Details, details

The plastic surgeon
My visit with the plastic surgeon on Monday went well. She suggested I have a one-step procedure that includes the double mastectomy and reconstruction. I'd come out of surgery with very small inplants and a port. Every couple of weeks, Dr. T would add more saline to inflate the breasts until they're the size I want. Then she'd remove the port. I'd go home the same day as the surgery (with drainage tubes) and the recovery time is four to six weeks.

When I asked about timing, she indicated she's booking two to three months from now. Yikes! I'm not ready for another round of healing just yet, so I'm considering late fall.

We discussed the tram flap procedure, which would involve taking my stomach fat and creating breasts from it. While this sounds like the ideal way to get a tummy tuck, she said there are far more issues with this method. Besides, if doctors need to go into my abdomen again - which they probably will, if only to remove my gallstones and fix the hernia - there may be complications with the net that would be in my abdomen after the surgery. Besides, it also involves cutting the abdominal muscles and I think they've been traumatized enough.

I told Dr. T, I was 99.9 per cent sure I was having the surgery, but I will go through with it. I'm extremely nervous about it all, but I don't want to get breast cancer too. Ovarian cancer is enough, thank you very much.

CT scan
Today, I had my six-week visit with Dr. H in Hamilton. This trip involved a CT scan (at 7:30 a.m., which meant leaving London at 6 a.m.), bloodwork and a visit with the doc. The news was reassuringly good.

The target lesion they're measuring for the study shrunk even more. In January, it was 14 mm and today it was 9 mm. I still have ascities and peritoneal lesions in my body, but they're stable.

The radiologist made note of "a nodule, just superficial to the rectus abdominis muscle which is of fluid attenuation and has increased from previously. Is there history of an injection or other intervention, which could produce this fluid collection." That line stumped me and Dr. H. I couldn't think of any reason for this result. Dr. H did a physical exam and couldn't find anything concerning. When I mentioned it to Michael at dinner, he wondered if it may have been caused by the ascities drainage last spring. Ah ha! Yes, they put large needles into my abdomen at that time. Perhaps, that's the cause.

Again, the report mentioned my rotated kidneys, gallstones and hernia. It also noted the dome on my liver. Since it hasn't changed in size, he thinks it's a cyst. More good news.

No abnormality of the spleen, adrenal glands, pancrease or urinary plader. No significat intrathoracic pathology. No aggressive bony lesion. Yay!

My hemoglobin is slowly rising. It's still only 113, but it's getting better.

I'm so relieved. I have hope I can enjoy this summer as a healthy, functioning person.

Thank God!
Tina