~2 weeks~

 ~Know your family history

~Get BRCA tested

~Knowledge is power

~There are options and we can choose what best suits us

~Be educated and AWARE

It feels great to be 2 weeks post op! Life right now

is based on little milestones.  Each day I feel better,

stronger, and more like myself.  I have learned so

much through this process.  I continue to read, study

and educate myself and family.  At some point Kenzie,

Jensen and Alec will undergo testing and it is my

job to be fully educated for them and myself.

It is scary, overwhelming and somewhat surreal when you know

you are positive for this gene, but how blessed we are to have

amazing medical advancements, doctors and options.

Two weeks was my magical milestone as I entered this.

At about day 11 I started to see major improvements each day.

~Day 7 - Saw Dr. Jensen (plastic surgeon)...tubes were removed

(he has never removed tubes at 1 week)

and my expander's were filled.  OUCH!  The filling of the

expander's felt like a semi truck was sitting on my chest.

It was hard to breath, everything felt as if it was being squeezed 

inward, I had the feeling that my chest was like bricks and

my ribs were hurting from the pressure.

It took about 2 days for things to calm down and each day got better.

Everything is measure in cc's...just like implants.

Expander's are much larger, harder and ridged than implants.

They are referred to as "FOOBIES".  hahaha!

~Day 8 - I was able to have my first shower.  AHHHH!

It felt so good.  I still needed Scott's help to shower,

dress and dry my hair.  Arm mobility was improving

each day.

~Day 10 - I showered myself!  This was a huge milestone for me.

It felt great to be able to do this.  However, my arms were still

limited and Scott had to help me shave and wash my underarms.

How great is he?!  He is the BEST!!

I started figuring out how to get in and out of the recliner myself.

Every little bit of independence felt awesome!

~Day 12 - I was now able to shower, shave, dry and dress myself.

I can also blow dry my hair.  Feels great!

Arms are getting much better...reaching straight up is the most

limited.  Walking each day and able to go a little further.

~Day 13 - Saw Dr. Tittensor (general surgeon) and

got a glowing post op review.  She was more than pleased

with my recovery and reconstruction.  It felt great to

have her so pleased and telling me that everything looks

amazing!  Yeah!!

Went to Costco and walked for about 15 minutes.

It was my first time out of the house and it felt great!

I was exhausted afterwards, but so happy.

~Day 14 - Another major milestone for me was being able to sleep

in our bed and I was able to do that at the 2 week mark.

Scott had to carefully pile some pillows so I could sleep on

an incline, but I made it through the whole night. YEAH!!

I feel stronger each day.  Working out hard before surgery helped immensely.

Reconstruction is coming along great.  It is uncomfortable and I can 

feel the edges of the expander's from time to time, but I remind

myself that this is only temporary.  "Foobies" are hard as rocks,

ridged and uncomfortable, but it is a small price to pay.

My cancer risk is now down to 3% chance.

I have comfort and peace.

Right now the goal is to be ready for implants by

the end of October. For now I continue to set little

goals for myself, work on my recovery and feel so 

blessed and grateful for all the help, meals, visits,

phone calls, texts, words of encouragement and for

an incredible husband and family who have been so

supportive and the best care givers a girl could ask for.