WOW!! Has it really been over a year of treatments?! I started journal entries many times in the past several months but for some reason I had such a hard time completing and posting. Think I subconsciously have been trying to go through a day without thinking of cancer. Has it happened yet? No - everything is a reminder of this past year…..hair trying to grow, port sticking out of my chest, continual echos and appointments and further surgeries.
But today I have to complete this post and publish since this is MY LAST HERCEPTIN!! A full year of this monoclonal antibody infusion is coming to an end. I rang that bell when I completed chemo last Aug2020 but did I want to today?! Nope! I wanted to run as fast as I can out the door, but I did sneak in a quick ring (see pictures).
Since the double mastectomy (DMX) in Oct2020, we have been doing well but it has been a long road with lots of bumps and diversions. The expanders placed after the DMX were bothersome for awhile but you get used to them. Exchange/reconstruction surgery scheduled for January 2021 was delayed 2.5 months due to the uptick of COVID hospitalizations. As a reminder, the exchange/reconstruction surgery is when they take out expanders and perform the DIEP FLAP surgery with abdominal tissue. So on April 7th, I had the exchange/reconstruction surgery and, unfortunately, experienced complications with the right side. My veins are apparently small and were not cooperating on that side. I ended up going in for an emergency surgery to try and save my right side and stayed 3 additional days for leech therapy….YES, LIVE LEECHES…..to try and save the flap/tissue. As agonizing and disgusting as it may sound, it was fascinating and I had no issues inviting anyone in, including the housekeeping staff, to take a look at these cool, live leeches. Every 4-6 hours the nurses came in with a vial of live leeches (see pictures) and once they latched on, they fattened up and fell off usually within the hour. Once they fell off, you put them into a jar of alcohol to kill them and it is considered biohazard waste. It really was pretty cool!
My right side eventually did not make it and I had to go in for yet another surgery to take out the dead tissue and perform a Latissimus Flap, where they take the back muscle and tissue to reconstruct a new breast. There was less risk of rejection since the blood vessels are not cut and kept intact the entire surgery. Both surgeries were really tough to recover and definitely tested my resilience. I am still struggling with part of the wound being open and limited range of motion. But with some physical therapy and getting back to my normal activity, it will continue to improve.
Although this is my last infusion, I still have one more revision surgery July 23rd to fix some bulges and other wonky areas. Let’s hope this is the last one!! During the surgery, they will remove my port and this is the part that makes me excited!! Getting the port removed marks the end to me and a huge step to putting this all behind us. I hope to soon go through a full day without thinking of cancer and these pesky treatments. Cheers to that!! And cheers to you all….we are ever so grateful for the continued support, prayers, and love!!
