Posts Tagged ‘nerves’

  1. Research Time

    April 6, 2014 by Julie Moon

    So I met with the gyn…she had lots of great information for me.  First we talked about the oopherectomy itself and we actually talked about a study that had been done recently that suggested removing the fallopian tubes and not the ovaries was a good preventative step.  She copied the article and I am going to read it and see what my thoughts are on this.  We discusses hormone replacement and she explained bioidenticals and where the raised interested in compounded medicines came from.  When I do remove my ovaries we will have to test out different things to see what makes me feel most normal.  There will be some bumps along the way but she assured me the she felt confident we would figure it out.

    She said to just let her know where to be and when I was ready and she’d take whatever out that I wanted. Ha.  We can always continue with surveillance.  I am monitoring my CA125 levels each year and I can also request to have ultrasound done to just look at things.  I will be 37 this year….decisions decisions.   I have no idea what is a “natural” menopause age for women in my family.

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  2. Distance

    March 28, 2013 by Julie Moon

    2012-02-08 14.23.03

     

    I am finding lately that I feel the need to distance myself from all things BRCA related.  It’s a very strange feeling.  I haven’t really been able to open up the facebook group to read posts and I haven’t been to the FORCE page at all. I know I could be helping others.  One of my newest BRCA friends has asked me to make a video and I just can’t bring myself to do it.  I am grateful…so grateful.   But every single day it is so very hard to look at my body.  It is so very hard to see those bright red scars.   It is so very hard to look at my left breast lacking a nipple and my right breast lacking volume.  I see every flaw in a way I don’t think I did before surgery.  Today I had to change the side of my body I wear my purse on because I have a spot on my back thigh that is sore all the time and the purse hitting against it finally became too much.  I look at these things and I realize so clearly that I had the opportunity to count the cost before I took the plunge.   If I had been diagnosed with breast cancer I would not have had that luxury.  But then sometimes it’s so painful that I CHOSE this.   It gets too raw and I have to distance myself from all of it just to make it through the day.  It is ALWAYS on my mind….EVERY SINGLE DAY.  It’s like background noise just humming in my brain.  I hope this is just a phase.

    And then today a friend posted on facebook about having to go back for a second screening after an ultrasound and I remember that feeling so vividly.  I am grateful for what I chose but good grief this isn’t easy.

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  3. I’ve Got a Feeling

    November 8, 2012 by Julie Moon

    I have been having so many more pains in my breasts.  It’s strange to have pain in your breasts…I mean aside from being pregnant or menstruating I really didn’t ever have any noticeable discomfort in my breasts.  I am going to attribute this to nerve growth.  I can point out certain spots that have throbbing feelings.  I have one spot that always hurts when I’m braless.  I shooting pains in some other spots.  It reminds me of being a nursing mom…always touching my breasts because I was constantly aware of them.  Now I have to make sure I’m not massaging myself in public.

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  4. In Pieces

    September 25, 2012 by Julie Moon

    “How are you doing?” “How are things going?” “How are you feeling?” “How do things look?”

    These are questions I get all the time. I understand…people want to know. How else are they going to ask me? How else will they know what is going on? I don’t know how to reply though. I have been saying “I’m doing well.” “Things are feeling more normal.” “I’m back to work and not having any difficulties.” But the other day I really sat quietly, meditating on how I’m really doing. And the truth wasn’t quite as pretty.

    I realized that I have daily discomforts that I wouldn’t quite call pain, but they are annoying and disruptive. My donor incision and above has a constant heat…not really to the touch…but it feels much like your body feels with some Ben Gay rubbed on your skin. A slight burn. I have lots of “zaps” in my breasts. I have sore spots on my breasts still…that feel like bruising, especially when I am not wearing any bra. Physically things are doing great but then again they are so hard still. I still forget sometimes that I only have one nipple. Sometimes when I’m standing in front of the mirror I cover my left breasts just to imagine what I would look like had that nipple survived. I know I’m going to have something reconstructed in November…but it will never be MY nipple.

    I went this past Thursday for some theraputic body work (massage). And the question was asked “What would you like out of our time today?” I felt this surge of emotion come up that I knew was bubbling under the surface. I had prayed about it on my drive over because I did have a goal. I told him, “I want to feel more whole. I feel like my body is in pieces.”

    I’m still working on it. I am truly so grateful for the opportunity to eliminate risk of breast cancer but I am realizing I am far from being “on the other side”.

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  5. Stage 2 on the books

    March 28, 2012 by Julie Moon

    Today I called and scheduled my stage 2 of surgery.  It will be on May 22nd in Charleston, SC.  Same docs, same hospital, same beautiful city…this time I’m really excited.  This surgery will be outpatient but I do have to be there a day on either side…possibly two days post surgery in town.   In stage one they left an oval shaped piece of skin from my donor site (yes my booty) attached to the fat tissue they used to create my breasts…so I have that skin on my breasts now.  Obviously none of you have seen it but it’s something I see every day.  In stage 2 they will remove that skin and I will be left with one short scar out to the side of my breast.  They will also make sure all the fat tissue has survived and remove any that hasn’t.  They will recreate my left nipple which didn’t survive the surgery (out of that skin flap…fascinating right?).  They will also do some contouring to make sure the breasts are the size and shape that looks best.  I do not think I will have any drains.   Hopefully this will be a piece of cake compared to stage 1.  If all heals well my breasts will be finished…done! I am so excited!

    It’s amazing how much I have become accustom to my new breasts.  At first it really felt like they were foreign objects on my chest.  I had such a hard time breathing and being able to stay calm.  Now even though I don’t really think I have regained any sensation in the breasts that I didn’t have when I first had surgery they do feel more normal.  What a blessing that is.  It’s not a concept that I can even accurately describe in words…if you’ve been there…you understand.  I’m growing and changing just like everything in life….grateful for these plants that were sent to me that remind me of just that.

    Did I mention I’m so excited?!!!!!

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  6. Times of Healing

    February 20, 2012 by Julie Moon


    February 20th…getting so close to being a month out of surgery.  It feels so strange.  Time passes so slowly while I sit at home but yet I look at the calendar and 20 days have passed since that early morning before my surgery.

    Yesterday I was blessed to have a friend pay for a massage therapist to come to my home.  She spent over an hour doing healing work with her hands on my body.  She mentioned more than once the word “trauma” in reference to my surgery.  I hadn’t ever really thought of it as trauma because that word conjures up thoughts of a terrible accident or something that is done to you without your permission.  I had given consent for my body to be sliced and diced and rearranged.  But if my body has a viewpoint I could see my body feeling like it had a “trauma” done to itself.   She helped my body to relax.  My muscles are constantly tense and spasming.  I don’t know what is “normal tightness” and what is just my body being tense.  It’s a new normal completely.

    The best part about the day was that after the massage I felt my heart take a turn.  I felt positive for the first time in a while.  I gave myself permission to be happy that my donor site wounds seem to be healing nicely.  I fixed myself some lunch while my mom was massaged (thank you to my friend for including her as well).  I was independant for an hour…all by myself and I felt “normal” somewhat.  I haven’t really needed many pain meds and last night I found an entirely different way to sleep with many pillows that didn’t encourage swelling in my chest.   I would call these times of healing.  It really gives me hope for what another week of recovery will hold.  I can only imagine how great I will feel when THESE DRAINS COME OUT!!!!! I’m planning a return trip to Charleston with a friend for the grand removal.

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  7. Weird

    February 8, 2012 by Julie Moon

    I remember my mom talking about strange feelings in her breasts after surgery.  It feels like I have an itch or it feels like a tiny sharp pain from time to time.  I can’t itch it though.  I have no feeling in my breasts.  She said it was the nerves starting to reconnect.  I’ll have to research that more.  It’s a very strange feeling.  The only thing I can compare it to is like when you have your mouth numbed for a filling and you can’t feel your jaw/cheek…that’s what my breasts feel like all day.  It is WEIRD!

    I also have lots of brusing so that I can feel and it hurts and oddly enough pain medicine doesn’t really do anything for the bruising pain.  I had an oversized rib (dr said it was cartilage) that was located on my ribs on my chest and the plastic surgeon had to shave that away before he could do any reattaching of vessels and arteries.  It is no longer there….that is weird.  I am pretty bruised in that area as well.

    The other thing that hurts lots tonight is under my left arm where they removed the two sentinel lymph nodes.  It is so very sore.

    I’m sure these won’t be the last thing that is weird!

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