Well, the date has finally been set. On Friday, October 23rd at 8 am, I will be having reconstruction surgery on my left side. It is somewhat of a major surgery (6 hours), and will use some of the muscle and tissue from my back under the left shoulder, along with an implant, to rebuild that side. It will also take multiple procedures: one to move the tissue and muscle as well as put in an expander, another (or two, or three) to expand, and a final one to place the implant as well as reduce the size on my right.
I've been asked by some people if this is necessary surgery, or just something I'd like done. The answer is 'yes' to both...I can feel my left shoulder turning in some and my back twisting a bit when I am not wearing my prosthesis, and, quite frankly, I find that it's hard to keep up with my kids sometimes when I am worrying about prosthesis placement while running around with them and especially when we're swimming...and I want to be able to keep up with them. Do I really want more surgery? No. But I believe this surgery will help improve my quality of life and my overall health.
Recovery is about 3 weeks (I think) for the initial surgery, as long as everything goes well. Waiting until this date also gives time for me to have my follow-up MRI on my right side in October. Not to mention that I will be able to lose a little bit more weight between now and then :)
So, for now I will continue to eat healthy, exercise and build up my strength, while soaking in all the time I can with my little girls and husband. It's been almost a year since my last surgery...I'm ready for this!
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