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ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
Subject: Update & Strike Out Cancer Game Info
Dear All,
What a beautiful Spring it has been! I have been totally spoiled because today when I saw it was raining, I was shocked! The past week it has been beautiful, warm, and breezy. Dan is coaching girls JV softball this year so I get to be outside to watch games! What a busy year it has been already! I had my surgery, went on vacation to Wisconsin, student taught (only 3 days left!!!!!), had breast fills galore, had cake tastings, food tastings, my 25th birthday, picked out wedding shower outfits, redid my room, and was thankful for the opportunity to do all of it. I have been a busy girl!
Just wanted to give you all a little update about how I am doing and what I will be doing. I am so happy with how well I am physically. The things that bother me were not things I was worried about. Nothing I thought would be painful or uncomfortable was too bad. I am so lucky and thankful that my biggest complaint is, I strongly dislike the hardness of my temporary breasts. Night time is the hardest because when I am sleeping and try to roll over, I am woken up! Not because it hurts but because I am trying to roll over two very hard rocks and it is uncomfortable. I imagine it is a feeling similar to how pregnant women feel. I dislike the hardness because it is so very noticeable to me. My beautiful Mom calls these implants my "Brick Boobs" and they truly are. Imagine having 2 small boulders placed under your skin. It isn't painful, just abnormal and annoying. It makes me truly thankful for the new implants that I am able to get that feel just like regular breasts. A friend has them and kindly let me feel them, this was awkward and unusual but it was so helpful. Going into a doctors office and being handed two implants and being told to pick one is not at all easy. How they feel under a layer of skin and muscle totally changes how soft they are and how they feel. I want to give a big thank you to this person because I don't worry anymore about this!! She truly helped me make an informed decision and I feel so much better knowing what I will feel like with silicone breasts INSIDE me. It is truly amazing how far reconstruction technology has come.
As you all know I will be getting tattoos in July or August to finish my reconstruction. I still think that this is so funny. I don't think that tattoos are bad or unattractive by any means, I just never desired one myself. Now I am getting two. They are not of butterflies, or a rose, but nipples! Dan says that since I am getting a tattoo, he wants one too. I told him, that's fine as long as they are nipples and where does want them? This gives me a good laugh every time I think about it.
Yes I am still choosing to see the funny part of this. It is too serious not to. I just can't help laughing. If you don't think this is funny, please call me, I can help you find the laughter in this!!!!! My dear darling family has put up with so much from me in this department. Great big kudos to them for laughing over the same dumb stuff whenever I do.
The next installment in my reconstruction is a, I guess you might call it a de-fill on the 12th to get slightly "deflated" before surgery on the 22nd. This surgery is to take out my rock boobs and put in silicone ones! They will also create as best they can a small nipple "mound" to resemble a natural nipple. They basically cut and then stitch my skin back together slightly differently to make a raised scar - sort of. This is the best I can explain it! I will go to the hospital at about 7:30 am on the 22nd and do the usual pre-op. Then in for a quick 2 hour surgery and then home the same day! So happy this does not require a hospital stay.
I am going to go into this surgery with bells on. I am going to wear a beautiful dress and have a party with my friends in the family waiting room and in pre-op! This is a celebration!!! I am making them a treat and plan on attaching another note to myself under my gown. I have met so many people that touched my heart at the hospital and can't ever thank them enough. They not only take such good care of me, they take INCREDIBLE care of my family in the waiting room. For my mastectomy, my two nurse angels kept checking on me about every 15 minutes and going down to report to my family. This helped me feel so comfortable because my family knew exactly what was going on and that I was OK and I knew the same about them. They even let Dan come sit with me in recovery which was so nice for BOTH of us (and my blood pressure went almost to normal and pain didn't really bug me). What a blessing these two "angels" are.
Finally, My dear, sweet Father-In-Law-To-Be is again having his Strike Out Cancer game.
In the next few weeks I need to finish student teaching, write many papers, go do a formal presentation to earn my masters, and continue wedding planning. Dan and I have slightly changed our thoughts of the wedding to reflect this past year and a half's experiences.
It will now be a little more centered on our thanks and joy that we have the opportunity to spend the rest of our lives together. We hope that our joy over this "presumed" given is infectious to you all.
We would love to hear from you all about what you are doing this lovely spring.
As always, thank you for your prayers, thoughts and laughter for me as well as my family.
XOXO & Much gratitude and love,
Kaitlin
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Intellectualize decisions about treatment that will impact the rest of your life!
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Community Outreach Committee member Shirley Blanton with
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COMMUNITY OUTREACH UPDATE
Timothy Phillips, RN, BA
October was a fantastic month for the Community Outreach Committee. On October the 3rd, we provided our 3rd Annual Breast Health Fashion Show at the Makoy Center in Hilliard. Approximately 170 guests attended the event.
Keynote speaker was Alice Krumm, RN, BSN, MS, CNOR, breast cancer survivor. Her topic was "Yes they're fake...the real ones tried to kill me".
Liz Weinandy, MPH, RD, LD provided an inservice on Nutrition and Breast Health. Jaci Holland, RNC, CRNP spoke on the topic of "Early Detection and Prevention" and also taught self-breast examination. The audience was extremely involved in all of the topics. A buffet lunch was served and several door prizes were given away. The event ended with a spectacular fashion show sponsored by Macy's. The models strutting their stuff were all breast cancer survivors. Our thanks to all who participated and assisted in putting this wonderful program together.
The Community Outreach Committee collected gift cards/donations for our Holiday Family in care of the Columbus Cancer Clinic. If writing a check, please make it out to the Columbus Cancer Clinic. Donations can be given to any Community Outreach Committee Member or mailed to the Columbus Cancer Clinic.
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