Nov 1 - sun, sand, palm trees, here we come..

Once I got the all clear from my surgeon, I got on the internet and soon had a trip to Hawaii planned. Dec 2 we will leave for two weeks on the Big Island, one of our favourite places on the planet. Sitting on our lanai, gazing out over Kona bay at the spinner dolphins jumping in our bay, maybe a grey whale, certainly there are lots of big pelagics there so we hope to see the manta rays too. Diving is out but there are many, many lovely snorkleing spots. They warn tourists not to touch the turtles but they forgot to tell the turtles to leave the turists alone! We often find one swimming near to us as we are idling gazing at a cleaning station or some little sea critter.

Oct 29/09 Onward and upward - or downward?

My final post-surgery visit with Dr. DeHaas. A clean bill of health, the transplant and donor site are healing well, still some small open areas but normal. Volume is good and angles correct! Who knew you had to be a mathematician as well as a plastic surgeon? Nurse Lisa spent a lot of time clarifying issues, timelines and plans. Dr. DeHaas, in his usual sensitive and caring manner, explained what will happen over the next 5 months as the new breast falls into place. Whoever thought a saggy boob would be good? But that's what we now aim for. After 6 months, he does the final work of creating a nipple on the new breast and balancing the other one with it, raising that nipple 2cm and adding a slight tuck for the perfect match! Amazing. I can now start to exercise gently, drive and pick up the pieces of normal life. Yeah!
I will see Dr. DeHaas again in mid-January.

Oct 13 Thanksgiving

We celebrated with my first outing to the home of Ali, Rob, Mike and Harry for Thanksgiving dinner. Plus friend John, new dawg Farley and rabbit! In fine Ukrainian fashion, Ali cooked up a mountain of food, including cabbage rolls. A lot of it got eaten! Those boys have long empty legs. I can say I finally got my appetite back after surgery. We were joined by phone and in spirit by Gerry and Ray, Ali's parents, in Penticton. They were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary so we all had to congratulate them. Smart people, they decided not to join the families in Calgary/Edmonton for a celebration. Our temp of -16 yesterday broke a record for the day! It is to be +16 by the end of the week when this Arctic front dissipates.
(below left, Harry and Farley, middle Mike and bunny Pancakes) The after-dinner poses!

Sep 22 Breast Reconstruction

After a year wait to see micro-surgeon Dr. William DeHaas, I was lucky enough to get a date at Foothills Hospital, with a fine team of plastic surgeons, specialists and incredibly gifted nurses. During an 8 hour surgery where my lower abdomen tissue and skin plus 3 veins were taken in a "free flap" (DIEP procedure) and transplanted into my right chest cavity. All the scar tissue and damage created from the previous mastectomy surgery and extensive radiation were removed. A fresh, healthy blood supply has been reintroduced to that part of my body. I will now have full use of the right arm in future. I also have a right breast. And a very flat tummy, if scarred from hip bone to hip bone.
Some excitement in the hospital while my blood pressure went up to 240 and I was moved to ICU for 1.5 days. The cardiac experts did some checking, and finding no cause for it, modified my BP medication, which has got it back on track.
I am walking like an ape, slightly bent, hell on the lower back but easy on the ab incision. I can't do much for 6 weeks, exccept walking. No lifting. Certainly no vacuuming, ovens, sinks, baths, etc. HahaHa. Ted is pleased to see me back in the kitchen today. I can now wash myelf and actually dry my toes too. Such excitment.
Oct 8 Dr. DeHaas removed steri-strips (no stitches any more) declared his handiwork perfect, I'll have the body of a 20 year old shortly, hopefully not the brain! Some healing of the abdomen still to go so I'm on antibiotics for a week. I feel very very tired and this train has frequent stops.

August - Getting Fit

In prep for the big chop Sep 22, I hired a great personal trainer at the local Leisure Centre. Cheyanna (Chey)Rusk took a mere 5 hours to instill in me a fitness program. Everything hurts! She is a kindly taskmistress who took into account all my past history and tailor-made a program for the gym, for the house and for on the road! I only need an exercise ball and some weights to put it into effect. A first look in that gym told me I certainly had no idea how to go about setting up a program on my own. Although there are some pretty fit specimens in there, there are also people older than me, and in less good shape, so I didn't feel intimidated. Everyone has a story! Thanks Chey for a fantastic job. Now I have to keep it up on my own...not so easy.

August Updates - the new me!

I had my annual medical with my GP, then mammogram and semi-annual checkup with my oncologist. Both were very happy with results of all tests and my return to healthy status. In the meantime, I have met a skilled plastic surgeon in Calgary, Dr. William DeHaas, who has pronounced me a good candidate for post cancer breast reconstruction. This will also rid my body of the restrictive scar tissue from mastectomy surgery and chemo and radiation treatment. I will get full use of my right arm back. Gone are the days when women were expected to suck it up and put up with pain and discomfort for the rest of their lives. Or to carry around awkward, uncomfortable prostheses too. Having been told I could expect a surgery date by March 2010, I then got a date of Sep 22. After pre-surgery appointments with Dr. DeHaas and Foothills Hospital Admitting, I had all the tests and appear to be in good shape for the big chop. I will have DIEP surgery, a newer form of TRAM flap surgery, with better outcomes and less downtime. (See link) The surgery will be about 6 hours, I will be in hospital for a week, home mostly resting for a week, and 2-3 months recovering.

August - Summer in the Rockies

Home from a month in Europe, we spent a few days home before the arrival of niece Sarah. After three stormy, rainy days we packed the RV and headed to inner BC and the Okanagan Valley, a first for Sarah. There it was hot and sunny (a bit smoky from the forest fires) and we enjoyed wine tasting, lunches on the patios at lovely wineries, and Sarah finally got to lie on the beach in her bikini - ah heaven.