Previvor Journey Update

Next week I will be completing my previvor journey! I will finally be at the last step of my breast reconstruction process after having it be postponed for over 3 months! I’ll be undergoing what they call an exchange surgery. My plastic surgeon will remove my expanders and replace them with silicone implants. I will also be doing fat grafting where the surgeon will remove fat from my stomach and place it in my breasts around the implants to create a more natural look and minimize ripples and other cosmetic issues caused by the mastectomy. I’ve been stuck with these expanders in my chest for far too long and I’m looking forward to having this phase of my journey completed. After 6 months I still haven’t gotten used to them and they are constantly sore and tender. I’m really hoping that my new foobs will be softer, squishy and a whole lot more comfortable than these expanders. I’m also very much looking forward to the results of the fat grafting. I’ve had stubborn fat on my stomach area my entire life and I can’t imagine what I’ll look like with it gone. My doctor told me not to loose any weight before this surgery so that he will have enough fat to work with and make my new breasts look as good as they can. I’ve continued my daily exercises since my mastectomy so that I can go into this surgery feeling healthy and strong but I’ve made sure not to loose too much weight. I can’t wait for this part to be completed so I can feel more comfortable and confident.

I’ll also be undergoing a salpingo-oophorectomy simultaneously. After my exchange surgery is complete a different doctor will come in and perform a laparoscopic surgery to remove my ovaries and fallopian tubes. This requires 3 small incisions on the lower abdomen, one on each side and one under my belly button. The recovery time for this surgery is about 2 weeks and I will undergo surgical menopause and will have to be put on hormone replacement afterwards. After having these reproductive organs removed I will no longer be able to have my own children. This was a big decision for my husband and I to make. At the end of this month we will have been married for 6 years. We discussed the topic of children the first few years of marriage and neither of us was jumping at the idea of having a child so we decided to enjoy our time together as husband and wife and talk about it again later. Over the next couple years of our marriage we found ourselves less and less into the idea of being parents and we realized it just isn’t our thing. When I found out I was BRCA2 + we knew we needed to make a definite decision sooner rather than later. Witnessing my Mom battle ovarian cancer made us make up our minds. We confirmed our mutual feelings of not wanting to have children and are happy with our decision. We knew that it would be best for me to get the prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy as soon as possible so that we can hopefully avoid the trauma of an ovarian cancer diagnosis like my Mother and Grandmother. Having my ovaries removed will take a huge weight of anxiety off my shoulders. My husband has been my biggest supporter and I don’t think I could have gone through these life changing decisions without him by my side. I’m happy knowing that my Mom would be so proud of me for going through with it and having the chance to beat cancer before it could beat me! 

I’m anticipating waking up in the recovery room having overcome another mountain in my journey. This journey is one I never imagined I’d be on. I never would have thought I’d lose my Mom so young and then be having surgeries to prevent the same thing from happening to me. Through this journey I have felt vulnerable, empowered, sad, strong, discouraged, brave, and so many other emotions. I’ve connected with other women who are going through the same thing and it’s nice to know that I’m not alone. I’m happy that I get the chance to guide other women like me who are looking for advice and meet new friends along the way! Thank you for all the support and love and for following along my journey! New foobs coming 8/13!