After a little bit of a rough go at it with surgery in May, I was happy to have June bring some sunshine my way. I started the month with getting fitted for my prosthesis (translation: I got two new bras that had mesh pockets that you can slide silicon prosthesis into). They aren’t “real” and they aren’t “mine”, but they make me feel comfortable and more confident then I have in a long time. I think they look very natural and I am reassured by this every time someone gives me a confused look when I tell them I had a double mastectomy and they look at my chest. It’s a little AWKWARD, but I am thankful that people don’t “know” that they are fake, unless I tell them. J
So what is it like to not have a chest anymore? To be honest, it’s kind of weird. I don’t have a lot of sensation where they stitched me up (the nerves take a while to come back) and there is also somewhat of an indent where my breasts used to be, which is kind of crazy to think about, but I know that it is just temporary, so I try to roll with it.
It was a little over a month before I got to step out onto the volleyball court again (my first time in the sand). As most volleyball players know…your timing in the sand is quite different then indoors on a hard court. The sand provides somewhat of a challenge to run around in and jump out of, but one thing I hadn’t thought of was that my center of gravity had also changed. Anyone want to guess what part of my body hit the ground after my first initial jump in the sand?? My feet touched the ground first, but my balance landed me right on my butt! HA! I felt a little clumsy, but I quickly realized that the weight distribution of my body was just different and I needed to adjust. (I do not wear my prosthesis when I play volleyball.) It was a little bit of a learning experience for me, but I think I have it figured out for now… J
It was great to be able to get fit for my prosthesis, but my favorite part of June was that Aaron and I were able to take a wonderful trip to Ireland together! Two of our volleyball friends were scheduled to get married in a castle in Ireland and I made sure to do EVERYTHING in my power to arrange and rearrange my doctor’s appointments, surgery and radiation, so we could fit this trip in. J I wasn’t sure it was going to work, but I am SO thankful that it did! I think it was just what the doctor ordered at the halfway point in my cancer treatments-----chemo…CHECK, double mastectomy…CHECK...time for a trip before radiation and another surgery CHECK!!
Not only did we get to go to a wedding in a castle, but we got to spend time with a lot of wonderful friends and reconnect with each other after a rough 6 months of dealing with cancer. I feel very blessed that we were able to enjoy this time together and the only “side effects” I really encountered were some seriously swollen ankles on the trip, and I really can’t complain about that at all. J I was so excited to not have any restrictions while we were there, and my taste buds had returned to normal after chemo, so I was able to enjoy the food, the cider and the ice cream! Hooray!! Here are a few pictures from our trip… (you can click on each individual collage to see them up close.)
More info on radiation in my next entry…thanks for following along!
Love to all,
Nae
