Today was my second to last fill for the tissue expanders! I was so excited to see Jason again. He's such a great PA. So I got to my appointment early... it was at one. I was in before one and I think Jason walked into the room shortly after. I was so happy I didn't have to wait. He knocked on the door and said it was him. I told him I was soooo extremely happy to see him. That I missed him. He's so wonderful. I told him what happened last week. He said he was sorry about that. Then he asked if I had any questions. I asked him what happens after my last fill. He said that about two months after the last fill, I should call and set up an appointment with Dr. Thaker and then it will be decided about switching out the tissue expanders for the implants. Awesome news. I remember talking with Dr. Thaker and she said that she would want to wait a minimum of 3 months after radiation so she can see how the tissue/skin is healing after radiation. My next question was with the implants would I be more "bouncy"? Totally legit question. With tissue expanders my boobs are rock hard and don't move AT ALL. I could run down the street and they would not move. He said that while they aren't like normal breast tissue, they will give a little. Cool. We'll see by how much. He did say that if the breasts develop capsular contraction, it could make the breast not look as nice. That's when the skin tightens up around the implant. Some other things we discussed... can I swim? Yes I can. I can swim now that I am farther away from the surgery. Yea! Not that I have a pool... but I know someone who does!
For today's fill, I decided I would do 60cc's. He got my stuff ready and then proceeded to inject the saline in. I told him to stop at 50cc's. It was getting really tight and I was worried about having issues like I did last week. So we stopped. He said that as you get closer to the end, it does hurt more. Fantastic! I'm now overfilled at 385cc's. My tissue expanders go up to 350cc's, but the surgeon always wants to overfill. I think I have overfilled. Needless to say, I am going back in on Tuesday at 11 to get my last fill before I am mapped for radiation. I was shooting for 420, but looking at my boobies and profile, I think I'll try and go to 400 or 405cc's. I'm liking the size they are now and I do realize that my breast can be smaller. I was happy with 335. In addition, the radiologist, Dr. Marquez, could request that some saline be removed during radiation because the breasts could get in the way of the laser beams. So we'll see. During my 20 minute appointment (which turned into 40 minutes), Jason and I talked. He is currently wearing a boot for his achilles issue. We talked about his recent vacation. And I found out that he used to live in Denver. So we talked about that for awhile. We talked about how we didn't miss it at all. Turns out that Jason was a paramedic before he became a PA and he's been working at OHSU since November. I told him that he's good at his job. :) Jason also took out some of he last few stitches that were still attached to me. They were the dissolvable ones that they had to tie off above my skin. They were sticking to the dermabond and I couldn't peel off the dermabond. So he took care of that. No more stitches!!
Following my fill, I wanted to stop by the 7th Floor... the Infusion Room. I saw all my favorites... Jon, Bev, Jennifer and Nicole. The girls said I was looking awesome. It was like old times. Jennifer said that she missed me and keeps looking for my name on the roster. I said that I was going to swing by last week, but due to my other appointment, I couldn't. They all said that I am looking fantastic and love my new figure. It's so wonderful to go back there and shoot the shit with them all for just a few minutes. I told them that I have a new problem... some of my shirts are not fitting anymore! Bev said, "Time to shop!" After talking with them, I went to go and see Maureen and Christine down the hall. They were both there... and so was Dr. Marquez and her resident. I said that I was ready and I was feeling good. I demostrated to her that I can now put my hands over my head and assume the "radiation position." The all laughed. Christine said that I was looking good. I told Dr. Marquez that I will see them next week and then left. It feels good just to stop by and say hi.
Now I am at home and my chest is tight. It's not as tight as last week. I don't feel like I have to collapse in bed and sleep until the morning. I can function... just not as fast. I don't like the way I feel, but I know it's only temporary. I am just excited for the next step. The next step brings me so much closer to being done with this chapter.
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