I started off today asking for prayers and claiming TODAY IS GOING TO BE MY DAY in preparation for meeting with my plastic surgeon. I have decided to have a bilateral mastectomy with DIEP flap reconstruction, which is a surgery that is a muscle sparing procedure that uses tissue from your belly to reconstruct a breast. This practice only works with breast cancer patients for their reconstruction and is the same group that Lauren used for her reconstruction.
I was extremely nervous about this appointment even more so than my MRI with contrast I had the day before. Stephen of course came with me, and I brought Lauren for good luck. How do I know that I was extremely nervous?? Because my blood pressure was 148/87 and I do not have high blood pressure. I am typically in the 110s. My body was shaking on the inside (as if I was freezing) and my palms were sweaty. Why was I so nervous, well this practice has a very strict BMI score due to increased risk of complications post-surgery for women that have a higher BMI. This past year I have been on a weight loss journey and have lost close to 60 pounds and several inches. However, my BMI is a 33, so I knew there was a chance he would either not accept me or we would have to do a mastectomy with reconstruction at a later date after more weight loss. I would much prefer to have both surgeries at the same time, less time off from work, recovery time, and less time under the knife. They took pictures and then we met with the surgeon. He was cautious at first inspection, but after probing and prodding my stomach area, he said that BMI has false indicators because of my weight loss and my real BMI is lower. For this reason, he agreed to do the reconstruction at the same time as the mastectomy. I literally wanted to jump up and down with joy! I did put my fists together and quietly raised them and said YES! Thank you! Now we will schedule a CT scan to see whether or not the artery in my stomach is viable for the surgery. He will need to coordinate with my breast surgeon; however, the surgery should be in the next 3-4 weeks.
I will continue with my weight loss until surgery, but this is such good news. So thank you for all the prayers, good vibes and good juju sent my way. It was very much appreciated!