I've taken to referring to my surgery as "my fat transplant". (If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm brash, crass, sardonic, and driven to extreme sarcasm and cynicism. That's why you love me.)
Honestly, that's the easiest way to describe it. For other easy descriptions, see post about mutant status, below.
The doctors call my surgery a "prophylactic skin-sparing double mastectomy with immediate deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap reconstruction". See, if you had to say that, you'd want to shorten it too.
Basically, I'll be knocked out and one surgeon (the fabulous Dr. Michael Reedijk) will perform a skin-sparing double mastectomy, removing all my breast tissue through a circular hole cut around each nipple. Then, while I'm still knocked out, another surgeon enters the room (the amazing Dr. Stefan Hofer). He makes an incision across my abdomen, from hip to hip, and removes a few "flaps" of tissue and fat from either side of my abdomen. He then, somehow, magically puts all that stuff in the holes that Dr. Reedijk left in my now-deflated breasts, and hooks that tissue up to blood vessels. When Dr. Hofer's done (after about 8 hours of surgery), I will have abdominal tissue where my breast tissue used to be.
Basically, I'll be knocked out and one surgeon (the fabulous Dr. Michael Reedijk) will perform a skin-sparing double mastectomy, removing all my breast tissue through a circular hole cut around each nipple. Then, while I'm still knocked out, another surgeon enters the room (the amazing Dr. Stefan Hofer). He makes an incision across my abdomen, from hip to hip, and removes a few "flaps" of tissue and fat from either side of my abdomen. He then, somehow, magically puts all that stuff in the holes that Dr. Reedijk left in my now-deflated breasts, and hooks that tissue up to blood vessels. When Dr. Hofer's done (after about 8 hours of surgery), I will have abdominal tissue where my breast tissue used to be.
Once the swelling goes down, after about 3 months (fingers crossed), my "foobs" (fake boobs) should be just about the same size that they are now. I won't have any nipples though. Those have to come out and be thrown away, because they're a cancer risk. So after a few months, Dr. Hofer will do nipple reconstruction to create fake ones for me, complete with tattoos so they look real.
After the fat transplant, I'll be in hospital (Toronto General) for 5-7 days. Then I'll be recovering at home for 4-6 weeks. Remember, I'll be recovering in 3 spots - both breasts, and my abdomen. I won't be able to move my arms much for a couple of weeks. That's the part I'm least looking forward to - I can't type, I can't use the computer, I can't knit, I can't read books, I won't even be able to use the remote for the TV. I was told by another BRCA mutant that it took her 2 weeks to be able to even open her refrigerator door after her mastectomy. So I'll be a completely inept baby for a while. Ian doesn't even know what he's getting himself into.
he he inept baby.
ReplyDeletei'll hold your book for you. but only if you read it to me.
and only if the book is NOT twilight.
ReplyDelete