surgery went very well today. took about 5 hours. will have more details on the surgery later, but in a nutshell the procedure was largely cosmetic, taking out any dead tissue from the original transplant, and reshaping using "alloderm". all of the original scars were re-done to make them flatter.
although anita is in pain, she is much better off this time. she can go up and down the stairs already, and does not need total assistance for everything. she had a small dinner also.
note: alloderm is a tissue matrix. it is human skin with the cells removed, leaving a strong tissue-like mesh that the surgeon can use to shape and strengthen surgical areas (most commonly used with breast reconstruction and hernias). it eventually merges with the tissue around it
seeing dr. d tomorrow. update after that
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Surgery tomorrow…Friday, March 11
Ok, I have been a little apprehensive about the surgery…not about being under and the procedure. I trust my surgeon, Dr. D, implicitly!! The part I have been worrying about how is long I’ll be down and out and the discomfort. (Pretty wushi on the pain part. LOL!!)
The very, very best part of the surgery….drum roll…is that I have eaten lightly today and will probably not eat much tomorrow. Ergo, weight loss!! Yeah! That’s the best part! You gotta see the bright side of things.
I want to change the subject. I have a very dear and totally awesome friend who is in the hospital now and could use some extra prayers. Please include Paul in your prayers. He is such a great guy and it really hurts to hear about his situation. Mahalo.
The details of tomorrow are as follows-check in is at 9:15am, surgery begins at 10:30 for about 4 hours. They say I’ll be ready to leave the surgery center in about an hour after surgery. My fingers (and toes!!) are crossed.
Hopefully, Larry will post here with updates like that first surgery. If he does not, I’ll post at my earliest chance.
Take care and hope to see you all soon…
Aloha,
Anita
The very, very best part of the surgery….drum roll…is that I have eaten lightly today and will probably not eat much tomorrow. Ergo, weight loss!! Yeah! That’s the best part! You gotta see the bright side of things.
I want to change the subject. I have a very dear and totally awesome friend who is in the hospital now and could use some extra prayers. Please include Paul in your prayers. He is such a great guy and it really hurts to hear about his situation. Mahalo.
The details of tomorrow are as follows-check in is at 9:15am, surgery begins at 10:30 for about 4 hours. They say I’ll be ready to leave the surgery center in about an hour after surgery. My fingers (and toes!!) are crossed.
Hopefully, Larry will post here with updates like that first surgery. If he does not, I’ll post at my earliest chance.
Take care and hope to see you all soon…
Aloha,
Anita
Friday, March 4, 2011
One Week Till the Next Surgery!
Aloha to my family and friends. I am sorry that I have not posted in a LONG time. Updates…
Oncologist-Dr. Barth (who is totally awesome!!!) wants to start hormone therapy in June, something like a Tamoxifin but not that drug. He wants me to be really healthily (not an easy job) and to be really stable. He said that if I was going to have any more surgeries, I need to do it now or WAY later. So my next surgery is on March 11.
Surgery-Dr. D (who is also totally awesome and I love him…shhhh, don’t tell Larry! Well, Larry already knows it! LOL!!) is going to remove some yucky, dead tissue which is very uncomfortable. I don’t think I could wait for surgery to be WAY later to remove that stuff so I am going to do the surgery now. Plus, he is going to do some reconstruction stuff. He says that it will be a lot less traumatic than the first surgery. Granted, OK but really, how much less traumatic can any surgery be?
The surgery will be outpatient and will be about 4 hours. So I’ll be home Friday afternoon late. I am not sure how I will be feeling but I know that I will be fine.
So, thank you for your continued support and prayers. You can never have enough prayers.
Take care. Hope to see you all soon!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Its me, Anita, blogging here!!
Aloha, all. It’s Anita posting. Larry has been having so much fun keeping my blog updated that I was thinking that I might have to change the password on him. I hear he has been very amusing. One day, I’ll have to read the blog to ‘see’ my recovery.
Larry and I would like to thank you all for your love, prayers and support thru my cancer journey. All of your prayers, your friend’s prayers and their friend’s prayers have been answered-I am 100% breast cancer free AND I do not have to have any chemo or radiation therapy. Hallelujah!! I am soooooo lucky. I think I am the 10% of the 10% of the 10%...or something like that. (I’ll have to read what Larry wrote in the blog!) I see my oncologist in January to map out my treatment plan. He just attend a huge symposium (with the Susan G. Komen Foundation) to hear the lastest in the discovery, disgnosis and treatment on breast cancer.
We would also like to thank all our friends who have delivered delicious dinners to us. OHGosh. I am not sure how we would have survived without you. (We all might have lost a lot of weight if we had to rely on Larry’s, Brett and Kristi’s cooking during those surgery and recovery weeks!! LOL!!!) Mahalo to Bridget Mondt for setting up and organizing the awesome CareCalendar for the meals and shoppers and to Roslyn Cronmiller for keeping the calendar current and for all the follow up phone calls. The peace of mind of not having to worry about what to fix for dinner was huge…knowing that Larry and the kids (and sometimes the kid’s friends) were taken care of. And me, too!! I thank you and my family thanks you for time, your generosity and for the awesome eats!!
A big shout out goes to all my shoppers and helpers. The Costco/grocery/Trader Joe’s shoppers were wonderful. If not for you, we would have just not washed dishes because we ran out of dish soap, not had milk with cereal because we ran out of milk, and so on. And Mahalo to my special helpers, those who came to the hospital with my ‘lists of needs’-bottled water, disinfectant wipes to wipe down my hospital room for the germs and bacteria, phone charger, etc. To my drivers who drove me to my doctors appointments and to the hospital, a huge mahalo. I would also like to thank my special helpers at the house-all those who came and helped water my plants, indoor and outdoor (I know, sounds stupid but it was a lot of work), my friend who came and cleaned all my leather couches just before surgery so during my recovery and sleeping downstairs, they all didn’t smell like ‘boys’, all my ‘babysitters’ so I would not be alone at home and could help me out if I needed anything. Gosh, if I left anyone out (and I hope not!), thank you.
I have more to say but will save some for the next post.
Larry, Brett, Kristi and I would like to wish you 'Mele Kalikimaka' (Merry Christmas in Hawaiian) and a joyous, prosperous and healthy 2011!!!
aloha, anita
Larry and I would like to thank you all for your love, prayers and support thru my cancer journey. All of your prayers, your friend’s prayers and their friend’s prayers have been answered-I am 100% breast cancer free AND I do not have to have any chemo or radiation therapy. Hallelujah!! I am soooooo lucky. I think I am the 10% of the 10% of the 10%...or something like that. (I’ll have to read what Larry wrote in the blog!) I see my oncologist in January to map out my treatment plan. He just attend a huge symposium (with the Susan G. Komen Foundation) to hear the lastest in the discovery, disgnosis and treatment on breast cancer.
We would also like to thank all our friends who have delivered delicious dinners to us. OHGosh. I am not sure how we would have survived without you. (We all might have lost a lot of weight if we had to rely on Larry’s, Brett and Kristi’s cooking during those surgery and recovery weeks!! LOL!!!) Mahalo to Bridget Mondt for setting up and organizing the awesome CareCalendar for the meals and shoppers and to Roslyn Cronmiller for keeping the calendar current and for all the follow up phone calls. The peace of mind of not having to worry about what to fix for dinner was huge…knowing that Larry and the kids (and sometimes the kid’s friends) were taken care of. And me, too!! I thank you and my family thanks you for time, your generosity and for the awesome eats!!
A big shout out goes to all my shoppers and helpers. The Costco/grocery/Trader Joe’s shoppers were wonderful. If not for you, we would have just not washed dishes because we ran out of dish soap, not had milk with cereal because we ran out of milk, and so on. And Mahalo to my special helpers, those who came to the hospital with my ‘lists of needs’-bottled water, disinfectant wipes to wipe down my hospital room for the germs and bacteria, phone charger, etc. To my drivers who drove me to my doctors appointments and to the hospital, a huge mahalo. I would also like to thank my special helpers at the house-all those who came and helped water my plants, indoor and outdoor (I know, sounds stupid but it was a lot of work), my friend who came and cleaned all my leather couches just before surgery so during my recovery and sleeping downstairs, they all didn’t smell like ‘boys’, all my ‘babysitters’ so I would not be alone at home and could help me out if I needed anything. Gosh, if I left anyone out (and I hope not!), thank you.
I have more to say but will save some for the next post.
Larry, Brett, Kristi and I would like to wish you 'Mele Kalikimaka' (Merry Christmas in Hawaiian) and a joyous, prosperous and healthy 2011!!!
aloha, anita
Monday, December 6, 2010
December 5th update-FINALLY on the mend!!!
sorry i have not been keeping up with the posts lately, so let me summarize where we started and where we are today:
- in early november (like the 10th or so), anita had her 3rd surgery to help clear up the infection.
- by about the 13th or so, the infection finally turned the corner and every day since then, each day got better
- she has been on daily IV antibiotics until last Wed, Dec 2.
- she has been progressing excellently since then, we have been to 5 or so ducks games, and she can climb the very steep stairs there with relative ease now!!
- she uses her walking cane very infrequently
- she has started to drive a bit now (hold the jokes about an asian woman on pain meds just coming off surgery, please!!!)
- she is sleeping in a real bed now
the only problem she has now is she thinks she is 100% and is trying to act as such. she has been to a few get togethers with friends and has tired herself out with making food and such to take. i keep telling her i think people will understand is she shows up empty handed!! anyway, its a good sign she is well enough to think of these things.
we saw dr. D in early december and he is very happy with the recent progress. we dont have to see him for another 3 weeks or so (too bad, his receptionist is hot). dr. thompson, the infectious guy, has released her from his care now too (receptionist not hot).
we just saw her oncologist, Dr. barth today, and he is starting his analysis of her current health state. he is going to a massive breast cancer symposium in san antonio, where he is going to find out about several clinical trials related to aftercare of patients like anita (stage 0 cancer, but a large (10 cm) cancer). this type of cancer is going to be specifically discussed, and he is going to use these findings in determining what treatment anita is going to get going forward (i.e., tamoxifen or its related cousins). again, for a short recap, tamoxifen and its cousins either inhibit or reduce estrogen in the bloodstream, and most breast cancers grow better in the presence of estrogen.
as bad as it has been for anita, going to dr. barth's office is sobering. she is about the healthiest patient he has. he has a little clinic there where people go to get their chemotherapy. it's really sad and helps to keep things in perspective.
she is truly on the mend now, and once again, we cant thank everyone enough for the support, the meals, the visits, flowers, and such
- in early november (like the 10th or so), anita had her 3rd surgery to help clear up the infection.
- by about the 13th or so, the infection finally turned the corner and every day since then, each day got better
- she has been on daily IV antibiotics until last Wed, Dec 2.
- she has been progressing excellently since then, we have been to 5 or so ducks games, and she can climb the very steep stairs there with relative ease now!!
- she uses her walking cane very infrequently
- she has started to drive a bit now (hold the jokes about an asian woman on pain meds just coming off surgery, please!!!)
- she is sleeping in a real bed now
the only problem she has now is she thinks she is 100% and is trying to act as such. she has been to a few get togethers with friends and has tired herself out with making food and such to take. i keep telling her i think people will understand is she shows up empty handed!! anyway, its a good sign she is well enough to think of these things.
we saw dr. D in early december and he is very happy with the recent progress. we dont have to see him for another 3 weeks or so (too bad, his receptionist is hot). dr. thompson, the infectious guy, has released her from his care now too (receptionist not hot).
we just saw her oncologist, Dr. barth today, and he is starting his analysis of her current health state. he is going to a massive breast cancer symposium in san antonio, where he is going to find out about several clinical trials related to aftercare of patients like anita (stage 0 cancer, but a large (10 cm) cancer). this type of cancer is going to be specifically discussed, and he is going to use these findings in determining what treatment anita is going to get going forward (i.e., tamoxifen or its related cousins). again, for a short recap, tamoxifen and its cousins either inhibit or reduce estrogen in the bloodstream, and most breast cancers grow better in the presence of estrogen.
as bad as it has been for anita, going to dr. barth's office is sobering. she is about the healthiest patient he has. he has a little clinic there where people go to get their chemotherapy. it's really sad and helps to keep things in perspective.
she is truly on the mend now, and once again, we cant thank everyone enough for the support, the meals, the visits, flowers, and such
Thursday, November 18, 2010
11/18 - Finally on the Mend!!
Ok, we really had a good last week. After Anita's surgery last Wed, things really started looking up this last weekend. The infection and the swelling really abated during the weekend. We saw Dr. D on Tuesday, and the infection specialist Wed, and they are really happy with her progress. She will continue getting IV antibiotics for the next week of so.
Anita felt well enough to go to Bunco night yesterday, and went briefly to her other bunco group tonight (thanks to lori r. for being her ride tonight).
She is starting to be able to do many of the little things that she has been unable to do, like going up and down the stairs, taking showers, washing her hair, and she can even walk at about 3/4 speed now (dont have to pass her in the hallways anymore!!!)
Anita felt well enough to go to Bunco night yesterday, and went briefly to her other bunco group tonight (thanks to lori r. for being her ride tonight).
She is starting to be able to do many of the little things that she has been unable to do, like going up and down the stairs, taking showers, washing her hair, and she can even walk at about 3/4 speed now (dont have to pass her in the hallways anymore!!!)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, 11/15
Nothing new to report. The Infection seems to healing up quite nicely, i think the swelling is almost back to normal now. We are going to see Dr. D tomorrow, and the infectious disease guy Wed.
Overall, i think anita is getting a little better every day. She actually made a trip out to guess where?? COSTCO!! - where the employees there thanked their lucky stars that their favorite shopper was back on her feet again. Many of them came up to say that they had missed her and were wondering where she went. I think they were worried that they weren't going to get their usual christmas bonuses!!!
Anita is continuing to get daily IV doses of antibiotics (2 types), which i think will continue at least through this week. we'll probably get a better handle on that after we see the infectious disease guy.
Once again, thanks for the support
Overall, i think anita is getting a little better every day. She actually made a trip out to guess where?? COSTCO!! - where the employees there thanked their lucky stars that their favorite shopper was back on her feet again. Many of them came up to say that they had missed her and were wondering where she went. I think they were worried that they weren't going to get their usual christmas bonuses!!!
Anita is continuing to get daily IV doses of antibiotics (2 types), which i think will continue at least through this week. we'll probably get a better handle on that after we see the infectious disease guy.
Once again, thanks for the support
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