Stage 1, It's No Big Deal, Right?

WRONG!

I remember the exact moment when the nurse navigator told me, “It’s only stage one so it’s not a big deal.” In some ways she was right but in others she was very wrong. What followed was a conversation of what the next few weeks of my life would look like. Numerous doctor appointments, scans, biopsies and more. I also had to make life altering decisions in a short amount of time.

The “no big deal” part was because stage one cancer is very treatable and has a very high success rate of the patient becoming NED (no evidence of disease). As breast cancer patients, we are never told we are in remission but rather NED. That’s just in case the cancer’s ugly head rears itself back as another type of breast cancer or shows up in one of our other organs, most common areas are the bones, liver, lung or brain.

The BIG DEAL part comes when we are told our options. I was given the choice to do a mastectomy (removal of my breast) or a lumpectomy (removal of the tumor with clear margins surrounding the area) followed by 12 weeks of radiation. I chose the mastectomy because I wanted to avoid doing radiation for many reasons and I wanted to make the choice with the best outcome. I was hoping to do the mastectomy and reconstruction and then go back to my life as usual. It did not work out that way but for many people it does.

So when your medical team says, stage one is no big deal, I know that is not true. I spent many nights lying awake trying to make sense of it all. I was constantly thinking about why this was happening? How did I get cancer? I cried many tears leading up to my mastectomy day. I didn’t want to have such a major surgery and I didn’t want to lose my breasts. I didn’t want to be put to sleep or spend the night in the hospital. The doctors and nurses do these types of surgeries regularly so they often don’t understand how we are feeling. Recovery is really tough the first few weeks, the drains are extremely uncomfortable, the nerve pain was extremely painful at times and now I had a different body that I had to get used to. It’s okay to cry and mourn your loss. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed by it all but remember you are not alone.

Sending you lots of love,

XO

(MY) MASTECTOMY NECESSITIES!

This is a short list of (my) mastectomy necessities. If you are like me you have no idea what to expect or what you might need after you have your surgery, so here are my “must haves” and why:

1.     A drain belt- This was a lifesaver. You will come home with 2-4 drains (connected to the sides of your body) and you will need something to hold them. A drain belt helps prevent you from unnecessarily tugging on the drains and can help hide them under any outfit. The drains are not fun and can make getting around a little difficult until they are removed.

2.     Stool softeners- I wish someone had told me about this one! You will be given and will need pain medication. Along with the pain relief comes unwanted constipation and you certainly don’t need that! Start a day or two BEFORE your surgery and it will be a great help.

3.     Small squishy pillows- I tried a big wedge pillow in bed but ultimately the biggest help was being able to prop myself up in bed with regular pillows and smaller squishy pillows on my sides to prop up my arms. You can also use one of these pillows to cushion your chest against the seat belt when traveling to and from the doctors office.

4.     Comfortable loose clothes- I was able to get my shirts off and on over my head. Some people prefer to have only tops with buttons to make it even easier. My main problem was hiding the drains so I needed a robe or loose sweater to wear over my tops.

5.     Someone to help- This is not always easy for us to ask but you don’t want to be alone for the first few days to a week. You will need someone to help you get around, give you your medication and help strip your drains. (This is when you have to empty the fluid in the bulb of the drain and measure it). It’s not the most pleasant job and can be difficult at first.

I hope my top 5 mastectomy necessities help you and please reach out to me with any more questions or concerns! I’m sure my fellow pink sisters will have their own “must haves” to add to this list.

Sending you my love and strength to get through this time!

Just one example of a drain belt.