So its been a while since I last posted progress- we are on spring break and my mom is staying with me from Wisconsin! I really missed having her around, and it was great to see her for her birthday yesterday- she is 61 and cancer free! She showed me some more of the scars on her chest, and her physical therapy routine. I really didn’t realize how severe the muscle tightening on her mastectomy side would be. Radiation causes muscle shrinkage months after the treatment is completed. She has trouble raising her right arm above her head and gets shooting pains down that side of her abdomen. Additionally, and this is more of an aesthetic issue, her right breast is several cup sizes smaller than her right, with a big gash right through the middle. This really brings to light the misconceptions about lumpectomies- I’ve heard people comment things like, “Well its not like she lost a breast…” But the damage is still drastic. Because its only a “cosmetic” problem, insurance doesn’t cover reconstructive surgery. And surgeons are hesitant to work on the smaller breast, as it has already be irradiated and gone through surgery, and the sentinel lymph nodes a few inches over were removed. So her only option now would be to get a breast reduction for the left breast, and pay for it out of pocket.
The good news- really, really good news- is that she says she is feeling like herself more now. I promised my dad I would get her flowers; he does this every year on her birthday and their anniversary. So I snuck out and got a big bouquet, a lemon cupcake and her favorite champagne. That night my room mates and I surprised her and sang happy birthday over the cupcake with a candle in it, and popped the champaign at the end (messily). She laughed and laughed. Its so good to see her confident and enjoying herself again. And her hair cut is SO cute!! She has just enough to make a pixie cut, really short on the sides. I think she’s rocking it!
