Surgery update

This has been a full week! I was able to make it to all of my appointments on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, Glen surprised me by taking work off so that he could help me get a few things done before surgery and come with me to my doctor’s appointment with Dr. Matatov. That was a highlight for me! We were grateful to have all of the kids, including Beka via FaceTime, together when I received a priesthood blessing that night. Afterward, we picked up my sister Sondra from the airport and have loved having her here. She has been a tremendous help already!

On Thursday, Glen dropped me off at the hospital at 11am for my scheduled surgery at 1pm. I spent the next few hours getting prepped and surgery started at 1:30pm. Glen returned home and worked until he got a call from Dr. Moorthy (the breast surgeon) after she had finished the mastectomy and node removal. She told him that things went well but that the frozen section biopsy on the sentinel node indicated some cancer, and that they needed to take out more nodes than expected. She removed them and they will be tested. She told Glen that I would need additional radiation on the nodes that remained but that no further surgery would be necessary. Dr. Matatov (the plastic surgeon) called Glen after he completed his portion of the surgery at around 5:45pm and said that things went well placing the expander and two drains — one coming from the lymph node area and one coming from the chest. He said that I was doing well enough that Glen could take me home that night.

I have been home resting and taking several medications, including an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and nerve pain reliever. For pain, I have had extra-strength Tylenol and Oxycodone as needed. Until now, the pain has been manageable, but I've felt a lot of discomfort from the expander pressing against my sternum. I felt well enough today to go out for a slow walk around the neighborhood. The doctors want me to keep moving to prevent blood clots and to keep my bowels working. We empty the two drains several times throughout the day. As soon as the blood and fluids are less than 30 milliliters a day, they can be removed by the doctor. I'll be doing some light exercises from home that were recommended by the physical therapist to regain my range of motion. I have a follow up appointment with Dr. Matatov on Wednesday and one with Dr. Moorthy on Friday, so hopefully we will have more information then.

We have felt your love, fasting, and prayers and thank God for such wonderful family and friends!

Love, 

Diana and Glen

Embracing my new look

The last couple of weeks have felt almost normal! I've been able to eat regularly, walk daily, and sleep better. My hair is even beginning to grow again. I have about 1/4 inch of grey and white hair sprouting all over my head that should make for an interesting transition. :) I have read a little about how chemo can affect the regrowth of hair and while it affects everyone a little differently, often chemo can change the hair follicle for a year or longer. The color and texture of the hair can be different, usually white or grey, and often the hair comes in curly (referred to as "chemo curls"). My hair is still not long enough to tell but the texture feels coarser and my eyebrows are definitely curly. My eyelashes are becoming visible and I have baby white peach fuzz on parts of my face and neck that I never had before. Trying to figure out how to tame all of that! 🤔 I'm doing my best to embrace this new look and treat it like an adventure!

The "not-so-normal" part of my life includes all of the doctors' appointments and insurance calls I have had and will continue to have this next week to prepare for surgery. Last Monday, I had a CTA scan of my abdomen to determine the blood supply and vessels the plastic surgeon can use for my reconstruction. I've met with a physical therapist that will help me to regain my range of motion after surgery. Blood tests on Friday showed that I am still low in white blood cell counts but Dr. Curley feels I am ready for surgery. Thyroid, liver and kidneys levels all look normal. My COVID test and Keytruda infusion will be on Tuesday morning followed by a "seed placement" in the afternoon. The seed placement will be in my left axillary lymph node and will help guide the breast surgeon to where the biopsy marker is, so they can remove the area that was originally diagnosed as cancerous. Wednesday, I will meet with Dr. Matatov to get marked for surgery and have a final preop visit. On Thursday, the 28th I will need to be dropped off at the hospital for check in at 11am and surgery will begin at 1pm. No one will be allowed in with me, but doctors will send updates to Glen. Surgery will probably last about 2 1/2 hours. Depending on how I recover from anesthesia, I may be released that evening or need to stay overnight. We're praying that the biopsy of the breast tissue and lymph nodes that are removed come back free of cancer (a complete pathologic response). We will get those results about a week after surgery.

We have experienced two very specific blessings recently. The first is that we have not come down with COVID. As numbers have climbed in Arizona and many of our dear friends have struggled with sickness, we've tried to be wise in our activities and interactions. Daniel was in contact with someone at school who tested positive and so was at home quarantining with us last week. We were very thankful when his test came back negative and he was able to return to school. Dr. Curley has encouraged me to get the COVID vaccine as soon as I am eligible (phase 1C). We pray every day and by name for those who've been affected by this virus. For some, the symptoms have been minimal but for others it has been life-threatening and very humbling. 

Our second blessing was that our insurance approved our reconstructive procedure and doctor! Several weeks ago, we were denial approval because Dr. Matatov is out of network and very specialized. We were told it was not medically necessary and other reconstruction options were just as good for my situation. With the help of our patient navigator, and after lots of paperwork and red tape, we appealed the denial. Dr. Matatov spoke personally with a medical professional at United Healthcare and we got word yesterday that we were approved!! We know these are direct blessings from our collective prayers and we thank you so much for your faith in our behalf. 

Our love for our Savior grows as we see and recognize His hand in the details of this process. Can there be any doubt that our God, the creator of the universe and King of all, can help us to overcome something as insignificant as cancer. He is mighty to save, according to His will. Of this we are certain!

Surgery scheduled

Happy New Year! We are happy to report that Glen is feeling much better after his nasal surgery. He did not experience a lot of pain but we did have a difficult time controlling his bleeding for a couple of days after the procedure. We saw the doctor last Wednesday and we were able to slow things down with some additional medication and packing. The cysts that were removed from his nose were biopsied and found to be benign, and he can breathe so much better! He's still limited a bit in what he can do, but he's been able to work from home since Tuesday. I was so happy to be able to take care of him for a change while he recovered. 😀

I received another Keytruda treatment on Jan. 4th and was happy to see my blood count numbers had gone up. I am getting stronger every day and no longer feel nauseous. I'm still very tired and continue to have hot flashes induced by the chemo. Those keep me from sleeping well but overall I feel so much better. 

We were happy to be able to coordinate our doctors' schedules and my surgery is set for Jan. 28th at 1pm MST. I will have a single mastectomy of my left breast and a lymph node dissection by the breast surgeon, Dr. Brenda Moorthy. Then my plastic surgeon, Dr. Tim Matatov, will come in to place an expander under the skin, on top of the pectoral muscle. This will prevent the skin from adhering back to the chest wall while I heal and during radiation treatments. 

My sweet sister Sondra will come from Utah for about a week to help as I recover. Radiation will begin 2-4 weeks after surgery, depending on how quickly I heal, and will last for about six weeks, every day Monday through Friday. Then 3-6 months following radiation, I will have my breast reconstruction. I have chosen to use my own abdominal tissue for reconstruction rather that use an implant. The procedure is called a DIEP flap reconstruction and involves microsurgery where the tissue is cut from my abdomen and reattached with blood vessels from my stomach. It's a meticulous surgery but we feel very confident in Dr. Matatov, who is the only doctor that does this in AZ and has a very high success rate. 

We are grateful and happy to be alive! Thank you for your continued prayers in these next steps of my treatment. 

Love,

Di