Silicon Investor - Breast Cancer

[Wayne Rumball] She had 3 options, breast implant (no too many horror stories), take a muscle ou...

Wayne Rumball — 12/15/2019 7:17:06 AM

She had 3 options, breast implant (no too many horror stories), take a muscle out of her back to do the reconstruction (apparently leaving her partially handicapped) or that fat injection option, which takes a lot longer than the other 2 options. She figured it was a way to get rid of some unneeded fat at the same time.

Problem was, she isn't fat and there was precious little fat they could extract and inject each time. For each 300 grams (or something like that) they extracted and injected, 200 grams were reabsorbed by the body and months had to go by before the next procedure.

Fortunately she has small breasts, someone with larger ones would most likely die of old age before they got everything just right....

[Neeka] She's cancer free and while the reconstruction took a couple of years ,she opte...

Neeka — 12/14/2019 4:37:36 PM

She's cancer free and while the reconstruction took a couple of years ,she opted for taking fat from her stomach and legs and injecting it into the breast

Fantastic and such good news.

I understand the time line.............I under went a partial knee replacement in August and the doc said it could take up to a yr to recover.

As someone recently said "these things take time."

And isn't it just amazing what modern medicine............including cosmetic surgeons...........are able to do. Taking fat from stomach and legs.............omg............the two places I'd choose to take fat from in my imperfect body.

Hubert Humphrey once said:

Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left.

All the best to you and your wife Wayne.

[Wayne Rumball] I suppose I owe an update She's cancer free and while the reconstruction took a...

Wayne Rumball — 12/14/2019 3:51:17 AM

I suppose I owe an update

She's cancer free and while the reconstruction took a couple of years ,she opted for taking fat from her stomach and legs and injecting it into the breast, which was one of 3 options. She is happy with the result and I am happy that she is happy. So all is good

[Neeka] I knew what I'd see, I just couldn't accept what I was going to see. She knew t...

Neeka — 9/22/2013 5:09:38 PM

I knew what I'd see, I just couldn't accept what I was going to see.

She knew that, and it bothered her terribly............probably still does...........but she'll get over it and so will you. I would have to dig way deep down to show my husband, but I'd do it and then move on.

So now I saw, it is what it is and she is still her, the most important part of the story

Yep..................she is She "for better or worse, in sickness and in health." Best friends!

[Wayne Rumball] always tell her she is beautiful and you love her I always leave messages to he...

Wayne Rumball — 9/22/2013 4:11:15 PM

always tell her she is beautiful and you love her

I always leave messages to her that start out "hey sexy girl..." then continue on in french

[arno] I was the weak one, you can't do that....you have to stand strong for her. it ...

arno — 9/22/2013 4:08:02 PM

I was the weak one,

you can't do that....you have to stand strong for her.

it is what it is and she is still her

always tell her she is beautiful and you love her

[Wayne Rumball] Sorry for your loss. Fortunately you have 20 years extra because of the early d...

Wayne Rumball — 9/22/2013 4:03:29 PM

Sorry for your loss. Fortunately you have 20 years extra because of the early diagnosis

[Wayne Rumball] Thank you. At first I was the brave one, she was in tears often. Then she acce...

Wayne Rumball — 9/22/2013 3:59:53 PM

Thank you. At first I was the brave one, she was in tears often. Then she accepted it, had the operation and then... I was the weak one, took me 2 weeks to get up the courage to look at her naked. I knew what I'd see, I just couldn't accept what I was going to see.

So now I saw, it is what it is and she is still her, the most important part of the story

[arno] Wayne, In the early 90's, I was getting ready to exit the corporate world....an...

arno — 9/22/2013 3:53:21 PM

Wayne,

In the early 90's, I was getting ready to exit the corporate world....and insurance....to start our own business. I wanted my beloved wife to go get all of her check-ups before the insurance was gone.

The mammogram showed something unusual and so they did a needle biopsy.....positive. Surgery scheduled.

It was an intro-ductal carcinoma.....meaning it hadn't left the milk duct. A lumpectomy was performed.

We had caught it as early was possible and this was in the day when the thoughts about radical masectomy's were being re-evaluated. So, they just took the duct and left a scar. it was 2 days from the positive finding to surgery.

5 weeks of radiation was the only follow-up treatment....no chemo. The oncologist even said the radiation probably wasn't necessary, but nobody in the health industry was willing to make that call.

She survived for 20+ years before she got other cancer that was not curable.

arno

[Neeka] Although I've never had BC, I've known women who have and I am always in awe of ...

Neeka — 9/22/2013 3:30:18 PM

Although I've never had BC, I've known women who have and I am always in awe of their bravery. I'm sure your wife is no different.

I wish both you and your wife all the best.

[Wayne Rumball] The day after Marianne's surgery, I had to go for a medical exam for work. Doct...

Wayne Rumball — 9/21/2013 9:16:56 PM

The day after Marianne's surgery, I had to go for a medical exam for work.

Doctor looks at my file and says I've lost 22lbs in the last 2 years, why is that?

I say there are a lot of reasons why that happened and I don't know why you ask, you should be congratulating me from moving from almost obese to being in perfect form. She dropped the subject and asked me to go pee in a cup.....

I get back and she takes my blood pressure 3 different ways, just to make sure. Doctor says my blood pressure is up 140/80. Was I stressed coming to the exam? Told her no, if nothing, it was relaxing.

She asks, do you sleep well? I say no, not recently, my wife has breast cancer and yesterday they removed her breast, so maybe I don't sleep well and maybe I'm a little stressed.

I don't think she was waiting for that response. She stamped the form, fit to work, and said see you in 2 years.

[Wayne Rumball] It all started with a lump on her breast. So she went to the doctor, the doctor...

Wayne Rumball — 9/21/2013 8:02:21 PM

It all started with a lump on her breast. So she went to the doctor, the doctor sent her for a mamography. The mamography came up negative. Her and the doctor agreed that it was nonsense, so he sent her for an x-ray.
That came up a maybe. So the doctor sent her for an IRM. I went with her to hear the results, for some reason they sent them to her gynecologist that she sees one a year.

We were left waiting for over an hour before she let us in her office.

The woman opened the file and started reading, for 10 minutes and finally said "the results are positive"

My wife smiled, then I said, "what does 'positive' mean?"

there's a tumor

But a small one. A few sessions of radiation therapy, minor surgery and it'll be gone.

Next step, select a hospital and a surgeon. That being done, a new wave of tests and they found pre-cancerous tissue opposite the tumor.

The dumbass that I am, I smiled and said, that's good news, they can get rid of it before it becomes cancer.

Wife is crying, no, it means they have to remove the breast.

So several months of chemo, not sure why they wanted to reduce the size of the tumor if they were just going to take off the whole breast anyway, wife is bald (everywhere).

Then the operation. Went well, I suppose if hacking off a breast is a good thing, at least they got the one they wanted.

She could have stayed in the hospital 6 days, but she wanted out in 2.

Her hair is starting to grow back and radiation thearapy starts in 3 weeks, 5 times a week for 5 weeks.

And an IV injection once a month for 2 years. Some sort of anti breast cancer drug.

And that's where we are today.

The most frustrating is the insurance company that hasn't paid out a dime yet. They ask for a paper, then when they get it, they ask for another one, etc etc... yet they are happy to keep collecting their premiums. Layer friend of mine said they are waiting for us to STOP paying the premiums, then they can pay what is owed and have no obligation for future payments. What a bunch of assholes