27/02/20 - Surgery day (evicting the Ba*%@rd Lodger)
The previous weekend..
Red marks are cancer site locations, and also where they injected toxic dye injections... Don't be surprised, it turns your wee blue! (click image for more info)
Markup for bilateral mastectomy surgery
Post 7 hour surgery
Do I look as high as I felt?
Back on the ward
Who knew they could put cannula's in your feet..!? Ouch!
Ahh, the comfort of a new pair of slippers..
Drains and dressings..
Week 1 - Bilateral mastectomy with immediate round, over-the-muscle implant reconstructive surgery.
Left breast, top dressing covers lymph node surgery site. Lower dressing covers sewn in drain.
Left breast, shows drainage tube.
Right breast view.
Left drain sewn into body.
Right drain sewn into body.
Drainage tube showing fluid removed from mastectomy / reconstructive site
Top tip, my sons' climbing carabiner holding one of the drains
Cannula for pain relief and drain canisters. For a bilateral mastectomy, you can have up to four, I had two. One for each side. (click the image for more information) Top tip, ask your breast care team for the canvas bags to carry your drains, it makes shuffling to the bathroom, that much easier.
Meeting the (very swollen) Foobs..
Scars and healing..
Left side, the bottom scar shows the drainage tube site.
Right side Week 2, drains removed, the stitches holding them in place are snipped, and the nurse pulls the drainage tubes out the body.
Week 2 - dressings removed.
Mastectomy surgery
13/04/20
17/07/20 - Mastectomy surgery
17/07/20
26/03/20 - Lymph node removal surgery..
Waiting for the call..
Marked for surgery..
Another cannula... more pain relief
Post surgery selfie..
Lymph node surgery site.. lots of bruising.
Another surgery, another drain
Lymph node surgery scar.
Canvas drain bag, easier for walking.
04/05/20 - Chemotherapy..
Chemotherapy room
First session
Chemotherapy bag
Warm water to help open the veins..
Cannula for the fluid
The chemotherapy drug “The Red Devil”...
Each Chemotherapy session, I left with a goodie bag of drugs.
Filgrastim Injections to help with recovery
COVID was in full swing..
The countdown..
Chemo treatment breaks down the nail. Top tip, paint them a darker colour.
How bald can you go?
Miss Pigeon Vintage kindly gifted this beautiful headscarf. (Click the picture for access to the shop)
Chemotherapy, the final session 27/08/20..
Ring that f@*king bell!!
The curly bouff..
Chemo curls are real..
Lets talk nipples..
Some colour matching... These are free, NHS nipple tattoos that were completed by NHS breast care nurses. Who have undertaken tattoo training. Unfortunately, they were not a true representation of a nipple.
Lincolnshire Mastectomy Art specializes in tattooing nipples onto breast cancer warriors. (click image to be linked to their Facebook page) Nippleback transfers give you the opportunity to try any shape or size before you decide on what you want.
Handy tip, before surgery take a photo of your own boobs and nipples to compare.
These are Nippleback transfers. They can last up to 3 days.
Eyebrows..
Eyebrows purchased from eBay, very cheap, very easy to apply, and last a couple of days. Top tip: Once applied and left to dry, powder over the top as this takes the shine out of the transfer, and leaves you with a more realistic eyebrow!
eBay eyebrows.
Me without..
Getting my eyebrows micro-bladed by Karen at Pro Level Beauty
Healed micro-bladed brows
I think they look good, what do you think? Click the picture, to be taken to Karen's business page.