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Female Chest Tattoos Biography

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I had been having routine mammograms for about five years. My breast exam was normal during my annual GYN visit. I scheduled my mammogram for a month later. After I had the mammogram, I was called on Saturday morning by the technician who told me the radiologist wanted me to come back on Monday for additional views. I naturally worried for the rest of the weekend. I went back, had additional mammogram views, an ultrasound, and went home after the radiologist told me he was going to show the films to some of his colleagues. He called on Friday and told me I needed to see a surgeon for a biopsy. This just enhanced my fear, especially when the radiologist left his home phone number on my answering machine in case I had questions regarding the biopsy. I picked up my films on Monday to take to the surgeon's office and, being in the medical field, just HAD to read the report—mistake! Throughout the report, written over and over again, were the words "highly suspicious of malignancy."

I went to the surgeon on Veteran's Day. He did a needle biopsy in his office and told me to go get some lunch and come back in an hour. It was the longest hour of my life. The biopsy was positive for lobular carcinoma. My world fell apart.

I had a hard time deciding whether to go with a lumpectomy or mastectomy. I knew there was at least one tumor which the surgeon estimated at 3 cm. as well as another suspicious lump. I worried about how I'd look, what my husband would do, how my child would react, whether they'd get it all with a lumpectomy, etc., etc. I finally decided on a modified radical mastectomy because I didn't want to have additional surgery. And I thought it would get me out of having radiation. (It didn't.) It was a very good decision anyway since I had two cancerous tumors, one that was 5 cm. and one that was 1.3 cm. Most of the breast was involved. The pathology report was grim. The cancer was ductal with lobular tendencies, fourteen of fifteen lymph nodes were cancerous as was all the tissue around the nodes. I was terrified that the cancer had spread. Luckily, it was localized.

I really thought I'd be horrified when I saw the scar but I was very surprised to realize it wasn't "gross." I actually thought the large droopy breast that was left was gross!

Because of the tumor size and the extensive lymph node involvement, I started an aggressive treatment regimen. I started chemotherapy three days before Christmas. I had eight rounds of chemotherapy—four each of Adriamycin/Cytoxan and Taxotere. I then had thirty sessions of radiation to the chest wall and axillary region. I'm on Tamoxifen for the next five years. Although I felt pretty miserable during the chemotherapy I think radiation was more difficult because I got progressively more tired with each session. I was trying to be superwoman—working, being mom to a six-year-old, a good wife—and the radiation took its toll. It took months after I finished until I had even a slight amount of energy.

I decided to have reconstruction about a year after my diagnosis. I'm really glad I waited to have the reconstruction until after I finished all my treatments. It gave me time to do research, to get a couple opinions and to find an outstanding plastic surgeon who specializes in Free flap reconstruction. I decided to have a prophylactic mastectomy on the left side because every self-exam was too grueling. Every normal lumpy bump sent me running to the doctor. I decided I couldn't live like that. Plus, given that my remaining breast was large and sagging, it would need serious work to obtain a symmetrical appearance with a new breast. I was on the operating table for about eleven hours for the prophylactic mastectomy and bilateral deep inferior epigastric perforator Free flap reconstruction. The new breasts were made using the fat and tissue from my abdomen.

The blood vessels were disconnected in the abdomen, the fat and tissue were relocated and then the vessels were reconnected under the microscope. Since no muscle was taken out of my abdomen I don't need to worry about herniation. The surgery has caused me pain for longer than I anticipated. My abdomen is still sore after four months. But the result is worth it. I had a second surgery three months after the initial reconstruction to put nipples on and to do some contouring to make the new breasts symmetrical. This surgery took a couple of hours. The nipples were made by gathering the skin together.