I met with the plastic surgeon from Boulder who will be participating in my next procedure in a month. I learned a whole lot about how this will go, and it's going to be quite different than I understood after speaking with the two docs at the cancer clinic. I thought that having both surgeons present would mean the whole thing would be done all at once. That isn't entirely accurate.
It now seems that the plastic surgeon will do the opening, just on the right side. Then the cancer surgeon will move in and remove the parts she wants to whisk away. I assume she will check the margins before passing back off to the plastic surgeon again. Then he will do a proper reduction, including placing a drain (oh joy), and seal me up. I heal from that, then go through radiation. This time it won't be targeted and concentrated in twice-daily doses, as it was last time. This will be zapping the whole breast, and cover more days on the calendar.
It won't be until after radiation that I go back to the plastic surgeon for reconstruction and reshaping. Radiation can potentially cause the breast to shrink (I think I heard that right), so to get everything lined up to match, we have to wait until stuff has settled a bit. It will be at that point that he will go in for "donor fat" to reshape the sad little tote bag that I have left after half of the left side was cut off. He said that the hospital in town where we will be next month doesn't have his fat grafting equipment like he has at his practice.
I guess it's not horrible that it will take longer. I've had so many procedures done in the last dozen years, one more is no big deal. I do feel like I'm in good hands. I've heard only good things about all the doctors on my case. This will be fine.
(No pix tonight. Not putting images that fit this topic on the internet.)
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