A time to give thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! How do you like our turkey?
My Plastic Surgeon said he did this turkey last year and look how fabulous she looks! Next yesr maybe we can do a comparison.....NOT!

So, I went for an appointment with Dr. Gil today. The song that is going through my head right now is "drain free, as free as the wind blows" I think you all know it as "Born Free" , but as he removed the last two drains today I am like a new woman. It is too bad my wind is blowing with all this snow too! These last two drains were apparently under the muscle and Dr. Gil warned I may feel more pressure than last weeks removals, but no, it was fine, until he got to the suture area again, that hurt abit. I just hate his choice of suture thread, it really irritated my skin. So, no more fanny pack for awhile, rumor has it, I will have drains again when I have my replacement surgery, but for now, I am drian free!

Now that that is behind me, we moved on to the next phase, this is the image that came to mind.
Yes, I got "pumped up" today for the first time. Well actually the second time, but the first time I can't count because I was unconscious in the OR. So lets say this is the first time I was fully aware. Mom was right there again witnessing the whole procedure, she is getting brave in her advanced years, either that or all those years of ER have toughen her up! So he got out his magnet locator and gently ran it across my scarred breast to find the "port". Once located he inserted a butterfly needle into it. Mom jumped, I did not, as I didn't feel a thing. When they do the surgery alot of the nerve endings are severed, so there's no pain with such a small needle. Then he hooked up the syrainge and literally pumped in saline until I started to feel discomfort. I got 130 cc's in each. The left breast had a bit more sensation during the needle insertion and Mom said I jumped for that one. I took my Motrin 800 one hour prior to my appointment per Dr. Gil's instructions. So far, there is some muscle soreness from the whole procedure, but not too bad. They certainly feel and look full. I can't imagine having to do many more of these as they seem fine the size they are now. I am due back in two weeks for a review and possibly another pump. No rush though as I can't have the replacement surgery until February, so we'll take it slow and see how it goes. I know my survivor girls have said by the time you are done with this process you feel about ready to burst, I am lucky this iwas only my second pump, if I were further along right now I might have been the newest float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and with the drains gone, what would have held me down?

Andy had a hard weekend. We're not sure if it was the weather or the fact that he is working like a dog, but his shoulder was really bothering him this past weekend. He continues with the 30 minutes stimulations daily and will go back soon to see if that is helping, in the mean time, I am hoping he gets some rest over the holiday.
Oh, speaking of Andy, big surprise on the home front this week, Andy designed what Rex is calling "the most beautful thing he's ever seen". Since we moved back into the house after "the big renovation" 7 years ago, we have been finishing up things we didn't do then. One of the things that needed finishing was the mudroom. We have had a rolling rack for our coats and 2 old dressers there that I was becoming fond of. Andy had been working on the design secretly for months and Matteo was busy making it. The origional plan was to move it in when I was in the hospital, but Matteo and I foiled that plan. I left after 23 hours and Matteo needed more time. So, instead it was delivered this week and the contractors are busy getting it together in time for a Thanksgiving unveiling. (i will take a picture and post as soon as it's view ready)

So most of Andy's and my family are coming to us for dinner. They are all doing all the work, they won't let me help. I just made sure we had enough alcohol! It will be nice to be home and to have everyone here.

So, Thank you to our family and friends for all the love and support you've shown our family, thank you Dr. Jeff for getting all those cancer cells out of my body, thank you Dr. Dave for the good cry and for the news that no radiation, chemo, or hormones are needed, and thank you Matteo for our newest masterpiece.

I need to get these babies supine, I forgot what a load they can be!
Sherie

Drain, drain go away......

So I had my Plastic Surgeon appointment today. I won part of the battle. I got to have 2 of the drains removed today. The other 2 were close, but no cigar. I guess I could have lied, but I would only be cheating myself and there's really no point in that! If my body still needs to drain, then drain away... I am through fighting you drains! It helped that the ones he took out were the 2 bigger ones, so the 2 smaller ones left are very managable and a good compromise.

So my Mom was there with me and when he said I could have the 2 out, I had my shirt off in a matter of seconds (no that won't work the same for any of you men!) He had me put my hand on my boob where you could visable see the tube under the skin and then he pulled. I could feel all this tube unwinding inside of me and then it was out! Mom said I made a face with the first one, but didn't make a noise. We did the same with the second one, but no face and no noise this time. That one hurt, but it was only him cutting the suture that was holding it in place at my side. I told him the suture thread he used was hard and irritating to my sensitive and delicate skin, he said, "thanks for letting me know".

So, he is cutting back my narcotic, I was only doing 3 a day anyways, and weaning me off them and gave me high dose motrin instead. I go back next Tuesday(11.25) and should be able to get the other 2 drains out then. He is also going to "pump me up". This will be the second time, but the first that I am awake for, (he did the first in the OR) so that will be a fun and exciting appointment. He(Lets start calling him Dr. Gil) said to take the Motrin before as it is usally pretty sore durning and after for a few days. Remember what he is doing is inserting saline into the expanders he placed under my breast muscle and when he puts the saline in, it expands the skin and muscle. So what I feel is not pain, but more muscle ache. Some have said you can even feel your skin stretching and that has it's own unique sensation.

That was that.

I attempted driving today and did OK and felt confident I could do it safely, so everyone needs to be abit more alert on the road again cause I am back! Thank you Mom for being a great driver for me the past two weeks, I loved the company and may continue it for awhile cause it was good bonding time!

I am sleeping well, in my own bed, although I have to lie perfectly straight on my back the whole night which isn't easy cause I love to sleep on my tummy and side and I love to flip and flop alot. I even went to bed with my glasses on last night and I didn't even realize it until this morning. Well they say this way of sleeping decreases wrinkles on the face, so there is the up side of that!

While I have my good days, there are other days I stay in my flannel pj's (the new girfriend ones from Victoria's Secret are to die for), don't shower, adn move very slowly around the house and nap alot. Usually by 5pm every night, I need to be supine! Sitting and standing take it toll on my rib cage and chest and I just need to be still. I know you are all saying, "sherie still?" it is perplexing to me too, but a very necessary position for my recovery. Andy has trained the kids well on how to gestapo around after me to ensure I am resting. Last night, Andy was at a meeting late and Rex was on duty. He stood outside my bathroom door while I changed the dressing and drained the drains to make sure that was all I was doing and to make sure I wasn't sneaking in any other activity. He was so cute!

So, off to watch Pushing Daisies! It hasn't been on for 3 weeks and is in jeopardy of being cancelled. I urge all of you to tune in next Wed. @ 8pm on ABC to watch it, it is a great show. Rex is even hooked!

Time to celebrate the drain removal with a drink!
Cheers, Sherie

The center of my world

So this is a Jackson Pratt Drain and it is the center of my world right now. I actually have four of this babies! two on each side. they have a few stitches securing them into my skin under each arm. Apparently there is about 4-6 inches of them inside me capturing all the extra fluid my body can't absorb on its own and it drains into those little granade bulbs which are all secure in my fanny pack to give me a hands free existance with them. I drain them two times a day and when each has less than 30cc's a day for 2 consecutives days then they get to come out. The Doc. said typically 2-3 weeks, but maybe I am the exception. Well he may not know it yet, but we all know it, I am the exception and they will be out at my next appointment on Wednesday! Too much information on this, I know, but Andy and the kids won't look and don't want to hear it either and honestly, I don't want you all to think just cause I look great that this is a walk in the park, there are a lot of sucky parts to deal with and this happens to be one of them. So if you see me out with my styling black fanny pack on my waist, no I am not a european tourist, I am just draining and maybe I will bring the fanny pack back. I am going to see if my sister will let me borrow her bedazzler, she really has one, to make the fanny pack a bit prettier!

So I had my one week follow up with the General Surgeon yesterday. He said everything is healing well and looks great. I had no bruising or swelling this time amazingly. He said my skin looks super healthy. The pathology report was in and............... Clear Margins all the way around! no signs of invasion anywhere! We Got it All this time! He is sending on the report to Oncologist to review. I emailed the Oncologist and told him the short version and he said he would take a look at the full report on Monday, but if this is indeed the case, he doesn't see the need for any other treatment. I guess that means I can just focus on the reconstruction which is quite enough.

I can still not drive until my next appointment. I went out last night to Rex's indoor soccer game.(i was scolded atleast 3 times for it, so the erst of you can rest assure that it wasn't without grief from all the moms/dads in my life) It was quite noisy, but I am glad I went. He got 4 goals and 2 assists, he was on fire! It was great seeing him, his team is so great and they play every game like it is the championship. It was inspiring.

So, other than that I have been taking it easy around the house. Slowly doing some long overdue projects that don't take alot of effort, pluggin through andy's office stuff as it trickles home, and watching alot of TV on my new 50 incher! The kids both just left for overnights with friends, so you know what that means....... yup, Andy and I can watch whatever we want tonight on the new tv. Remember I can't raise my heart rate yet!

Speaking of Andy, he was busy cleaning the garage today. Rex and him are preparing to work on a project Rex has due for school tomorrow. Now my handy Andy has moved on to making me some shelves in my secret office room. He's also busy on a new design for a piece to go under and around the new TV. That man never stops!
He says it feels like the bone stimulator is working as his shoulder feels a bit better. he will continue to stimulate for another few weeks and then we'll get another xray to see if it is helping. I think he looks forward to the nightly stimulations as its about all he's getting right now.

Time to rest. Much love to all,
Sherie

First Day Out

So today was my first time leaving the house. I had a follow up with my Plastic Surgeon. Grandpa came to watch the kiddies as they were off school for Veterans Day and my Mom took me to the appointment. Andy had a weekly meeting he couldn't miss.
We all slept in, I was able to get up and shower before the kids even woke up. When they did wake up, they woke up agruing and for some reason I couldn't handle that and started crying. (I don't want you all to think I am made of stone) I think it is getting close to that time of the month and my hormones are ready for their monthly release! So they released all over the kids for about 5-10 minutes, they quickly stopped fighting and snapped into helping mommy mode after that!
The Plastic Surgeon was very timely and we didn't have to wait at all. He removed the pain pump, one less thing sticking out of me. He removed all the itchy tape and checked the drains. They were all intacted and draining well, no sign of infection at incision sites. He said they may need to stay in another 2-3 weeks! now that is fun for you. Knowing I would continue with the drains I came up with a way to put all 4 drains in a fanny pouch so now the family doesn't have to continued to get grossed out with them hanging out from under my shirt! Once I slid on this tank top over the properly fitting sports bra it doesn't look too bad. The Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Gil, pumped me up alittle during surgery so no one had to see me flat chested, that would have just been wrong. He said he will do the next inflation in 3 weeks, with or without drains. He will see me weekly until then. He gave me some exercises I have to do everyday to get my pectoral muscles strong again and sent me on my way. No driving for another 5-7 days. No treadmill or increasing my heart rate(is that his way of saying sex?) for 3 weeks.
I go and see the General Surgeon on Friday. He should have the rest of the pathology report by then.
So I am back home. had some great leftovers for lunch with my mom, you guys really know how to cook!
Grandpa beat Rex in Chess.
Ruby is off at the cousin's 4th bday party.
I've got 3 beautiful bouquets of flowers and a scumpcious fruit bouquet already today, thank you all for thinking of me, these things really brighten up the place. Thanks too for the cards and music, and other goodies that have been coming in the mail.

Well, I am going to rest a bit, it's been a busy day.
Love, Sherie

Post Op Report

This is a picture Andy took of me during my brief hospital stay, I don't know why they didn't want me to stay longer. I tried to look my best, I did everything myself and never buzzed for the nurses, I counselled the patient in the bed next to me, and I helped the head nurse with her patient assignments for the aides.
Ok, so that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you got to admit, I do look good!
I had a picture of me with the drains hanging out and the pain pump, and my chest all bandaged up, but I figured some of you might not want to see that much. So just cause I look good on the outside, I really did have major surgery and I am dealing with that under neath my new Victoria Secret and Vera Wang pj's!
So yes, I came out of anesthesia well and I slept well that night in the hospital and I was able to get up and get going by 6am.
Dr. Michael(my awesome neighbor)delivered me a medium iced coffee from dunkin donuts @ 7am and that's all I needed.
My Surgeon was in by 8am looking for me, I was up at the sink freshening up, I startled him cause I wasn't lying in my bed moaning and groaning. He said he was leaving the rest of the decisions up to me and the Plastic Surgeon. He said the surgery went well and they are going to test the tissue they took to ensure I have clear borders and that they got it all. I see him again this Friday.
My Nurse Practitioner was the next visit @ 8:15am, she was in the hospital for training and stopped in to see me, she too is awesome, I did all my NP training with her when I got my NP a while back.
About 9:30am I got a visit from Ms. Maria, my sweet friend and Lic. Massage Therapist and she played with my feet.
My Plastic Surgeon came in after that and said everything went well on his end yesterday and that I could go home. I reminded him that he was the one who said we nurses usually push to go home too soon and that he wanted me to stay 1-2 days. He said he remembered saying that, but that was before he knew me! (I see him again this Tuesday. No driving for a week and out of house for appointments only for first week.)
So when Andy called asking what I wanted for lunch, I told him I was going home. so, yes, I was home in 21 hours! I have been resting, for me, but I am up and around and feel pretty darn good. My Mom, Sister, and Dad have been here helping Andy with the kids schedules, the house, and me.
I am in no pain and well covered with the pain pump and other oral meds they gave me. I am sore in the chest and where the drains are, but I have pretty good use of my arms as they did the lymph node biopsy last time. There appears to be far less bruising than last time. The Surgeons did a unique cut for me due to the previous surgeries I had and I think that is making for an easier recovery and a better looking outcome down the road, again I won't go into detail unless you ask.
I was able to sneek a peek at what use to be my pretty cleavage. There is surprisingly still some there, but it is weird being able to cross my arms in front of me so easily! The expanders are in and I can feel them, again discomfort, but no pain.
So thank you all for your prayers and thoughts, it's going to take more this this to stop me!
Love to all,
Sherie

you AREN"T gonna believe this! - from shelly

FRIDAY @NOON...

Oh, My GOD! she is amazing!
guess who just called me from the CAR..??

she is on her WAY HOME! Sherie had such a good morning

at the hospital... the doctors agreed that she would get better rest,

and have less risk of infection if she were at home. Good job girl!

(Larisa... sorry, but it looks like there there might be another SuperWoman in Skaneateles!)

sherie update #1...via andy..from shell

(Thursday 11-6)
6:30 pm .Andy just called me from the hospital..
so far ..so good. Sherie went in pretty much as scheduled....(today @3:30).
At 6:30 they had completed phase I. (breast removal) all went very well.

8:30 pm. Andy just called again. Phase II complete - plastic surgeon.
everything went good...Andy had not yet spoken to either Doctor, or seen Sherie... but the anesthesiologist said Sherie woke up crackin' jokes...that's our girl! She said something about "no cameras" please... I think she has been watching too much "DR 90210"

I was lucky to spend some time with Sherie this morning... she was in very good spirits... she was kinda hungry (the no food after midnight thing is a bummer) she couldn't tell if her rumblin' tummy was hunger - or nerves...

I'll keep you as posted as Andy calls in...
I believe Sherie is scheduled to come home Sunday.

Friday AM update:
I spoke to Andy - and even Sherie last night. She was doing great, sipping a bit of ginger ale about 9:30pm. She said she handled all the anesthetic very well... (I guess the not eating all day on Thursday paid off!)

Apparently, she said, as she was coming out of anesthesia, "I'll make it in time for "The Office" and the Anesthesiologist said, "You're not going to the office!" and she said, "No, the tv show!"..
oh...this girl is a handful even on the operating table! We LOVE you Sherie!

What a difference a year makes!

Picture 1 :Andy & I last November when we modeled at The American Heart Assoc. Heart & Soul Event. (yup, Jessica Simpson hair extentions again)

Picture 2: Andy & I this November sporting a bandage ensemble in honor of our battle scars.
(ok, we were mummies for halloween)

The differences:
1. hair and make up
2. clothing

The similarities:
1. the smiles (andy is smiling under the bandage)
2. the love (his heart is on his vest)
3. the attitude

Just trying to keep things in perspective!

I'm feeling warm and fuzzy all over from all the love and energy I am getting from you all.
You all Rock!
and now I go to the hospital and don't think you are getting a picture of me there!
maybe I should bring the extentions & some make up just in case the paparazzi sneak in.
Sherie

(click to enlarge November meal schedule)

Thanks to all their wonderful friends... the Ramsgard's have a full month of yummy dinners awaiting them! However...If you are interested in contributing a December meal - please email Helen, and include the date you are interested in! THANK YOU!!

Which size do you think?

Andy couldn't pass this picture up at the pumpkin patch and while it is alittle early to be worrying about size, he thought this was a good test. So what do you think? Seriously, it will not come down to yours or my choice for size, it's more about what my body can tolerate in the whole process, most end up smaller, yeah, I always wanted to be smaller. No more reaching in my shirt and scooping them back into place in my bra when they are popping out! I just did that last night and said, "I won't miss that".

So I have been busy finishing up the cubscout popcorn. I am officially done until the next order comes in on the 20th, what will I do with all my free time?
I finished all Andy's office stuff. Bills are paid and October invoices are out.
I finished all the house stuff, bills and the such.
I did all the birthday shopping for the month and the the gift are wrapped and the cards are signed.
The laundry is done, the house is clean.
The shopping is done and the house is stocked with the kids lunch items and favorite meal and snack items!
Andy's prescriptions are all filled and his vodka is chilling.
The DVR is set for all my favorite shows.
Cards, emails, and phone calls have started coming in from all of you sending me lots of good, positive energy and support.
I have a massage tomorrow and a lavender pedicure thursday morning.

So what now?
I gotta pack a bag for the hospital.
I gotta write down the kids activities for the days I am in the hospital so Andy & my mom know where they go and when.
Review my preop instructions.
Eat and drink alot tomorrow as I can't do either after midnight.
Breath!

I feel good and I think I am as ready as ever. Let's just do this!

I'll try and post again before I go in, but if I don't posts will be made on my behalf with reports of how things are going.
Thanks again to everyone for your ongoing love, friendship, and kindness. I couldn't do this without you!
Sherie