Fully expanded

So, I had another expansion on Monday of last week, and then I met with the radiation oncologist Thursday. She wants to start my radiation on Monday, the 14th, so I have to be deflated by then. I also have to go in for a simulation this Friday, so that means that I have to be deflated by this Thursday. So, Thursday afternoon, I got a call from my plastic surgeon's nurse and she wanted me to come in on Friday morning for my last expansion. She said Dr. Garvey wanted as many days as possible in my expander. So, I went in on Friday morning and the PA said Dr. Garvey's instructions were to put in as much as possible and give me some meds for pain. I knew he was gonna torment me. So, they added another 100cc's in my expander which brought me up to about 550 total cc's. I'm about a B/C cup now. After radiation, they cannot add any more than what I was at prior to radiation because the skin changes so much during radiation, so that's why they are so aggressive right now.

Well, I have been in so much pain this week. It's been hard to get comfortable to sleep, to stand, to sit, and to walk. My ribcage feels like it's on fire. This expander is sitting right on my ribcage and it feels like a really bad sunburn with my bra strap rubbing it. I may have mentioned before, my ribcage sticks out really far. No matter how skinny I get, my ribcage sticks out right under my boobs about the same distance as a small set of boobs. Even the PA was surprised at how far it stuck out.

As for range of motion, I'm completely mobile and my arm can do almost the same thing on both sides. I was feeling a burning, and pulling inside my arm, but it has gone away this week. Either that, or my pain has been so bad that it has taken my mind off the arm, but either way, it feels fine.

Fatigue....I think it's back. I cannot make it past 4pm without dozing off. I have fallen asleep on the couch almost every day last week and this week. I feel so full of energy in the morning, but I crash and burn by 4pm. Some nights, it means I stay awake till about midnight, but some nights, I still fall asleep for good around 9pm. I feel lazy and lethargic in the evenings. Sunday, I went to pick up my daughter at my brothers house and on the way there, the boys fell asleep in the car. The birthday party wasn't quite over yet when I got there, so I decided to take advantage of the boys sleeping and I took a quick cat nap in the front seat. Driving there I felt like I was going to doze off, so the power nap was much needed.

My hair is growing back nicely. It is growing straight forward with the "Hesketh cowlick" in the back, but I have enough that I actually have to wet it down and comb it every morning because I wake up with bad bed head. I can sort of part it to the side, so it looks like a boy haircut, but it is growing in thick and soft. I'll try to post pictures soon. I took some last week, but I haven't been on my laptop to download them yet. I've been doing everything on my iPad and iPhone from the couch. I'm hoping to have enough hair soon so that I can actually get a cute pixie cut and put some color in it.

So, this week, I have a Dr's appointment every day except today. I go for my first physical therapy tomorrow and I think they are fitting me for a compression sleeve. Then Thursday, I get deflated (HALLELUJAH!!!!) and Friday, I go for my radiation simulation/marking session. I start radiation Monday and I go every day for 6 weeks. I'm not even looking forward to seeing my gasoline bill.....it cost me $94 to fill up last week and I have to drive to The Woodlands every day and back (about 60 miles round trip) ...in addition to all my other mom-taxi duties. Yikes!!

So, I think that's about all I have to report so far. I'll check in this weekend hopefully. Next week is spring break, so if my little squirts let me get anything done, I'll post about my radiation.