Appointment with the Plastic Surgeon

My appointment went well with the plastic surgeon. He decided to hook me up to the wound vac to help speed healing. He did give me a choice not to have it, but now the belly wound is covered and the visiting nurse only has to come 3 times a week instead of every day with the open wound. If I didn't get the wound vac, he still wasn't sewing me up today. He wants to keep the device on me for a few weeks and then sew me up in the operating room. It is hurting my stomach a little bit, but the doctor said it should stop hurting by tomorrow.

How long he keeps me hooked up depends on what happens at the oncologist appointments next week. He will tailor my treatment depending on what and when the oncologist wants to do. If I do need chemo, they won't do it with an open belly wound. So if either oncologist wants to start soon, I won't have to wait and he will sew me up sooner if needed.

Again he was happy with how my new breast is healing. He is taking off most of my restrictions. He advised that my belly will tell me when I am doing something I shouldn't. I am glad I can start driving again.

The wound vac is an interesting device. A piece of foam is placed into the incision/wound, a large piece of tape covers that with the tubing coming out of the tape. It is hooked up to the machine which is the size of a hardcover book and weighs a few pounds. I can clamp it off myself so I can shower. It does make some noise, not too loud though, but it sounds like it is farting. I can hear Sean saying "Mommy you farted". At least it won't scare him, but make him laugh.

Now we wait until Wednesday for the oncology appointments.

Good News

I just heard from the surgeon and my oncotype dx test is back and my score is 12 out of 100, which means that I might not need chemotherapy. We will know more after speaking with the oncologist next week.

Oncotype DX information

Appointments and Such

I am still waiting for an appointment time for tomorrow's appointment for the plastic surgeon. Tomorrow is not his regular appointment day and he is going to fit me in between surgeries. Rob is taking the day off to take me in. I am hoping he will stitch me up, but there is still a chance that I would be hooked up to the wound vac.

I am feeling OK today. Just tired as usual. At least the pain in my side is getting better and I can also lift my left arm over my head. My breast is healing nicely and is taking shape. You can't even see a difference though clothing.

I changed my oncology appointment to next week because of the plastic surgeon. I am still trying to get an appointment with another oncologist at Beth Israel. They have to call me back. I might do a third opinion with Sloan Kettering in Plainview, but I am going to wait until I get the appointment at Beth Israel.

Getting Out

I finally got out of the house for something other than a doctor's appointment. Yesterday we walked over to the park. It was 2 blocks away & I was exhausted when we got back, but it was nice to see Sean playing in the park with his friend. We also went next door in the evening to our neighbor's house for dinner. It was a nice, but tiring day.

Today, we went to Barnes & Noble. That was enough for me. Now we are relaxing at home together.

All Cleaned Up

After waiting 2 1/2 hours for my appointment, I finally got to see the doctor. He was very optimistic about the mess on my belly & said is a common complication that can be easily fixed with no issue. He then kicked my mom & Rob out of the room. (They wanted to see this part.) He & the nurse cleaned up the belly & cut away all the bad & dead tissue. He then cauterized the gash which the nurse told me now looks like a large hole. She told me to try to not to look at it. The doctor said that the wound won't smell now, which I was glad to hear. The smell of dead skin on your own body is pretty gross. The doctor advised me that when he does stitch me up, my stomach is going to be even flatter since he had to cut so much tissue out. I have to go back to see the doctor on Thursday to either be sewn up or given a wound vac. Since I don't know the time yet, I am going to change my oncology appointment. One good thing about the surgery is my new breast looks beautiful & the doctor was very happy with the results. I am happy too.

After the appointment, I was feeling pretty good. The wound itself didn't smell & felt a little better. It was a long day though. Today, I am feeling a little anxious about the wound & showering. I don't know if I am going to be able to do it. Rob & Sean left to do errands & nurse will be here before they get back. So I don't know if I want to try and do it myself today.

The doctor did tell me I was allowed out in public places, so Rob said if I was up for it, we would go out for dinner & get me out of the house. Getting out of the house would be nice.

Waiting

So tomorrow is the big day. I finally get to see the plastic surgeon. Hopefully he will be able to give me some reassuring news. Mom & Dad are taking me into the city & Rob will meet us there, since he is back at work. My appointment is for 11:45. I hope he won't be too backed up.

I had a new visiting nurse today, since my regular one is on vacation for a week. She took one look at my belly and said, "That's bad." Really? I didn't know that. She was nice though. She explained this device called a wound vac. She said the Dr would probably clean up and remove all the dead, black tissue and then sew me up with the wound vac in. It is a vacuum that is inserted into the wound to suck out anything bad in it. She said it helps the wound heal very quickly. I hope the doctor does something. I can't wait for this gaping hole to heal on it's own.

Oncologist

I made an appointment with an oncologist at NYU Cancer Center for next Thursday. I have to wait for the oncatype DX results, so that appointment might be changed. I tried to make another one at Beth Israel, but they don't take my insurance right now. They are under negotiations for the new year. My friend is looking into seeing if the doctor will see me anyway. I am also looking into another doctor on the island.

The nurse said my belly is starting to look good. Slow, but it is healing. I can't wait for my appointment on Friday.