Good evening all!
I'm still under the weather but I'm not going to write about that because...well...who really cares? This post will be brief but I have some updates. It's nice to not have to read the same old stuff, right?!

First, a milestone...of sorts. Today marks 1 year since I returned to work. Granted, it was only part time but it was a big step for me and one that I wanted long before it happened. (Remember, I dream of normal)  So, happy one year back to work day for me!

Second, the new adventures. The next phase of my journey is getting underway. I'm scheduled to have my port removed on Friday September 11. Yes, I'm going under the knife again...it's been a while so I felt like it was time. ;-)  The removal is much easier than the placement. If you've been around for a while, you know that placement required that I go under general anesthesia and they had to be careful and make sure that they didn't puncture my lung, etc, etc.  Removal will be done with a local and a scalpel. No, I am not scared and I'm not weirded out. I expect all to go smoothly and I'll be out of there in a couple of hours. The procedure will only take a few minutes but I have to get there an hour early...yada yada yada.  :-)

I can now report that I have a date with plastic surgeon. Yes, the process will begin with the first appointment, scheduled for mid-October. It's hard to believe it's time to even consider this already. My fabulous surgeon has referred me to, what I expect to be, an equally fabulous plastic surgeon. He also took time during my visit yesterday to tell me a little bit more about what to expect with reconstruction...or what, in my case, is delayed reconstruction. I thought I knew what was coming but I clearly still have a lot to learn. Radiation does bad things to skin. I thought they just meant during treatment but it seems that the effects are more long term. He said if they opened me up for reconstruction along the existing surgical scar, the skin wouldn't hold up. That means they will cut that out and take skin from elsewhere. EEEWWW. Also, he said the process will take most of the year. EEEWWW.  As always, I will share the details as soon as I have more specifics. I'm still going to go through with it and I'm still going to smile as I do it. Some days you just need a reminder that you are tough and can handle a lot. I've been through Hell (physically) already so this will be a piece of cake! It will likely be a little uncomfortable but I'll come out better on the other side...and my clothes will fit!

I'm off to bed. I'm hoping I'm not up every hour like last night - EEEWWW.  :-)

Have a great night everyone.
Love to all!
Andee