Pre-surgery distraction tour to Nashville!

It's been two months since I wrote my last post. So much going on lately that writing about it all began to seem daunting. But it finally got to the top of my priority list!

As of my last post, I was scheduled to have my mastectomy on Nov 2. I had had my pre-op physical with Dr. Dumont (primary care), and pre-op appointment with Dr. Brown (plastic surgeon). Then, at my pre-op appointment with Dr. Wright (breast surgeon), on Oct 23, she expressed concern about some inflammation and edema (swelling) in the lower, inner quarter of each breast.

She said that she often sees this in patients who have a breast reduction first. The concern is that cutting into skin like this increases the chance of infection. And if I get an infection this time around, they will have to remove the temporary implant on the infected side, as well as the pocket they have created around it. The only way to improve the skin is to give it more time to resolve. She recommended delaying surgery a month and Dr. Brown agreed.

Although this was a mental adjustment for me, I was fine with the delay. After all, I don't have cancer, and reducing the chances of complications made sense. It turned out that Dec. 19th was the only date that worked for my two surgeons and me before the end of the year. This means I'll have given my skin a full 6 weeks to improve. When I saw Dr. Wright last week, she said she is comfortable doing surgery on me now. The redness and swelling haven't totally gone away, but are far better. Larry and I are taking my Mom to her sister Ruby's 90th birthday in Arizona next week, and I didn't want to miss that. All my cousins and my brother and his wife will be there, too. Can't wait!

My son Gabe, who lives in Tiberias, Israel, came to visit us Nov 12 - Dec 2. It was originally going to be post-surgery for me, but the postponement meant I could enjoy his visit more. We had planned a family trip to Nashville the week after Thanksgiving, and it was fabulous! We wanted to visit Larry's god-daughter Amanda and her husband Tyler, who had just had a baby a couple months ago. While there, we also got to see Amanda's Mom Jessie (Larry's friend since law school), Larry's niece Avi and her partner Andy, my friend Mary Helen (who I've known since my Microsoft days in the late 80s), and Gabe's friend since middle school, Sam. It was a jam-packed, fun trip!

This photo is from our late afternoon hike around Radnor Lake. From left: Mary Helen, me, Eli, Jessie, Gabe, Larry, and Avi.