Pictures from Today's Surgery

Hello Again! I am doing pretty well since its been over 12 hours since surgery. It was fairly easy. The surgery center is always so quick at the registration. They get you taken care of and very efficient. They even remembered me from my reconstruction surgery. Waking up today I was a sore of course. I got Spencer to take a few pictures so I could share with you tonight. 

I have 4 sutures in my Breast! This was the first time for that. It's to help hold the mesh in place while it heals. I have to keep them in for 1 week. I have a sling on my arm this time to help me NOT move it. 

I am posting a picture so you can see it. I hope it doesn't offend anyone. This is part of me being transparent about my journey. 

The others picture are just me starting to wake up in recovery. It was such a blessing to have my Best Friend there beside me. He's the best! Even if he calls me Little Orphan Annie and Betty Boop. :) 

As I close this post I want to thank you again for your prayers and kind words! 

I leave us with this verse:

“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

Proverbs 16:24 NIV

Brandi

01/05/16 :4th and hopefully final surgery.

It's been several weeks since I updated you guys interested in my journey. So I figured I should update. So here we go. :)

My last 3 month check up went well. Praise the Lord. Hearing "See you in another three months" is always a relief. I made an appointment in November to meet with my Plastic Surgeon that did my reconstruction and shared a few concerns I was having with my right side Breast(same side the tumor was on) and we came up with a solution to correct the problem areas.  Sad part it was one more surgery. So the best available time to schedule it was Jan. 6,2016. Yep that is tomorrow. So I have to be at the surgery center at 7:30 in the morning. Surgery starts at 9:30 should last an hour or so. So please if you remember to lift me and the Doctors and nurses up tomorrow. Pray for wisdom and safety. I hope this will correct the problem boob once and for all! The Dr. will go into the same incision as before and adjust the placement and add more Alloderm Mesh to help hold it in place and give me a batting like barrier to help with the rippling that I have. The right side has very thin tissue. They had to be so aggressive on that side due to the Cancer was on that side. He had to get clear margins. So of course it would be the side causing all the trouble. Well that's the skinny on what I have next up on the Cancer journey! So glad this will all be behind me soon enough. God has been so faithful every step of the way. I know tomorrow is no different. I will be on the mend one more time. I have an amazing support system. My husband, family and friends! My mother in law(Mrs. Angela) is here to help us out for a few days while Spencer travels this weekend. We will be playing lots of Farkle!  

I pray as I type these words that someone reading this blog will get something out of it. I pray it might help a sister that is about to face the same thing, maybe even a family member preparing for their love one to go through this journey. Just remember to take heart and know Jesus is right beside you ever little step! Nothing is too big or small for the one that created us. Blessings to you and wishing everyone a healthy and joyful New Year! 

Just a little piece of God's Plan. 11/11/15

As I am sitting outside enjoying the beautiful afternoon, I am being filmed. Media Share came today and filmed me and my family. We have talked about what amazing service Media Share was during this journey. Since day one of going to the Doctor they have been such a blessing. Everything has been so easy to ask questions and get things paid. They call me on surgery follow ups. Ask how they can pray for us. I even had a sweet lady mail me a card and had the office ladies sign it to wish me a speedy recovery after my Double Mastetomy. 

Today I have been interviewed about me experience with Medi-Share, and got to share a few highlights of my journey. They took a few pictures and highlights from this blog.  I think it is pretty amazing to get to share. 

I can remember the first day I was told I had Cancer, Spencer said to me" Baby I can not wait to see how God is going to use you." Its amazing how it has worked out. I am sharing in a National level and I got to share at our community event: Fields of Faith with a few other brave souls! :) It's funny God already had this day planned. I just had to be available . Many times in our lives with our crazy hectic schedules and life happen moments I like to think we must miss out time and time again to be recipients to God's blessings in our lives. I truly believe  if we would surrender daily to Him. We would have a peaceful more meaningfully life. One that encouraged and lifted others up. Now don't get me wrong, life isn't all rainbows and lollipops. We have storms pop up in our lives to help us grow and not be stagnant. But if we would look for the good in everything what a different world we would live in. 

Well I will keep you updated when the clip will be ready and aired or put in Medi-Share's website for you to see. 

10-31-2015(Late Posting)

Today marks 1 year since my first Oncology appointment. I learned what Triple Negative Breast meant. I learned I wouldn't just take 4 or 6 rounds of chemotherapy it would be 16 rounds. 12 of them would be weekly ones and then 4 of them would be every other week. 20 long weeks! I learned I would be put in a trial study through Sarah Cannon Research Institute. I would either take a study drug or a placebo pill. For 12 weeks 2 times a day. I grew to love  some amazing nurses and I met some amazing Cancer patients and their families. We've become friends. Sometimes in life some of the hardest things you must do become such blessings. If you told me a year ago I'd be going to dinner with my Nurse and her family. I don't think I would believe you. I am so blessed I got to experience all of this. I am not the same person I was. I've grown on so many levels this past year. 

I leave us with this verse:

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Brandi

 

October: Susan G Koman Race for the Cure 2015

Hello, It's been a busy 2 months since I posted last. I just wanted to give you a overview of whats been going  on. Surgery went well. I am all healed up. I was able to start running. That has been nice. I got to run my first official timed race on October 24, 2015. I had a team that came and ran and some that walked. This was the Susan G Koman Race for the Cure run. We had a fun time wearing our pink and getting to see all the Survivors in their special shirts. It was such a blessing to get to run with Braxton. He skipped going to a RA campout. He said he didn't want to miss my run! That boy melted my heart when he told me that. I was surprised when we went to see the official time. I came in 3rd place in the Survivor Catagory for 30-39. I metaled my first run. 38 minutes for my 5K. Not very impressive for most runners. But for me its great. I have lots of room to improve. I can not wait to run another one. Two ladies on my team came in 1st and the other in 3rd in their age category. They were awesome 7 minute miles. I did that in High School but well 1997 was a long time ago. Haha! I guess

Just curious if anyone was been keeping up with my hair? WOW... I have an Afro now. Or so Izzy says! Its super thick, dark and Um, very curly. I might even call it kinky! I call it a Hot Mess. I've been wearing my wig a lot more lately. One reason being its been cooler out and the other reason I just can't stand my hair stage right now. I won't cut it, I am just letting it grow and its wild and untamed. Most people love it. I say thanks but I cringe at the thought they are even looking at my hair. I tend to change the subject really quick. I know this is just a phase and another step during this journey but man it really stinks the things one most go through. I never really thought about the awkward phases I would encounter. I am trying to embrace it all. Some part are harder than others.

Here are a few pictures of the HOT Mess! 

Update that never posted! Sept Post 3 week post surgery!

I can't tell you how excited I am that I reached that finish line! The last surgery.The last part of this journey. It took 10 months to complete it. 10 long scary, dreaded months. As I reflect on all that's happened All I can say is God. God Thank You! Thank you for carrying me when I could not walk this journey. So many days when I just needed you, you were Faithfully there. You were there through friends and family. I am so honored and blessed to have the wonderful people you placed in my life. I have seen the hands and feet of Jesus in the last 10 months that I pray I will be able repay each and everyone one of them. 

As I heal physically it also has mental challenges too. So many things to process. Trying to get into a "New Normal" sure doesn't feel so normal. :) 

Oh..... Let's talk beauty or the lack there of. My hair is coming in but it looks like a Hot Mess! Curly hair might be my new look. Not to mention the light color it's coming back in. I get asked often if it colored or highlighted. To the inquiring minds sorry it's not colored or frosted. 

8/12/15 Dear Cancer,

Dear Cancer, 

I have always heard of you and hated you! You cause so many loved ones to leave us. You aren't prejudice. Young, Old, Rich or Poor you come in and invade our body. Some it happens with no warning until it's too late! I can't believe as I type this I can even think this way but I do! You picked me and I am glad you did. You've made me into such a different person. One that I have become to love. My eyes don't see the world as I did. My outlook on life is so more precious. My family and friends mean even more to me than they did before! Most of all My relationship with God has grown so much more deeper than I ever thought it could. Trusting God and Depending on God on a whole new level. I trusted but not like I do now. My faith has always been strong. But now it's stronger. Through all the test, waiting for results, treatments, surgeries and recovery time I knew I to surrender to God. I knew everything I was facing was OVERWHELMING. It was like if I took every part of you in at one time I would be consumed. I might give up. I might not try. God's word promises He's with us and we must trust. But to trust we must surrender. Surrendering isn't easy. I had to do this daily. Sometimes more than once a day. As a person I am not perfect, I sin daily. So when I gave you over to God I didn't want you back! Most times when we pray we ask God to handle XYZ in our lives but they are all sticky hands we lay it down at the alter and then when we get up it all comes right back. We never surrendered it. We think we got it and you God can't handle it. 

You weren't going to be my sticky note! You were going down and stay at the feet of Jesus. So thank you Cancer you helped me. You saved me from the inside out. 

The part I want you to know Cancer is that you didn't win! I did! 

Brandi