Like, holy cow...

I guess I am naïve in many ways. Maybe it’s just that I had no reason to know all the ins and outs and all the in between stuff about breast cancer. I certainly know a whole lot more now, especially about chemotherapy and the lead-up to chemotherapy with all the tests that need to be concluded. I feel like I can actually talk about it with some authority now. For me, breast cancer is going to be a four-step process.

1.    Chemotherapy

2.    Surgery

3.    Radiation

4.    Reconstruction

This is different for anyone with breast caner. It depends on the receptors (+/-) genetics, how big the tumor is, where the tumor is, lymph nodes, a wide array of indicators play into the process order and steps taken. Now that I am in the midst of chemotherapy, I thought I would look ahead (remember, I am a need-to-know type person) at what surgery means and what reconstruction entails.  Holy cow! I am naïve. I thought that a mastectomy meant that the surgeon would go in, under the skin and basically ‘scoop’ out what is under the breast skin.  Nope. That is still more like a lumpectomy (which it typically done when the surgeon is removing one third or less of the breast).  A mastectomy is where the surgeon actually takes the breast, nipple and all, and you are left with the breast-bone.  I think a double-mastectomy is obvious then – both breasts, completely gone, including the nipple. Wow! I had no idea. I started to look into what reconstruction meant then. It is not at all like getting implants.  Because the surgeon has taken all the breast, skin and all, there is no place to put implants.  The surgeon has to reconstruct a breast. An insert is put in and over a period of time (between three to six months) saline solution gets injected slowly into the insert to begin to stretch the skin.  Eventually when the skin as been stretched enough, an implant is added.  There are also other ways of creating a breast. Tissue can be taken from the abdomen, buttocks, and thighs to ‘fill’ the breast. This is usually done with people that have excess tissue. Once this part is complete, a nipple can be reconstructed through a series of grafting and ‘twisting’ techniques. They also add nipples as a tattoo. From reading, the reconstruction part will take as long as the chemo, surgery and radiation put together. Like I said, holy cow!