NO More Hyperbaric Treatments!!

Another truly miraculous outcome of the last week is that both of my surgeons have determined that the surgery was such a success and healing has happened so quickly that I don't need to have any more hyperbaric treatments!! I think I am still in shock.

I went into surgery with the understanding that I still needed anywhere from 30 - 50 more treatments. Suddenly, I don't have to have any more at all!!

I am still stunned. It is slowly sinking in that this has really truly healed and all of the pain and struggle of the past two and a half months is over (and that of course on the heels of two and a half years of struggle and suffering). I was even able to take a normal shower for the first time since February 2! I have only been able to shower about once a week and even then I had to wrap and tape the wound with Saran Wrap to keep all water off of the wound. Not very comfortable!

The little things in life, like a normal daily shower, are such a wondrous gift. Thank you again for your prayers and partnership in this long struggle. I could not do this without your faithful prayer and support. This sudden break through of healing is truly a miracle...our miracle! Thank you!

Healing Beautifully

Three days after the surgery I changed the dressing. I was a little afraid to take the bandages off, I just didn't know what to expect. Going into surgery, I did not have very high hopes regarding the cosmetic outcome of the surgery. I kept telling myself that all that mattered was that the wound would get closed and that it didn't matter what it looked like. Going into surgery, the wound looked really bad, it was very deforming. I was also concerned that it wouldn't heal properly after all that I had been through after the Feb. 2 surgery.

So the morning of the third day, I very slowly removed the bandages and hesitantly peeked inside to see how it looked. I almost cried from relief. It already looked 100 times better than I had even dared hope. I had no idea that the surgeon could make it look so "normal." Clearly, I still have a reconstructed breast, no one will mistake it for a real one, but it is amazingly normal. I still can't quite get over it.

There was one dark spot that I was a little concerned about, but it turned out to be just fine.

One week after surgery, the doctor took out my stitches. It is healing beautifully!

Sometime over the summer, he will complete the reconstruction of the right breast, but for now, I am going to enjoy the wonder of healing and health!

Thank you so much for praying! This is just what we were all asking for and I am so very grateful!!

Best Surgery EVER!

Wow! I had no idea surgery could go so well. It was an amazing experience. I went in for surgery bright and early, everything was running exactly on time. They started an IV and let Ron and both of my daughters back into the pre-op area with me. It was so nice. They prayed for me and shortly afterward they took me into the surgical suite. I was fully awake. I scooted over onto the operating table and they gave me 2 cc's of some sort of sedative. Then the surgeon numbed the area with local anesthetic. The initial injections of it hurt but soon I was not feeling anything. The surgeon asked if I'd like any more sedative and I said, "Nope, I'm good!"

So he proceeded to begin the operation. He removed a majority of the granulation tissue down almost to the muscle, then brought the sides of the wound together and sewed the whole thing up. I could feel a lot of pressure and pulling, but no pain. I was completely at peace. It was an amazing experience. I lay there chatting with the nurses and my doctor in my croaky voice. One of my nurses was from West Africa, so that was fun talking with her. I had a pretty bad cold and laryngitis, but the doctor said I was well enough to have surgery, so we went for it!

Amazingly, I coughed once when I first lay down on the table, but did not cough even one time during the whole hour long surgery. That was truly a miracle.

I scooted back over onto the gurney and they wheeled me into recovery. Gave me a little something as a preventative for nausea and I was good to go. They sent me home in less than an hour after surgery. I got home and slept several hours that day and was just fine. I was tired for a few days, but other than that, just great. By the second day, all I needed for pain was Tylenol.

So many specific answers to prayer! Thank you all so much for praying. I am still in awe of God's goodness.

Surgery tomorrow, Thurs, April 8, 7:30 AM

So I am on for surgery tomorrow bright and early. I have had an ear and sinus infection, so I didn't know for sure if I could have surgery until today. I developed the sinus and ear infection last week as a result of being in the pressure of the Hyperbaric chamber day after day. I started antibiotics on Friday, so I have 6 days worth in my system. I still have laryngitis, congestion and a cough, but no fever.

I was not getting any better and then put out a request for prayer on Facebook and woke up the next morning feeling better. Prayer is an amazing gift!! I have not run a fever since folks started praying specifically. Awesome!

So, tomorrow my plastic surgeon will go in and close this open wound I have in the left breast area. The wound is a result of a severe lack of vascular support to the area caused by radiation damage from treatment I had last year. When the doctor tried to repair and reconstruct my left breast area during surgery on February 2, part of the skin graft died. Once they cleaned out the dead tissue, I was left with this wound that still has not been able to heal.

Tomorrow, I am trusting the final step in this healing process will begin!
**Please pray that the surgery goes even better than planned.
**Please pray that enough blood supply gets to the closure so it can heal quickly.
**Please pray I DO NOT cough during surgery!
**Please pray that the surgery sight remains infection free!!
**Please pray that I do not get nauseated from the sedation.

Thank you so very much!! I know that your prayers, love and support are sustaining me on this very long journey! I am so grateful.

On for surgery...Thursday, April 8

I am pleased to report that the tissue in the wound is healthy enough to have surgery next week. I am relieved.

I have had 13 Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments (HBO) and have been going to wound care and progress is finally being made! Yea! As you may recall, after my surgery on February 2, I immediately began to have trouble with the grafted skin beginning to die. The radiation damage to my vascular system around the breast area was much worse than anyone realized. There was just not a sufficient blood supply to the newly grafted skin. The skin graft was replacing skin very scared by radiation. Thankfully the muscle flap that the surgeon brought around from my back worked well, it was just about 1/2 of the skin that died. At this point, the wound will not close without surgery.

So next week, Thursday, April 8, I will have out patient surgery bright and early in the morning. The plastic surgeon will remove some of the raw granulation tissue so that he can bring the ends of the surviving skin together to close the wound. I am hopeful that things will move along much more quickly once the wound is closed.

It will be outpatient surgery at the Aspen Surgery Center in WC. I will be in twilight sleep with local anaesthetic for about an hour. I will get to go home that day. I will continue HBO treatments starting the next day. They want to do everything they can to make sure I get enough blood circulation this time!

Please pray:
**I have a bit of a cold, enough to keep me out of HBO treatment the last couple of days, that needs to be healed quickly and completely!
**Please pray that the surgery goes well, without any problems or setbacks.
**Please pray that my blood vessels are strong enough to feed the surgery site so that there is no more necrotic/dying skin. If I need more vascular support, please pray for a miraculous healing in that area.
**Please pray that I will not be nauseated from the medication they use to help me sleep through the surgery.
**Again, please pray for NO COMPLICATIONS!!

Thank you so very, very much!!

Seeing the plastic surgeon today

I have an appointment this afternoon with my plastic surgeon They have determined that the wound left from my surgery on Feb 2 will not heal without an additional surgery. I am hoping I can have it next week. I will find out today.

For those who don't know why I have this wound...

If you are logging onto the blog and don't know why I have this crazy wound right now, please go back in the archives to January 24 and January 26. Those two posts will explain why I needed to have surgery on February 2. This wound is still open from that surgery.

The bottom line, for those who love brevity (which I am not great at), is that I have been fighting breast cancer. I was diagnosed in June of 2008, had a double mastectomy and all lymph nodes under my left arm removed the end of July 08. This past surgery was to try and repair severe radiation damage and do some reconstruction. The radiation damage has proven to be much worse than anyone realized. Thus the many complications. Thank you for logging on and for praying. It means more to me than I can express. I know it is the prayers of family and friends that is sustaining me through this long and difficult battle.
With deep gratitude,
Leslyn