What's happening

Thought I'd pop in and update those of you that follow along with the happenings of our family because you love us so abundantly and are praying for us during this extremely difficult time in our lives (we love, appreciate, and thank God daily for you too!)

Sunday, I got to come home from the hospital.  I was SO ready to see my kiddos.  I went to the hospital the day of surgery fully anticipating NO complications.  I expected the pain to be minimal just like all my previous surgeries.  I mean, I had a hysterectomy last summer and was sitting up in the bed Indian style within a few hours of being out of surgery.  What I hadn't thought about in regards to that was that with my hysterectomy, I had a spinal and didn't feel anything for almost 24 hours post-op.

Since this surgery was above the waist...it was a little lot different.  The surgery took an hour and a half longer than they had originally anticipated, I lost A LOT of blood, and the original pain pump I was on caused me to itch so ridiculously that I was constantly moving my arms to try and scratch myself.  Not a good thing when you have just had a major operation on your chest which consisted of your pectoral muscles being cut. Thank goodness for my awesome husband who I woke up every 30 minutes to sit me up and scratch all the places I couldn't reach.  I know he has been miserable from lack of sleep but he has been such a trooper.  Once they switched the pain pump, I was a lot more comfortable.

I have to throw in that I have the BEST friends and neighbors.  When I got home from the hospital Evan helped me shower.  It was kind of funny because before surgery we had a discussion about how I would wash my hair after surgery because I wouldn't be able to lift my arms high enough to wash it myself.  I told her, I guess Chris will just have to get it the shower with me and wash it.  She said, 'Casondra, I love you, but I'm not getting in the shower with you to wash your hair.'  Well, she didn't get in the shower with me, but she stood outside of it, and reached in and washed my hair.  Then she moused it.  It's amazing how being clean, and having your hair fixed can just make you feel better!  Two of our neighbors, Steve and Garry, had came and mowed our yard for us so that Chris wouldn't have to worry about it.  Amanda spent the night with me and we had a movie night one evening this week, and the next day she cleaned and vacuumed my house.  Mom, grandma, Kamie, Megan, and Roxann have kept up with all our laundry, made beds, and kept the house straightened up.  I'm just so thankful for the amazing people we have in our lives that have helped us so much over the past week.  It's made this process so much easier, and gave me time to rest and focus on healing instead of worrying about all the everyday, mundane things that need to be done...that if they wouldn't have got done, I would have been tempted to get up and do, despite feeling like I've been run over by a truck!

Wednesday, Kinsey got her braces off and I know I am biased but I think she looks just beautiful!

She picked out the color for her retainer...it will be neon blue (it glows in the dark) with 'Pixie Dust'.  She gets it on October 11.

Thursday, I had an appointment with my Dr. F and he said he was really pleased with how everything looked with the nipples, so blood flow is sufficient to sustain them.  Two of the four drain tubes will come out next week, and then as long as the drainage is down to a minimal amount the other two drain tubes will be able to come out the following week.  The stitches by my armpit will get taken out next Thursday, as well.  I'm so ready to get them out and start my range of motion exercises.  You take for granted how much you use your arms until you can't really use them.

Thursday was also Breanna's 3rd Birthday!  It seems surreal to me that she is THREE already.  I mean, where did the time go?

Also on Thursday, I spoke with a nurse from the oncology department and found out that the pathology report came back and NO CHEMO is needed!  Talk about a good day!  

Yesterday, I saw Dr Marcus, and he said I'm still anemic.  If I'm not feeling more energetic by next week, we are looking to repeat bloodwork and possibly get another transfusion.  Praying this doesn't need to happen.  My arms need a break from being poked and prodded.  We also discussed future monitoring since there is still a minimal amount of tissue, pectoral muscle and skin.  I'll be going back in three months for a check-up, and as long as everything looks good there, they will be every six months for a couple years.  Close monitoring is so much better than the chemo option.  Now I can focus on just healing, and getting to the exchange without worrying about being really sick on top of it all.  YAY!!!

Yesterday was also the first day that I was able to shower completely on my own.  I even wore 'normal' clothes.  With a shirt I pulled over my head and not one that I stepped into or buttoned up.  Baby steps!  lol

I spent the entire afternoon sitting outside on the patio...watching the little girls play outside.  It was so beautiful out there.  I even got a little bit of a sunburn on my face.  Chris was laughing last night at dinner because I have the whole 'white circles around my eyes where my sunglasses were' look going on.  

Mom graciously kept the two bigger girls last night (Chris, Breanna, and I went out to eat!), and is taking them to my brothers band competition today.  Hopefully, the rain holds off!  She is coming to get Breanna after the competition and will keep all three girls tonight, so that Chris and I can have a night to ourselves.  Those are few and far between so I cherish them!

3 years

First time I saw her in the NICU after she was born

First time holding her

Holding Breanna after they extubated her the first time.

1st hair cut...

The beauty of LIFE!  God is GOOD!!!

3 weeks after surgery.  We are going home!  She was 4 lbs 15 oz.

We just couldn't get enough of her.

6 months old.

Happy 1st birthday baby girl!

Mommy and her girl! 

Somebody's learned to walk 

And get into the cupboards. No, it wasn't me, Mom.

Getting ready to go back for her second surgery.

My first ponytail!

Walking in Kristen's high heels!

My first vacation!

Meeting Janna for the first time on my second birthday!

Happy 2nd birthday baby girl!

First game of backyard football with the BIG kids.

3rd hospital stay 

Just being Bre....

Summer fun at the lake.

I'm going to say that this picture was taken in the midst of her saying "HI-YA!" haha

Flower girl in Aunt B-Beth's wedding. 

My beautiful THREE year old!

Where has the time gone?!  You get bigger and more independent every single day.  You are so funny and smart, and I can't wait to see you grow.  You are loved so much!  Happy 3rd birthday baby girl!!! 

Discomfort, Nausea, and many upcoming doctor appointments

First, let me start off by saying thank you to each and every one of my prayer warriors.  A big thanks to my parents, my sisters, grandma Dee, Evan, Laura and Susie, Amanda, Opal and Brock, Leah and Larry, and Mackenzie.  I know I had a few days that I wasn't very 'with' it, but your visits, cards, and flowers meant the world to me.  Thank you Aunt Phil, Renee, Mandie, April (and the people who walked with her) for walking in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure for me.  I know there were others that I am forgetting, and I'm sorry, but know I DO appreciate what you did.  I was moved to tears by the video of the almost 15,000 people who walked to support this cause.  And to the anonymous lady who came through my sisters check-out line and added my name to your wrist band the day of the walk after talking to her....thank you!  It's simple acts of kindness like that, that make this world a better place.

Today, I am Day 5 post-op.  Still very fatigued but overall feeling quite a bit better.  Yesterday I spent the majority of the day sleeping, and still had a lot of discomfort.  It's much more prominent on my left side...which is the side that contained multiple tumors and the cystic area close to my armpit where they had to also remove the skin.  I have more swelling and felling of tightness on that side.  I have the least amount of pain if I am up and moving around, or sitting propped up. In the sitting down/laying back process I have quite a bit of pain still.  I do have occasionally twinges of pain underneath the breast on that side, but they are around the area where the drain tubes come out of my chest, so that may have something to do with it.  I'm down to 1 pain pill every 6 hours, and think by tomorrow Tylenol will be sufficient.  Dr F did put in 360 cc in my expanders so I know a lot of the discomfort is the pressure on the pectoral muscles.  The good thing about that is that if he is able to do 60 at each fill, I will only need 5 fills.  Keeping my fingers crossed on that one!

3 out of 4 of my JP drains have more of a yellowish-orange colored liquid now...which is really good.  And 2 of them are only having minimal drainage.  I expect that these two will more than likely get removed by next week.  YAY!!!!  The other two will stay in about 3 weeks, Dr F said.

My biggest complaint is the I have a constant feeling of nausea.  I've never experienced this with any of my other surgeries, so I am not really sure what is causing it this time.

A BIG milestone this week....Kinsey is getting her braces off tomorrow!!!  I'm so excited for her!  She's excited about getting her retainer with Pixie Dust. lol

Thursday, I have my post-op appointment with Dr. F, and my post-op appointment with Dr Marcus Friday.  I must say, I was very blessed with two great surgeons.

In a week, I have an appointment to go over my final pathology reports and BRCA testing with Dr Mandal.  Hoping to hear, "NO CHEMO NEEDED!"  Above the mastectomy, the reconstruction process...everything...my greatest fear in all of this is needing chemo.  I'm still holding on to the hope that I won't.  Dr Marcus told Chris he's fairly certain they got it all so I'm taking that as a good sign.

FINGERS CROSSED!

On a funny note:  Breanna came in the bedroom a little bit ago, and says to me, "HEY, where's daddy?  Is daddy missing mom?  Did he go to the soccer game???"

I just thought that was so random. I just love the little random things she says.

My guess....Dora probably played in a soccer game today! lol

Update

Hi guys,

I know a few of you check in often, and I'm sorry I've not been able to update sooner.  Chelsa, did a great job keeping everyone as informed as possible during the surgery time, but I've spent most of the past few days so groggy I couldn't even manage to update her.  Thanks again, Chelsa!  :)

The good news.

I GOT TO COME HOME TODAY!!!!

What we know so far...

Surgery took longer and was a little more complicated than they thought it was going to be.

The left breast looks and feels worse because they had to remove a section of skin close to my armpit because they couldn't get clear margins.

I developed the beginning stages of pneumonia while I was in the hospital and had to have six breathing treatments.  Hopefully, we are done dealing with that.

I lost quite a bit more blood than they anticipated during surgery, so on Friday I received 1 1/2 units.  I passed out walking from the bathroom Thursday evening.  Luckily, the nurse were already helping me and caught me.  I was told I was unresponsive for several minutes, they hooked me up to oxygen, checked my BP, blood sugar (apparently both my BP and BS were fluctuating during surgery).  The nurse said I was having difficulty breathing, and that my bladder released, so it put my care team in a bit of a panic.  The only thing I remember is hearing all these people yelling my name over and over, and trying to figure out how I had got to the bed.  When I finally managed to make myself say What?  The nurse asked me if I knew were I was.  I said at the hospital.  And she asked me why was I there?  I said because I just had surgery.  Apparently, those were good enough answers because she didn't ask me anymore after that.  Just put the oxygen back on my face.

On Friday, I only got half of the first transfusion because the vein blew during the transfusion.  It was already the second IV they had started (the first one stopped working during surgery from understanding).  It took 3 nurses and 7 sticks and digs later, but they finally got one going.  My poor arms have definitely seen better days.

Saturday, they just monitored me to see if my blood count would come back up, taught me how to drain my tubes (I have four!), did breathing treatments, and basically let me rest as much as possible.  They also DC'd my fentanyl pump, and I started taking oral meds to try and keep my pain under control.  There were a few rough hours in there when packing needed changed and drain tubes pulled on, that I thought I might have to let them put it back...but I didn't.

Sunday, Dr M came in and said my blood count was still really low, and asked if I wanted to stay another night.  I told him I preferred to go home, and he said, "He'd meet me in the middle.  He'd let me go home after I had two more transfusions...BUT if I started to feel the slightest bit dizzy that I promised I'd come back to be re-admitted."  And he made my family promise to watch me carefully over the next few days

I got done with my transfusions around 3, and got discharged around 3:30.  We had to go to CVS to pick up my scripts, and then we headed home.  I never realized just how bumpy the street is to get to our street.  lol

So far, no dizzy spells, but I did wake up a bit ago with a lot of crud in my eyes so I do believe I have a cold in them.  Evan helped me get a shower.  Which felt so amazing!!!  She washed and fixed my hair so that made me feel somewhat normal.

I'm extremely fatigued but am having a hard time sleeping because of the pain.  The left side is specifically more sore because of the extra trauma it endured during surgery.  It's hard to breathe....almost like I have on a sports bra that is about 3-4 sizes too small.

Dr M says he's hopeful that at about the 1 week mark I will feel considerably better..I hope he is right. Because it's been a pretty tough road so far.

Thank you for all the prayers, well wishes, visitors who stopped by, flowers, candles, food casseroles, etc.  And a HUGE thank you to Evan for coming down and keeping my household running 'normally'.  This whole time, I've been worried about the kids having a hard time with it, but because everything else was so normal, they did great with it.  I got several 'checking to see how you are feeling' text and phone calls from the kids while I was there, but overall, they were just fine.  I appreciate that more than you will ever know.

Thanks ahead of time to all the people who will be staying overnight with us, helping clean and get the kids ready for school this week and taking me and the girls to our doctor appointments.

I know this is going to be a lengthy recovery process, and I appreciate each and every one of you.

UPDATE 3

Surgeon just came out. Said everything went well. Plastic surgeon is with her now finishing up. Thank for your prayers God is great!