Step 1

Hey guys – didn’t mean to go MIA since my last post, which was over a week ago now, but the last week came and went way to fast.  Before we went to sleep last Wednesday I checked my Instagram and the first thing I saw was “God has it all under control; Go to sleep”, so that is exactly what I did… and I had the best night sleep.

We woke up at 4:30 and headed to the hospital at 5:00AM.  If any of you have checked in for surgery at Parkridge you will know what I am talking about but I felt like Stephen and I were checking in at a “Couples Retreat”.  The building was lit up like a beacon at night and the open atrium of the lobby and grand piano in the waiting room reminded me of a vacation destination.  Upon check in, we and three other couples were escorted to the second floor surgery waiting room.  I was giddy to say the least.  Not sure what Stephen was thinking.  Sara Ross was called and back we went. I had my pregnancy test done (it was negative), changed into my sexy gown and socks and crawled into a hospital bed.  I was injected with something equivalent to valium and I honestly don’t remember much after that.  Stephen and my mom told me I kept talking and for what I have learned I made a fool out of myself.  I was in surgery for 4 hours and then in recovery for about 2 hours as they were trying to get my pain under control (thank goodness they did).  I was wheeled into my room around 2 and Stephen and my Mom were then able to come see me.  Once of the first things they noticed was I apparently busted my lip open at some point during recovery.  Either I smacked myself in the face while waking up, or I involuntarily bit the inside of my lip.  To anyone considering a surgery, I would not recommend doing either during recovery.  I slept a lot the day of my surgery but I was already up and walking to the bathroom by the evening :) Thursday was more of the same, slept, took a lap or two around my floor, ate a little, and got medicine; the one refreshing break to the sleep cycle was when the hospital spa staff came in to give me my complementary facial, and hand/foot massage.  Still not sure how complementary it was, but I thank my insurance company for it later.  My plastic surgeon stopped by Thursday afternoon and opened up my zip up bra and gauze and showed Stephen and my mom my chest.  I was laying there and I remember everyone made the comment that they looked the exact same!  I came out of surgery with 120 cc of saline in each expander so I’m roughly the size I was before I went into surgery. I’m not sure that I believe them but I appreciate their caring support :).  Friday was more of the same, sleep, meds, and waiting for the hospital staff to let us know when we could go home.  We were located in the post-delivery section of the hospital so there were several new mothers around us.  On one of our walks, one of the new mothers commented on how skinny my ankles looked!  I assured her that I had not just given birth and she breathed a very heavy sigh of relief.  Around noon the doctors/nurses came in and finally told us we were free to go!  So I slid into the back seat of my car (driving miss daisy-style) so that I did not have to buckle my seat belt and Stephen drove me home, doing his very best to miss every pothole in Columbia (you know that’s hard).   

My hubby says that I have thanked a lot of people in my blog so far but I want to thank an additional 2 very important people during this whole journey.  Dr. Metropol (my general sugergeon who did the mastectomy) and Dr. Carlin (who started the expanders and will do the reconstruction).  Through their guidance and expertise, I am one step closer to completing the journey!

 

Lets do this!

 

 

Reasons to Live

Wow, I cannot believe tomorrow is almost here.  I feel like it was only the other day that I was officially “posted” for surgery and I was announcing my decision to the world.  To be honest, I am super excited and extremely nervous… not sure which emotion I have more of at the moment.  Tomorrow morning I will wake up around 4:00, that is, if I can even sleep tonight and shower/get as ready as I am allowed and then Stephen and I will head to the hospital where I have to report at 5:30 AM!!!  It was supposed to be 7 AM but they called me Monday and said the surgeons needed to move my surgery up, so 5:30 it is.  Stephen isn’t thrilled about the time but I’ll get a couple additional hours of sleep that morning so I’ll be okay ;) My surgery starts at 7:30 and I will hopefully be out midmorning with one surgery behind me!!

Since this journey began a lot in my life has been put into perspective… from family, friends and work… and I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching.  Growing up, after my mother passed away, I was so angry with God that I sometimes even questioned his existence.  I mean, how could he take a young girl’s mother away?  Or why?   When I received my news last year I was again a slight bit angry with God; but that anger quickly turned to gratefulness as I realized that he had provided me with the knowledge and means to stay healthy. God truly does work in miraculous ways.

Stephen thinks it’s odd but with so many people getting pregnant and having babies recently I have started thinking about starting our own family.  A dozen or so people have asked me why I am doing this surgery now and not waiting till our family is complete, I have breast fed, etc and the fact that I want to be there for my kids/to see them grow up/etc is the main reason.  I don’t want something I can prevent to affect my family now or in the future.  I don’t want my children to ever be angry or question God and his plan for their life.  So, to my future children….

One day you will enter my life and that will be the happiest day of my life, right behind marrying your daddy, but for now I just dream about you. It will be many years, after you are born, before you fully understand the life I had growing up and the life I will always strive to give you till the day you die.  Your biological grandmother, Karen, passed away when I was only a little girl and even though God put a another wonderful woman in my life to raise me I don’t want you to have to go through the emotions and anger I went through from losing my mom at such an early age.  So tonight, as I say my prayers and try to get some sleep, I want you to know that tomorrow is happening because of you. 

So, my journey begins tomorrow…

Ain't Nothing Going to Slow Me Down

Wow, I cannot believe this Wednesday is my surgery – the time has flown by since I made my decision and it went by even faster after I started this blog.  Life has been crazy busy over the past week trying to get prepared for the big day.  There’s so many emotions and so much I want to say before Wednesday but let me start by addressing work and the thanks my three teammates deserve.

I was always that girl that was going to be a stay at home mom – that was what, in my mind, I was born to do; but a little over two years ago now three wonderful individuals came into my life and have changed it forever.  To say Franklin, Amanda and Amy are like my family is an understatement.  Other than calling Stephen and my mom when I found out my results they were the ones I cried to.   I am a firm believer that people come into your life for a reason and I have no doubt these people did - not just to help me grow my business/become a better Realtor, but if it wasn’t for them and their personal experiences with breast cancer I may not have been able to make the decision to have the surgery so easily.  You see, as someone who is on 100% commission I couldn’t imagine taking time off (heck, I even worked when we went to Mexico for a week this year) but having them there to support me is truly a gift!

I had a friend ask me a couple weeks or so ago if I was going to continue working during the surgeries and recovery/expanders (more on those later) and my first reaction was “Of course, I can’t imagine not working!!” I may not be able to open doors immediately after Wednesday (thanks to the team for filling in for me there) but shortly after I’ll have nurse mom running chauffeur for me.  So, I don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon :)  I will still be making phone calls, replying to emails and taking care of clients. I thought, if a friend thinks I may not be working, others may think that as well; so shameless plug, I am going to continue to work!

To the FA Team: Y’all will never know how much joy you three have brought to my life and “working” is more fun than I ever imagined it could be! I absolutely love what I do and the three of you have no idea how having y’alls support helps me feel so much at ease with my decision and the upcoming surgery.

THANKS A MILLION for the help while I am out but I am already counting down the days till I get to come back in the office.

 

 

Labor Day Construction

Oh Labor Day, you were over in the blink of an eye.  If you know Columbia, you know most people, esp. on long summer holiday weekends, pack up and head to one of the many beaches only a couple hours away.  We however stayed in Columbia (Yay and Boo)!!!  We had great company for dinners and I showed homes some as well.  But, if you follow me on Instagram or know me at all you know Stephen and I started a huge master bedroom renovation earlier this year and by earlier I mean January (love you SHR).  And if you know my hubby at all you know he is very meticulous about every little detail and he likes doing it all himself (that’s the engineer in him).  We are renovating two bedrooms at one end of our house to make a master suite so it’s  been out of sight, out of mind, well until I decided to have my surgery, then it became crunch time! Our bedroom/closet/bathroom are almost done being painted,the tile guy is moving along and will hopefully be done by this coming weekend (fingers crossed) and our closet is close to being done as well. We have more to do, mostly final touches, but I feel more prepared than I did this past Friday. They say that if a couple can undergo a renovation then they can go through anything.  Well Stephen and I have been through 2 now (he/we hand built our entire kitchen a couple years ago) and we are going stronger than ever - so this surgery/recovery will be a breeze.  Thank you to him for putting up with my wants and for finding them in our budget as well as for dealing with my breakdowns when things weren’t going according to my plan.  As usual, you are my rock but get back to work ;)

I dream it, he builds it





One of the happiest days of the reno...
When my tub was installed



Love our closet chandelier

Getting Prepared

If anyone knows me, other than in my career, I am not always the most prepared person on the planet :/  I try really really hard but I think God left that bone out of my body when it comes to my personal life.   The realization that I am going to be out of surgery in less than two weeks has definitely shifted something in me and the “preparedness bone” has been found (I hope it stays).  I have been very blessed to have 3 remarkable women to talk to that have gone through these same surgeries (for either cancer or the gene) that have been walking me through everything I need. 

- I officially registered for my surgery this week and paid my deposit so I thought this would be the perfect post as there is no turning back now.  Eek!!!

- First thing that was order was a Poucharoo -- It’s an awesome little contraption that wraps around my waist so I can tote the 4 drains I’ll have around. 

- Taking it back old school – I got a husband!  I won’t be able to lay down (gotta drain properly) and I won’t be able to get up easily so I was told to get a husband so I can rest comfortably and in my own bed

- Button down shirts and button down pj’s

- Dry shampoo - even though my awesome hair dresser, Laura, is going to go in the Monday after my surgery on her day off to wash my hair - I know going days without showering/washing my hair isn’t going to be the easiest so that is an essential

- Nonstick gauze, peroxide, qtips (pre going to thank Ginny for helping where that is needed)

- Thank you notes (can’t wait to get them from Anne Marie / her company called Jack Paper Co)

- My mom is taking a leave of absence from work to help me esp. when Stephen has to go back to work

- I have made an appointment to get my eye brows and under arms waxed (won’t be able to lift my arms for a while so that one is self-explanatory)

- Pedicure is booked – I need to feel like a girl as much as I can.  You will all be pleased to know that I will not be losing my toe nail :)

- Maid is scheduled to come the day of my surgery to deep clean our house so I am lucky to not have to worry about that

- I am even luckier to have wonderful people in my life to sign up to bring us meals for a couple weeks after my surgery – THANK YOU to those amazing people!

That’s about all I have scheduled/bought for now.  It’s not a sexy post but it sort of stunned me that I am having to get prepared for after my surgery (thanks again for those 3 women) as it is going to be weird not being able to raise my arms for a while. For others that have gone before me, if you think of anything I need please don’t hesitate to contact me, I am always all ears to make my life and those around me easier for bit after my surgery.