! Hopefully I won't have too many side effects- my track record with medications is less than stellar! Overall, an excellent appointment today. I have such confidence in my dr and his marvelous care! What a lucky girl I am!! I am also now sporting lots of fuzzy whitish- gray  hair!! Less than desirable color, but I'm so excited that it's coming back so fast!! My sweet co-worker today told me that it's not old lady hair, it's angel hair. I LOVE that!! I am planning to work part time for the next couple of weeks. I am hoping to be able to be mostly full time by the first of August. Hopefully my body will cooperate! I am feeling so blessed, and hugely thankful for all of you! Love and hugs to all! ~ Melissa