Aug 6 2014

First Boobiversary

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One year ago today, on August 6, 2013, at the age of 25, I had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy.  In a matter of just 6 short hours, I took my risk of breast cancer from 87% to less than the normal population.

In so many ways, it still seems a little crazy to say that.  It seems impossible that it’s already been a full year, but in other ways, it seems like it was even longer ago.

I’m truly struggling to find words to describe what it’s like to reach this point.  I’m feeling relief – at being a year out.  Excitement – of all the possibilities of my future.  Disbelief – that 365 days have already passed.  But more than anything, I’m feeling grateful.  Grateful for a massive cancer risk reduction.  Grateful for technology for even knowing I had that risk in the first place.  Grateful for amazing doctors that are incredibly skilled yet wonderful people, too.  Grateful for access to fantastic medical care and a fabulous medical team.  Grateful for a family that supported me every step of the way.  Grateful for parents who never left my side.  Grateful for friends that were there to laugh and to cry.  Grateful for a job and coworkers that redefined understanding.  Simple stated, just grateful.

What a whirlwind of a year it is to think back on!  Really though, it seems like I’m reflecting on almost TWO years from when I first thought about having this surgery.  There was the decision.  Then the first appointments.  Then all the waiting.  Then pre-op.  The (most amazing) Boob Voyage.  Then the surgery itself.  The negative pathology report.  The drains.  The first fill.  The transition back to real life.  The return to work.  The second fill (ouch). The “Fab”ulous-ness.  The walk.  And finally?  The long-awaited exchange surgery.  I’m so grateful that my entire experience went so well, despite the unexpected 6-month hiccup with my shunt.  No, it wasn’t all easy – three surgeries in a year?  Not fun.  But yes, I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Literally, no hesitation.  Sure there’s days where I’m still getting used to having implants (really only because of how pecs act when they’re outside of implants, especially when lifting or working out) or not having any feeling (this is just a bit scary of all things, like when I’m around hot things), but 99% of the time I don’t even think about the surgery.  And what a beautiful thing that is to say.

So what happens from here?  Well, I had my one-year visit (a little early) with my breast surgeon’s NP.  Gotta say – breast exam when you can’t feel them?  Super weird!  But she’s just wonderful and will follow me from here, and is my go-to with any concerns.  Of which thankfully, there are none.  I also follow up closely with my plastic surgeon from here on out, but I suppose that too is pretty obvious.  And then of course there’s the continued ovarian cancer surveillance, but that’s just a part of being BRCA positive.  And really?  It’s not too bad at all.

It’s safe to say that, while incredibly different from where I was this time last year, I’m in a remarkably good place in my life.  Happy.  Healthy.  Grateful.

First Boobiversary

May 22 2014

LONG Overdue Update!

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I’ve been absent on the blogosphere for awhile now, I know.  And I wish it was simply because I was all done and everything was great and mastectomies and reconstructions were all in the past but… alas… it has not been all rainbows and butterflies.

I have gone back and forth over and over again about whether I should include this latest chapter of my journey on the blog, and I know I left off saying I would update and never did, but now that the chapter is closing, I’m ready to include it.  After all, I did vow to be brutally honest, and among everything else, this blog IS more than a BRCA/boob blog, it’s a blog about me. Random happenings (shit magnet occurrences one might say) and all.

So that said, here’s the recap over the past 6 months – I left much of the beginning out of my late 2013 blog posts since we didn’t really know what was going on, and if it was transient.  But now we do, so here I go. My only preface: this is an extraordinarily rare thing to happen.  I don’t even really like the word complication, because it’s so unlikely to occur – it really was just a perfect storm situation.  And one that my doctors, at a major academic medical center, had never seen before, and hopefully won’t see again.  SO please, if you’re a “BRCA babe,” or someone who is considering or having surgery, please don’t let this freak you out – I can’t reiterate how random it was, and you’ll understand quickly why.  Unless you have a VP shunt AND are undergoing a mastectomy and reconstruction… THEN shoot me an email!  I’ve yet to find the blog that outlines that predicament! 🙂

So yes, if you’ve read any of the archives, you know I have that VP shunt for pseudotumor cerebri, that I’ve had since 2006 without any issues.  And you know it’s been a problem from the very beginning of the mastectomy journey from MRIs to my actual mastectomy.  Well, that little piece of massively important plastic truly outdid itself this time.

In November I had my much-anticipated exchange surgery, got my wonderful new implants, and all went well.  However, as I alluded to in this post, I had some trouble post-op.  The Wednesday following my Friday surgery, I noticed that my vision was off and I was starting to get a headache.  I had had similar symptoms with anesthesia before so I hadn’t thought much of it, except at this point I had been off all pain medicine for 3 days.  As the day progressed, my vision got worse, and knowing “shunt protocol,” we unfortunately had to go to the ER.  Shunt failure is a very real problem, and one of my biggest fears – you never know when it’s going to happen.  I knew, however, that my shunt wasn’t totally defective – but something wasn’t right.  I compare it to trying to drink out of a bent non-bendy straw… you get some liquid, but not all of it.  In the ER I had x-rays and a CT scan, and it was decided that I would be admitted overnight for observation and for an LP (spinal tap) the following morning.  And yes, this was the night before Thanksgiving.

My Thanksgiving miracle the next morning, despite being in the hospital, was that MY neurosurgeon was on.  The same one who put in my shunt in 2006, who fixed my shunt during my mastectomy when it went right through my breast tissue, and who I still see every year for follow up.  He decided instead of the LP to do a chest CT, so we could see where the shunt was going.  It was harder to see than anticipated, since my silicone implants are SO opaque, but it appeared that my shunt was being compressed by the swelling of the surgery, which made perfectly logical sense.  So he came up with a plan to start me on my old pre-shunt standby medication (Diamox) to decrease the amount of fluid my brain would make while the surgery swelling went down, and I would follow up after and we’d go from there.  And thanks to a miraculous medical team, we made it out of the hospital JUST in time to make it to Thanksgiving dinner with Ruthie!

Fast forward a week where I felt absolutely, positively miserable.  Really, it’s all a giant blur now.  I ended up having the LP outpatient the following week, actually before I followed up with my plastic surgeon that afternoon.  Come to find out, I was experiencing LOW ICP symptoms (from the fairly hefty dose of Diamox) – further proving my “bent straw” theory.  I saw my neuro-ophthalmologist the following week where all this was further confirmed by him.  We decided to back off on the medication and see if the swelling would go down on it’s own, and that I would only take the medication if I have was having symptoms.

It seemed like things were evening out over the holidays, but when I saw my neuro-ophthamologist in January he could see, via my optic nerves, that my intracranial pressure was starting to creep up, and we restarted the Diamox at a low dose.  And this is where things start to get a little confusing.

In February I also saw my plastic surgeon for a non-scheduled appointment; graceful me had fallen on some ice and landed on my left arm.  My left implant was historically already a little iffy (remember this was also where I had problems with the left expander sliding around) and this made it worse.  At that appointment we decided just to watch that, but I also brought up another concern.  A few weeks before that, I had noticed a weird new crease in my right implant.  I kind of dismissed it, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew exactly what is was.  Sure enough, it was my shunt.  It had migrated and kinked, forming a perfect “S” shape.  And it all started to make sense.
I saw my neuro-opthalmologist the following day, who confirmed that my pressure was still elevated – he doubled the Diamox and we agreed I’d go back to my neurosurgeon to investigate the shunt issue.  I saw him a few weeks later (Sidenote: At the same time in March, I also saw my gyn-onc for regular ovarian cancer screening (ultrasound, CA-125, exam) and everything looked great!  She’s awesome, end of story.)  My neurosurgeon confirmed what we already knew – my shunt wasn’t draining right because it was wrapped around my right implant.  Only way to fix it would be to go in and remove the shunt and place a new one – we developed a plan that day that would keep the shunt entirely out of the boob area, and then began the orchestration of getting surgery scheduled.

I say orchestration, because I then saw my plastic surgeon for my regularly scheduled follow up, and we decided at that time we would complete a left implant revision at the same time as the shunt replacement, as Dr. T would already need to be there for potential shunt/boob problems.  We also decided to do some additional fat grafting.  So orchestration indeed – how often to neurosurgeons and plastic surgeons work together on the same case?  Oh, and throw in a general surgeon to – needed to laparoscopically tunnel my new shunt into my abdomen.  Thanks to some amazing schedulers, a few weeks later we had a date: May 6.  I chose it because it wouldn’t be terrible to miss work then, and I at that point I really wasn’t feeling THAT BAD.  It was bothersome, but it was manageable.

So I continued to follow up with my neuro-ophthalmologist really closely, but it was mid-April when the headaches really started picking up in intensity and my vision was noticeably worse.  At this point looking back, how I managed to function the last 2 weeks of April and first of May is really rather impressive as it is one giant blur right now.  The Diamox makes me lightheaded, constantly dehydrated, and feel not-great, to say the very least.  Perhaps, she says innocently, a bit whiny too (“caring” coworkers at work may or may have not developed the ICP:whine graph!  I laugh.  Because admittedly it was totally true!)  And the symptoms increase as the dosage goes up, which it did every time I saw my neuro-ophthalmologist, which was weekly leading up to the surgery.  Basically I should have bought stock in Vitamin Water!
Okay… I think that’s all the background I missed!  So, still with me?

So surgery.  On Monday the 5th I had pre-op which took awhile but went well.  I notoriously don’t have great veins to start with, but the Diamox being a diuretic made them even worse.  It was decided then that I would need a midline catheter placed for the surgery the following day.  After we met with the neurosurgery NP (she’s awesome, and totally remembered me from ’06 which is impressive in my book!) Mom and I went to get some Tex-Mex for Cinco de Mayo and then went to see Decoding Annie Parker with Bright Pink.  It was an excellent distraction for the night before surgery and WOW what a movie – definitely hard to watch, but so good.  Mom looked at me on the way out and said “I’m so glad you had that surgery!” and I couldn’t agree more.  We got caught in some epic traffic on the way home, so it wasn’t long before my alarm was going off at 4:30 the following morning.

I was (obviously) the first case and everything went so incredibly smooth it was like an art – everyone kind of stood there in awe that we managed to get 3 surgery teams in the same place at the same time without a single missed beat!  I had the midline placed, and then the parade of doctors began, as well as the many markings by each team.  Honestly this is all a blur too (and before the Versed thankyouverymuch!) because honestly?  I felt like complete crap.  I would never admit it then but man, that was freaking rough.  So there’s no pictures, no Facebook posts, none of the things that went along with my yay-I’m-choosing-to-save-my-life-in-advance preventive surgeries.  It was just different going into surgery feeling rotten.  My roommate and Ruthie were of course there with Mom, and thank goodness.  We were off to the OR about 7:30 or so, and I didn’t see them again in my room until after 2.

In the end, it took 5 hours of OR time, 3 surgery teams, and 9 incisions, but they pulled it off without a hitch.  A small portion of my head was shaved, but they were able to do everything through a previous chest incision AND get the old shunt out in one piece – a feat we weren’t sure would be possible!  The new one is completely on my right side FAR away from my implant.  Dr. T fixed my left implant so it doesn’t slide AT ALL, and did a beautiful job with the fat grafting – I’m so pleased already.  I did have to stay overnight, but it really wasn’t too bad and the nurses were great.  I definitely felt like I was hit by a bus by the time it was all over!!  Though I must say – even the next morning I told my neurosurgeon I didn’t know just how badly my shunt was functioning until it was fixed – it was amazing how much better I felt already!!

We headed home the next morning and I took it easy at my parents for about a week.  From the top of my chest to almost my knees (because of the fat grafting harvest) I was sore, let alone the lovely (not!) leftover laparoscopic air pain, but I was on the move pretty soon.  And really, feeling better overall made it all seem minor in comparison.

Unfortunately you can’t go off Diamox cold turkey, but we’ve made serious progress weaning it down since my surgery, and I hope to be off of it by the end of the month – now that my shunt is working flawlessly I’m having low pressure symptoms again (mild headaches when I’m standing and slightly blurry vision).  On Monday (the 19th) I had 2 post-op appointments. First was plastics – and of course a big hug from Dr. T!  Everything looks great, I had stitches removed, and we discussed a few other things that will be addressed when I see him in 2 months – mainly some touch-up nipple tattooing (they can do this in the office) that we’ve talked about for awhile now.  Oh and of course my plastic surgery life plan (ha!) for flap surgery post kids – but that’s way far off of course.  And then I saw my neurosurgeon – I’ve had the same fellow this whole time, from Thanksgiving to surgery to now, which doesn’t always happen.  He’s so untypically neurosurgeon and just wonderful – I could tell by the waiting room he had a rough day in clinic before and after me, so as he was leaving I stopped him and said “this is a WIN! You don’t always get those around here!” and all he could say was “you’re so right” with a big smile.  I love making people’s day!!  Needless to say, everything looked fantastic and my neurosurgeon legitimately told me to “get out of here!” 🙂  We’ve moved my yearly CT/follow up to September now instead of July since that’s right around the corner.
After the last few months of frustrating symptoms culminating in a fairly intricate surgery, it was such a relief to have happy, good news filled follow ups!  I saw my neuro-ophthalmologist yesterday, and I am in fact set for the final stage of Diamox weaning which is such a HUGE relief.  Hopefully this time next month I will be OFF of it and back to my usual!!
Major kudos if you made it this far… I know it’s long and complicated!  But now it’s documented, and more importantly, it’s DONE.  I feel like I can finally heal from the whole mastectomy journey the way I wanted to in the first place, and am looking forward to the rest of this year so very much!  Thanks for stopping by, as always!
Feb 6 2014

Half a Year

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6 months ago today, I had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. It’s been almost a year since I first met with my surgeons for the initial consultations. How that’s possible? I’m just not really sure.

But in many ways, that “chapter” of my life already seems so long ago. And it’s not just me. I ran into a friend at work today and when he asked how I was doing and I mentioned this milestone, he said “really? That’s it?” It was so life-engulfing for so many months, and now, it’s done. Sure there’s follow ups and possible touch ups, but the big big part? Done. And what a relief that is.

I feel like I should have something more profound to say, but I really don’t. I’m almost back to my pre surgery self. Or as much as I can be, or want to be, after going through such a life-impacting experience. I’m being ridiculously overly cautious, but with good reason, and when I hit the 3 month post exchange mark here in a few weeks I’ll feel comfortable slowly building back up my strength and endurance. That’s definitely my biggest weakness right now. It’s been tough being so sedentary but I just don’t feel comfortable potentially jeopardizing anything! But that will be the final “check box” to being “back.” Oh and I’m also getting fitted for bras as I come up on the 3 month post op mark – that’s promises to be an experience! Because even these top of the line fabulous foobs are still that… Foobs!

In non-boob BRCA related news, I see my gyn-onc next month accompanied by a CA-125 and ultrasound. Also see my plastic surgeon for that matter. Three trips to the hospital in a week and a half, but not terrible at all given the wonderful break I’ve had lately! I’ll be sure to update after those.

Well that’s pretty much all I can think of to talk about – I’ll take that as a good sign! Doing well in all aspects, and feeling so truly, incredibly blessed to be at this point!

Jan 21 2014

Ta-Ta, 25!

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Wow.  An entire year has passed since I started this blog.  365 days. 525,600 minutes (sorry, couldn’t help myself!). 57 blog posts. It’s really incredible to think how far I’ve come, and even more so, how much of the past year is already a blur.  25, and 2013, is a year I will definitely never forget.

It’s sometimes both a blessing and a curse to be a January Baby.  In this context, because I can’t really do a classic “year in review” style post because oh, that’s right, I just did that 21 days ago. So instead, I’ve decided to mark this day with the 25 things – some random, but mostly falling into the categories of things I’ve learned, relearned, and learned to appreciate as a 25 year old – some related to the fact that it’s the year I had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy, some not.  But let’s be honest, boobs DID kind of dominate the year!

26 is already pretty awesome, based on the celebrations that have been had, and the celebrations that are still to come.  And don’t think I’m one of those crazy people who doesn’t realize that I’m actually no different than I was 24 hours ago, but WOW the weight of being “done” with “that year” is kind of awesome.  It sort of hit me with the year changing to beautiful 2014, but now, it’s like I really did it.  I’m really beyond it.  But I can’t do the year justice without giving it some attention, so here it is, in no particular order except the first and last –

Diana’s 25 from 25

1. Without a doubt, number one – “people are what matter.” Meredith Grey said it oh so many years ago, and it’s just so true.

2. I have the best parents in the world. I won’t elaborate cause then this stupid water gets in my eyes and I can’t see to type (what’s that about?!) but suffice to say, they’ve always been there for me my entire life, but have truly outdone themselves this year.

3. Finding out you’re BRCA positive is truly a gift. Once you get over the suckage of it of course. Because you have the chance to do things preventatively that others didn’t have the chance to. Shout out to my Aunt for giving me the gift of knowledge.

4. I have freaking amazing, loyal, incredible friends. It breaks my heart to hear of people that have lost friends in the surgery journey. And I feel so lucky that my friendships just grew stronger, and that my closest friends redefined friendship being there for my surgeries and everything else.

5. Related to above, don’t underestimate friends you’ve never met in person, and new friends. Having “surgery buddies” to go through this with, even if they’re across the country or even the world, gives unspeakable comfort.

6. Fantastic doctors make all the difference in the world. And surgeons that are artists too are amazing.

7. After having some infamous horrible roommate situations in college, I really thought they were the worst things in the world. But now I have the best roommate ever and can’t imagine living without her.

8. JP drains and boob goo? Really not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. Expanders? Yeah they suck.

9. Electric blankets are one of the best things ever created. If you don’t have one you are seriously missing out.

10. Don’t ever underestimate your work family. I absolutely adore mine and they were amazing even when I was gone. And they’re a huge reason of why I adore my job so much.

11. Wine and girls nights are miraculously effective and cheaper than therapy. And wine clubs are fun. And I actually now believe that red wine really is an acquired taste, and I feel accomplished that I now enjoy it!

12. I learned to give into my Texas roots. And cowboy boots can actually be cute.

13. Seeing my friends getting married was weird at first in a “holy crap we’re growing up!” way. Seeing them have babies and being amazing parents is even more insane. And incredible to watch.

14. I don’t know what I’d do without my 3 go-to TV shows on DVD. Friends, Gilmore Girls, and Grey’s Anatomy. It’s like the soundtrack to my life, and just the noise is comforting. Also I still laugh. Every time. Don’t judge.

15. Parenthood is hands down the best drama on TV right now. And Modern Family is the funniest show since Friends. I adore them both.

16. I could totally be vegan/plant strong all the time if I really wanted to. But I love my sushi. So I’ve finally found my happy balance of “flexitarian-ism” about 2 years after I first started it.

17. Boob jokes never get old. And bring everyone together.

18. I am immensely grateful for good health insurance. That’s a totally adult thing to say, but for reals. We haven’t done the final math of the past year but wow. Not a perfect system but I’m really freaking grateful for it.

19. I know I had some doubters about how I could be so open about something so personal. I knew my surgery journey was something I wanted to share, and I learned that the feeling of knowing you were the inspiration for someone to take ownership of their health and get tested, or to be the person that was living proof that it will, in fact, all be okay, is something truly indescribable. It’s an honor to be even the smallest part of someone else’s journey.

20. This is the year I perfected my sangria recipe. It’s basically already legendary.

21. Cards Against Humanity is amazing. Best. Game. Ever.

22. August 6 will always be a day I remember – my Boobiversary, if you will. But equally as memorable? August 4. My Boob Voyage. I still get choked up trying to talk about the incredible show of support – friends and family from all parts of my life came together and it left me speechless. And the boob cake and boobcakes were epic.

23. I’ve already learned to appreciate that I made the right decision to have this surgery. Everyone told me the relief afterwards is almost palpable, and that’s so true. It’s truly incredible.

24. I have a new appreciation for not taking the little things for granted. Because those are often the things that matter most. A smile, a text message… Little things that can change someone’s day.

25. And lastly, the thing I’ve said over and over through this entire journey – I’ve learned to never underestimate the beauty of the human spirit. It will surprise you when you need it most, and truly is just an incredible thing.

Here’s to an amazing 2014 and year of 26!!

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Dec 31 2013

2013

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2013.  Ohhhhhhh 2013.  I’ve thought and thought about what I could POSSIBLY write to do this year justice.  I feel like I’m a blog cheater without an obligatory end of the year post, but I’m not going to lie – it is absolutely daunting to think about.  So I’ve put it off and put it off and put it off until now, where there’s only a few hours left of the year, and even fewer until my family all joins together and we get our game night on.  BUT, this is a year I don’t ever want to forget.  Sure, it has been long.  And it hasn’t all been easy.  But it’s been a year of overwhelmingly positive memories.  It’s the year where I faced my own mortality head on, and came out a stronger, better person… or so I like to think.  It’s certainly changed me in more ways than I can count.  It’s a year that’s shown me the beauty of the human spirit in those around me, both that I knew before and that came into my life in the past 12 months.  2013 will be a year I won’t soon forget – though I’m admittedly looking forward to a new start a little more than before this year!  But before the clock hits midnight, here it is: my 2013 in review… bullet point highlights (not included of course: endless dinners with friends, sushi nights, happy hours, etc etc – it’s the little things that matter, but that would get old quick!)

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January

  • I brought in 2013 in our usual family fashion – no wild parties, but fun nonetheless!
  • I turned 25 – woohoo!  Brought in the year with many a celebration… suffice to say, my friends are THE BEST.  Major points if you get the reference of my awesome birthday cake!
  • I met the wonderful Amy and Eryn for the first time – it made the beginning of my mastectomy journey both very real and very do-able!
  • I saw Lady Gaga in concert for the 3rd time.  I freaking love her.

February

  • I traveled to the Texas Hill Country with one of my best friends for some birthday fun… and learned to like red wine!  An achievement I’ve been working on since I turned 21!
  • I met with my breast surgeon for the first time since finding out I was BRCA2 positive 5 years earlier and we decided a prophylactic mastectomy was the way to go… and decided on a date that day!
  • I also met my plastic surgeon and gyn-oncologist for the first time.  They’re both amazing, and I’m so grateful everything fell into place the way it did

March

  • I had my first (and only!) breast MRI and first round of ovarian cancer surveillance.  One time of breast surveillance was PLENTY for me and confirmed my decision to have the surgery
  • I traveled a bunch for work – a then-new concept for me!  But it was lots of fun and I learned a ton!
  • I participated in Shattered Dreams again – a program I’m a huge supporter of, and I get to “save lives” with the WorkFave.  Woot.

April

  • I visited one of my oldest and bestest friends in the world in Seattle – such a wonderful person, trip, and place!  I can’t wait to go back!
  • Not a whole bunch of huge life events, either boob world or real world, but lots of fun memories with friends – oh, and the 100 day mark countdown to surgery began!

May

  • My brother and his then-girlfriend and now-fiance visited – wonderful, wonderful family time ensued!
  • I went to Boston with some of my favorite nurse-friends… shenanigans and awesomeness abound!
  • And of course, Angelina Jolie brought BRCA into the spotlight with her powerful article

June

  • I went to Pennsylvania to visit a dear friend and be a part of her awesome mission to raise awareness for Mitochondrial Disease – love you Hayley!
  • Work was epic crazy but SO much fun – reiterated how much I LOVE my job with a whole crop of new amazing people joining us!

July

  • Visited family for the Fourth of July – arguably one of my most favorite holidays!!  So much fun I absolutely love having everyone together and being so patriotic!
  • ALL of the many pre-op visits commenced… it was a little over a week of craziness, but I saw everyone (breast surgeon/plastic surgeon, gyn-onc, etc, and was set for surgery!
  • My amazing friend Sarah took pre-op pictures as we counted down to single digits – so grateful I did that!

August

September

  • Got back into the groove of things – lots of fun stuff with friends this month!  And some (boob) confessions came out.
  • Had my second (and final) expander fill and scheduled my exchange surgery!
  • Went to my first Bright Pink Dallas event – met some wonderful people that I am so grateful to now call my friends!  So looking forward to what this year has to bring for the chapter!
  • And of course went to Chicago with Amy & Eryn for Bright Pink’s FabFest – so fun!

October

  • I celebrated a year of being at my “new” job – still adore it and look forward to going to work every day.  Basically I work with super-cool people.
  • Celebrated my first National Previvor Day and BRA Day – not that I wasn’t a previor before, but now these days have a whole new meaning!
  • Of course went to recreate the horrible picture from last October and got to be a part of a sea of pink in the incredible breast cancer walk with my Aunt, Cousin, and Mom!
  • Had a fun Halloween trick or treating with my goddaughters, and then a fabulous party with friends!

November

  • Lots of lovely fall days with friends, dinners, etc – saw The Grinch with my parents!
  • November 22nd – the day I ditched expanders (post eviction notice)!!  Woohoo I was so ready and my exchange surgery was such an exciting day!!  I’m SO happy to be done and love my fabulous results.
  • Thanksgiving was a little different then planned with an unexpected hospital admit, but I got out just in time and we made it to Ruthie’s for a wonderful dinner!

December

  • Saw my plastic surgeon for my exchange surgery follow-up and finally started really feeling better… with some Mother-Nature induced rest due to Icepocalypse 2013!
  • Bought cowboy boots. Yes, this deserves its own bullet – it was a long time coming!
  • Lots of fun holiday events and parties, got my first new car, and got to spend the holidays with my wonderful family, complete with some fun traveling!!

Whew – what a year, indeed!  A HUGE thank you to my incredible family and friends for being here for me, and Thank YOU for being a part of it – here’s to a FABULOUS 2014!!