tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66704577519376655822024-03-13T18:59:20.749-04:00Journey of a cancer survivor in Western Mass1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer. I'm one of those women, this is my journey . . .Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-67745877943957989422015-11-05T14:13:00.001-05:002015-11-05T14:13:34.584-05:00A 5 year hiatus...I haven't thought about my blog in many years. A lot has changed since my last post; engagement, new house, marriage, vacations & fertility struggles. I'm going to try to be better at posting and will add updates to fill in the blanks of the past few years. <div><br><div>Stay tuned....</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmJiPksnEtnXlcv40hS_8VX51RlO-Lg3Nmu_giNIZCQ6hzsgq6Q8m8bW7oyVIALTS3_i4JdyypJFL2vm7GXjtWP7__hemXhHQgET1fB6L0pqa4ZdkNSjFgeWP63FhhxexVThtmULODm_d/s640/blogger-image-424968668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmJiPksnEtnXlcv40hS_8VX51RlO-Lg3Nmu_giNIZCQ6hzsgq6Q8m8bW7oyVIALTS3_i4JdyypJFL2vm7GXjtWP7__hemXhHQgET1fB6L0pqa4ZdkNSjFgeWP63FhhxexVThtmULODm_d/s640/blogger-image-424968668.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div>Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-41527034926728939742010-08-24T14:22:00.001-04:002010-08-24T17:24:13.400-04:00Freeport, Bahamas for a little r&rThe night before I left for Los Angeles I stayed with my friend Stacy near the airport in Connecticut and we got to talking about going to see her friend in the Bahamas. I didn't take it too seriously since I was leaving for the west coast the next day, but looked online for airline pricing anyway. Much to my surprise, it was quite affordable to fly from NYC to Freeport. <span style="font-style: italic;">Hmmm, this just might be an option!</span> The next day I flew out to California and didn't think much about the Bahamas idea until I got a call from my friend in Connecticut, she was serious about booking the trip to the island, so how could I say no!:) There's nothing like booking your next vacation while you're ON vacation!<br />
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So at the end of March, it was off to the island we went to see Leo. This was going to be interesting . . . driving on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of the car, and no open container law . . . sweet! Luckily, our rental car was what we were used to driving . . . driver's side on the left! We spent the next 7 days on the beaches - Gold Rock Beach - Banana Bay - Coral Beach, exploring the island, meeting some fun locals, snorkeling at Paradise Cove, and partying at Port Lucaya. Even got to go horseback riding with Leo on the beach (her "job"). Loved, loved, loved riding on the beach. She's so blessed that that's her job and she gets to do something she loves every day in a beautiful place! www.trikkpony.com for anyone who's looking to go riding while in Freeport!<br />
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<div align="center"><em>First night out in Port Lucaya</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7nsQJOTuNYYtSEBCvJ853nBEsbm4iC4lVw7q46iQuzwLz8nR6yt0EX89zaG3UezMkQh852sy7vmJy3QwUTDc0oSohTDvG2U-UikoAwbq90exdeOUlT_ifDt856IxZBgDGWrQ-33VTvqP/s1600/IMG_2637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7nsQJOTuNYYtSEBCvJ853nBEsbm4iC4lVw7q46iQuzwLz8nR6yt0EX89zaG3UezMkQh852sy7vmJy3QwUTDc0oSohTDvG2U-UikoAwbq90exdeOUlT_ifDt856IxZBgDGWrQ-33VTvqP/s640/IMG_2637.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Coral Beach</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IKfXU5AggeQsPrOpwK4UFgYrE8_LnzdU_eS7_wyOmfqpPyA2wyiwMsPYA2yYa60xmu1OZ-8txinD-NCM4GLdRLCmqK0JZTDpkYnkx4b6vrXs70_pFCapuERshWpduuUwzZGakeYVu8ea/s1600/IMG_2753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IKfXU5AggeQsPrOpwK4UFgYrE8_LnzdU_eS7_wyOmfqpPyA2wyiwMsPYA2yYa60xmu1OZ-8txinD-NCM4GLdRLCmqK0JZTDpkYnkx4b6vrXs70_pFCapuERshWpduuUwzZGakeYVu8ea/s640/IMG_2753.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><em>Gold Rock Beach</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQLo8lNYhyUCfp6iws3Rex2Tfz-LynCHCSF-w4rJkH_RIfF9TBa-E8U6uFHwugZhqyHDPmo3yRQp3AHNVOgmb72GPmNa5dS6jPiUiuAuo4RB0HKIVa2bLz_6Yc5urtqIBjRmyN997Lh18/s1600/IMG_5652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQLo8lNYhyUCfp6iws3Rex2Tfz-LynCHCSF-w4rJkH_RIfF9TBa-E8U6uFHwugZhqyHDPmo3yRQp3AHNVOgmb72GPmNa5dS6jPiUiuAuo4RB0HKIVa2bLz_6Yc5urtqIBjRmyN997Lh18/s640/IMG_5652.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><em>Leo at the "office"</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSXcXN7UGstFHhNBiVsANpJhpSdommHiTcgYIuyXDIKVHk7lehj68ciB1uvUofUKUMl4bOEGHO_yddQN5r-8KTXcoXvZO4HU5kG-pRkW6nQQT-k9nrzkZCP9iZgOfqlQQuM8Fz6H68rq4/s1600/IMG_2717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSXcXN7UGstFHhNBiVsANpJhpSdommHiTcgYIuyXDIKVHk7lehj68ciB1uvUofUKUMl4bOEGHO_yddQN5r-8KTXcoXvZO4HU5kG-pRkW6nQQT-k9nrzkZCP9iZgOfqlQQuM8Fz6H68rq4/s640/IMG_2717.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>back at the stables</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVMi5Iha01VN5r-6LG409hUhrcjzh2owCI4wU-Vh0Tz3XIrYL6cfRpfPhJNXfcJTdkCYonpnWdMTrexlwWhDDH-c8a_gTIRJycJmYFfj5jza3rixT6HCPp4d8bmneJk0DWYqehR2ac3Cv/s1600/IMG_5718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVMi5Iha01VN5r-6LG409hUhrcjzh2owCI4wU-Vh0Tz3XIrYL6cfRpfPhJNXfcJTdkCYonpnWdMTrexlwWhDDH-c8a_gTIRJycJmYFfj5jza3rixT6HCPp4d8bmneJk0DWYqehR2ac3Cv/s640/IMG_5718.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0u08CJJz5jT5pxUJuo10XmdTrT5YCMwmlX_7-qBCkivNJ_pCb493JYlV6A__xEfb952HPqYJ6yPegmVNx1MyZ2K8pO41ZuitTEVMA5jEB8n7eNHCb56SPU1SLJcisa8iFxuN1Xz-bLoM/s1600/IMG_5723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0u08CJJz5jT5pxUJuo10XmdTrT5YCMwmlX_7-qBCkivNJ_pCb493JYlV6A__xEfb952HPqYJ6yPegmVNx1MyZ2K8pO41ZuitTEVMA5jEB8n7eNHCb56SPU1SLJcisa8iFxuN1Xz-bLoM/s640/IMG_5723.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Fun times!!!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaAYAipLxEfBHthimW82AGn2NhDPEzEKF_DWsK_smt360oxLngma95G4qQZsbsLV1znv9pQ-JiX4Y7fzfXnq7B-wzPrdTY4Uu-G7YITaVJ7LczO7UDaVYuFg6yLZHtI7FbelaKNtW-MUl/s1600/IMG_2775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaAYAipLxEfBHthimW82AGn2NhDPEzEKF_DWsK_smt360oxLngma95G4qQZsbsLV1znv9pQ-JiX4Y7fzfXnq7B-wzPrdTY4Uu-G7YITaVJ7LczO7UDaVYuFg6yLZHtI7FbelaKNtW-MUl/s640/IMG_2775.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-73981012572517235892010-08-23T22:56:00.001-04:002010-08-24T15:14:42.027-04:00Surgery updates . . .To say that I've been slacking on the blog would be a <span style="font-style: italic;">gross</span> understatement! Much has happened since my last post. The August 2009 "scar revision" surgery went well. More pain, more bruising, more waiting to heal . . . but in the end . . . all worth it. They extended the incision on my sides to smooth down the "dog ears" and also did lypo to smooth down my hips (which is why the massive black and blues). They then did "fat grafting" to fill in some of the hollow areas on my chest where the donor tissue settled. UGH, more drains! So sick of dealing with surgical drains!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCDcRiN4Gr9bdYhH1SniAMATXXbJ25IiWkLB-Rwm4Ygut_5GZkpbp1BErT8U2n3UCynKJHn2ziTVwYIu4vfEkkqS-cbXcPtqEocKFHUF9zHBb9-xjitwG1RsvbWadp03HmQGrwOkWetMF/s1600/IMG_1866.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508805646094207922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCDcRiN4Gr9bdYhH1SniAMATXXbJ25IiWkLB-Rwm4Ygut_5GZkpbp1BErT8U2n3UCynKJHn2ziTVwYIu4vfEkkqS-cbXcPtqEocKFHUF9zHBb9-xjitwG1RsvbWadp03HmQGrwOkWetMF/s640/IMG_1866.JPG" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" width="640" /></a><br />
Next step after this was to wait a few more months for the new tissue to settle and give time for the scars to fade . . . 6 months, then back to see the doc to talk about nipples!<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">October 2009</span><br />
I had my last appointment with my radiation oncologist. She was very happy to see how the reconstruction had progressed and that the radiation had not done damage to my right side. One less doctor to see on a regular basis! And to celebrate that . . . I'm off to Los Angeles to spend some time with my friend Ev!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i>Downtown Los Angeles</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqL99AOAH33FGAzvs5-jOaBGjuiHG42-MllOv9BC3LgIuM4MG8lkNQsxI30nJQvTmpSunVleeqczVqQR1LykrDtYr3Cc2BJ7Ap0nlcF0i-9q6_4nworrLg6q_Q08RdV4iHXuIT7SGyzm_/s1600/IMG_5357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqL99AOAH33FGAzvs5-jOaBGjuiHG42-MllOv9BC3LgIuM4MG8lkNQsxI30nJQvTmpSunVleeqczVqQR1LykrDtYr3Cc2BJ7Ap0nlcF0i-9q6_4nworrLg6q_Q08RdV4iHXuIT7SGyzm_/s400/IMG_5357.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhn3XQizeIaPvzEeLJOAZTG2wBqPI2zRRHROAFUY2eJMckMTMM00n9x1y8GurPr9X28Em7y-qhqFdVfJPR1azSjzawzgpVNnis5B7H6Lh3_LXOK5lDYX54xhLzWaMtZ08yHVa2KQQ5VFW/s1600/IMG_5351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhn3XQizeIaPvzEeLJOAZTG2wBqPI2zRRHROAFUY2eJMckMTMM00n9x1y8GurPr9X28Em7y-qhqFdVfJPR1azSjzawzgpVNnis5B7H6Lh3_LXOK5lDYX54xhLzWaMtZ08yHVa2KQQ5VFW/s400/IMG_5351.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><em>In Malibu</em></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4EUG_uyg2OsK5n_OIieg31m0LdrQYVrD7me0jlCFOI3GCI4xf04Zq8TjuBpC2bh1kDN05Ib3QOXVbcCsYWPHdU0c-Ketg1klVP_u5pKzD_iB7WXmpkturIMF-FtPVfiG2lfuU-frWspT/s1600/IMG_5378.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="427" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508812701676253122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4EUG_uyg2OsK5n_OIieg31m0LdrQYVrD7me0jlCFOI3GCI4xf04Zq8TjuBpC2bh1kDN05Ib3QOXVbcCsYWPHdU0c-Ketg1klVP_u5pKzD_iB7WXmpkturIMF-FtPVfiG2lfuU-frWspT/s640/IMG_5378.JPG" style="display: block; height: 267px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" width="640" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>On the Sunset Strip</em></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRmR-WMEnJizs2Mdr2B1Gi9iMiCn6dInSNy5rWUii3kT83Oc_tVstb-joKD-mvERpyyogx_f8yFundzxd2yNyGd0NYDxrejijJtM2Ggfr8imENYJRltXBimRE-olhsvpfpTcaHYY6sR7O/s1600/IMG_2162.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508813407416442162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRmR-WMEnJizs2Mdr2B1Gi9iMiCn6dInSNy5rWUii3kT83Oc_tVstb-joKD-mvERpyyogx_f8yFundzxd2yNyGd0NYDxrejijJtM2Ggfr8imENYJRltXBimRE-olhsvpfpTcaHYY6sR7O/s400/IMG_2162.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>At the wrap party for "The Chicago 8" in the Hollywood Hills</em></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFERYkKmfDX311JSWW6T75jZIEA74w_tUtLEBpy7U8vPy8lB9h9eLDWrR-3sNJjTS1EYxsYWnMhA9_4AJzgKiuLAg6guHer6IJDa4yOfAh_TGITPQcrn4cN2oDg84afCLHVQ1XwIpvG5X1/s1600/IMG_2199.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508813934872076098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFERYkKmfDX311JSWW6T75jZIEA74w_tUtLEBpy7U8vPy8lB9h9eLDWrR-3sNJjTS1EYxsYWnMhA9_4AJzgKiuLAg6guHer6IJDa4yOfAh_TGITPQcrn4cN2oDg84afCLHVQ1XwIpvG5X1/s400/IMG_2199.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">March 2010</span><br />
Back to Boston to see my surgeon. Pretty happy with the results thus far, but still weighing the nipple options. After much thought and talking it over I decide to go through with the surgery. Afterall, it would be like having a sundae without the cherry on top . . . that's no good . . . so June it is. A few days after that, I left for the Bahamas for a little fun on the island with a great friend! Excited to get away and not think about surgery, cancer, stress . . . ANYTHING!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">. . . more to follow . . .</span></div>Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-87734621464149288072009-11-03T18:54:00.001-05:002010-08-24T15:37:31.063-04:00In Loving Memory . . .<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5kuoqP4xx6Vh0gJeCzMRW_buYuf1iExHp195KDeOkx7-bEQBZUhmZTyX_B3h1lOw9IguPYmcCNTdKf-wRxNgEqZRUzpPKiBV7kgIkK9HYuOttESSmC6F6DgxuN6SI9dtX85y0vyqIT7S/s1600-h/Matt_Lisa_107.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400030622294706034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5kuoqP4xx6Vh0gJeCzMRW_buYuf1iExHp195KDeOkx7-bEQBZUhmZTyX_B3h1lOw9IguPYmcCNTdKf-wRxNgEqZRUzpPKiBV7kgIkK9HYuOttESSmC6F6DgxuN6SI9dtX85y0vyqIT7S/s400/Matt_Lisa_107.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><em></em><br />
<em><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">September 2007</span></div></em><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Cancer has reared it's ugly head again in my life and claimed another person close to me. Just when I thought the year was looking up . . . I was cancer-free, on the road to recovery from surgeries, and feeling in good health. Then I get some heartbreaking news that a dear friend has only months to live. At first I couldn't believe it. How could his time be limited? He's only 33 years old and CAN'T be dying from a brain tumor!<br />
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I've know Jimmy since I was 5 years old, when we first started school. We grew up together, had the same friends, and were even high school sweethearts. Even though we ended our romantic relationship after college, we still remained close friends and would always have that love for one another. After all, how could you stop caring about someone who has been such a major part of your life growing up? When I first found out 5 years ago that he was diagnosed with brain cancer it was like a shot in the gut. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't focus. I kept wondering, how could this be? We're too young for cancer! The doctors were able to operate and remove most of the tumor and with chemo and radiation he was on track to getting better. But there was always going to be that chance that the tumor would grow again.<br />
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We all heard the words . . . "the cancer will come back" . . . but I don't think any of us REALLY understood EXACTLY what that meant. This year when it did come back and it was aparent that there was nothing more that the doctors could do I was in disbelief. Just two months earlier we were talking about how we were going to walk the survivors lap together in the Realy for Life that next year. We had talked about how strange it was that we both ended up with cancer but he was the one who helped me through my treatment, having gone through it himself.<br />
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I still find myself asking why. Why him, why so early in life, why, why, why. These questions will never be answered, I know that. But what I do hang on to are the memories of him and the time we spent together growing up.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>James E. Beckwith, you will be in my heart always!</strong></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcEt2r-QUA9LslVfsAWxVxZSFqF5QXAyPdedSwW1e4g0JZFicPpq9daNS-lZMQ2HaZAcSf_AKSU93IeARVulLg95x7eWV3cO1qw9HowFyxpOwLG7iR5lbC9yk08TyOy-EL-WVQeLeV0T2/s1600-h/Mohawk+047.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400030871540611474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcEt2r-QUA9LslVfsAWxVxZSFqF5QXAyPdedSwW1e4g0JZFicPpq9daNS-lZMQ2HaZAcSf_AKSU93IeARVulLg95x7eWV3cO1qw9HowFyxpOwLG7iR5lbC9yk08TyOy-EL-WVQeLeV0T2/s400/Mohawk+047.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 308px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><em></em><br />
<em><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">September 1993</span></div></em>Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-47147044822710104462009-08-31T22:24:00.000-04:002009-08-31T22:47:20.843-04:00The SCAR Project<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB18aw3t_Ndv8ycKyjwEEpczAsSTGfiQLAfdHBnyHlJtGTcXZ0ZtqNKxwtDqVueCm-tUz1jK3WdIm2vRFedB-wHxYT89aC3njsN-YX_bcOHlh7gH14IlyvvoDjjmDbx2g6TnYanJRkiwW3/s1600-h/SCAR+Project+photo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB18aw3t_Ndv8ycKyjwEEpczAsSTGfiQLAfdHBnyHlJtGTcXZ0ZtqNKxwtDqVueCm-tUz1jK3WdIm2vRFedB-wHxYT89aC3njsN-YX_bcOHlh7gH14IlyvvoDjjmDbx2g6TnYanJRkiwW3/s400/SCAR+Project+photo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376324645775086994" /></a><br />I was lucky enough to be involved in a photo shoot for The SCAR Project with photographer David Jay in New York City. I stumbled across the site for the project while on my laptop passing time at the hospital during treatment last year. I was looking for other young women my age and how their cancer had affected them, and how they dealt with it. I was also working with a photographer close to home, having her shoot black and white photos of my stages through cancer. When I came across the website, www.thescarproject.org, I was in awe of the photos he had taken and how he had captured their beauty, even though they had been through hell. I wanted to get involved too! I submitted my information and waited. Within a week I heard back from him. Unfortuantaly he had finished shooting for the year and was off to Australia for the winter, but indicated that he would get in touch with me when he got back to the states in the spring.<br /><br />Spring came and went and I started to think that maybe I wouldn't be chosen for the project. I had heard on some message boards of other women being turned down because they were out of the age range. I was still within the range, but just barely. In July I got an email from him saying that he was back in NYC and wanted to schedule me for a shoot. I was so excited! I had to have surgery at the beginning of August, so I scheduled the shoot for three weeks after the surgery.<br /><br />I asked a good friend of mine to head down there with me. We decided to take the train from Hartford into NYC so we didn't have to fight with traffic (which was the best idea ever). I was a little nervous about what to expect but excited to get there. When we got to the city we had a few hours to kill before the shoot, so we decided to head to the Empire State Building. Wow, what a view! Heading up the top was fun, but we were a bit rushed. It would have been nice to have a little more time. At least we picked a great day to head down there . . . sunny and 90 degrees!<br /><br />The photo shoot was a such cool experience. Instead of shooting at his studio, we shot at The Thompson LES Hotel. He was going for a more natural setting for some of the shots. When we got there it was straight to hair and makeup while he was finishing up with the first client. He made me feel very comfortable and surprisingly it wasn't akward at all. We started shooting and within 15 minutes he thought he had got the shot he wanted. I kinda felt a little jipped, he had only shot about a few dozen photos of me. I traveled all morning for this and I wanted more than just 15 minutes of fame!! :) He decided to shoot a few dozen more just to make sure everyting was in focus and then we were done.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6UEylHB2rHK_sgcFE1gLvWUR2vzlO6IK5Z7SbutSZrpO80AOWpKoS47eIBF5I6AI7kHocUBt_gYS3WkllDTCXJIe-HYmhoBekTQpG5vXTLxjcwR2E2BCkzXJJobGbwkH5w-JdE42_XVK/s1600-h/IMG_4945.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6UEylHB2rHK_sgcFE1gLvWUR2vzlO6IK5Z7SbutSZrpO80AOWpKoS47eIBF5I6AI7kHocUBt_gYS3WkllDTCXJIe-HYmhoBekTQpG5vXTLxjcwR2E2BCkzXJJobGbwkH5w-JdE42_XVK/s400/IMG_4945.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376324905731357698" /></a><br />I had such a good time while down there with everyone involved. I would definately do it again. It was bittersweet though, coming at a time when a good friend's health was taking a turn for the worse, and I think that he really captured that in my expression. This is a horrible disease, not just breast cancer, and when it just so happens that young people get it, it's that much more shocking. Which is why I wanted to be part of the project . . . to put a face to the disease and show people the absolute reality of what it's like to live through cancer.<br /><br />For the gallery photos check out: http://www.thescarproject.org/TheSCARProject20/Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-21594118760021468102009-08-05T02:40:00.001-04:002009-08-05T02:40:08.029-04:00SurgeryJust a quick update. . . surgery went well today. Dr. C and Abby are happy with how things went in the O.R. Was supposed to take 2 hours, but they did a lot more work than originally anticipated so it ran long, 3.5 hours! Fine with me. Whatever it takes to make things as close to perfect as possible! Will post more later when I'm not so medicated! :)Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-84278141062772522952009-07-30T22:35:00.000-04:002009-07-30T22:59:32.060-04:00Surgery . . . againThe date for my next surgery is fast approaching . . . August 4th. This summer seems to be flying right by and I wonder what my life will be like next year when I'm not planning events around my surgery, or radiation, or chemo, or multiple doctor appointments. While I'm very excited to have this next surgery and be that much closer to the reconstructed me, it's really putting a dent in my social life. Already there are 3 things that I was looking forward to this summer that are now blown . . . Kenny Chesney concert - can't go, too close to surgery, Entrain Harbor Cruise in Boston - ditto, lobster boat races in Maine - major ditto!! WTF! And I really don't want to push the surgery date back, I want it OVER!<br /><br />One thing I am looking forward to this summer is my photo shoot with David Jay for The SCAR Project. More on that in a later post.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDZ7F61EqurlzLa4H7nC0ymYuMUHAPdMdTk-ZSmKJW0LWUJebvOBnaOdxtpzqf1HTMZJ1p1RqH1nZLXySPFdrhgDb8gwCOnIHsKQCGKU2w-SdIBgB-2di1JCTTciXp77ejULf1G2nDBr6/s1600-h/IMG_1735.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDZ7F61EqurlzLa4H7nC0ymYuMUHAPdMdTk-ZSmKJW0LWUJebvOBnaOdxtpzqf1HTMZJ1p1RqH1nZLXySPFdrhgDb8gwCOnIHsKQCGKU2w-SdIBgB-2di1JCTTciXp77ejULf1G2nDBr6/s400/IMG_1735.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364450878637379730" /></a><em>"Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine."</em>Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-6978841609465305502009-07-06T23:49:00.000-04:002009-07-07T00:35:05.903-04:00Back to life . . . back to normalcyOr should I say, my new kind of normal. My blog updates are becoming few and far between, but I'm trying to be better. It's just been a crazy few weeks. So the first of my new news . . . went back up to moose country (northern Maine) to go whitewater rafting after taking a 13 year hiatus from class V water. It was actually a spur of the moment trip with an old college friend, and it turned out to be a great weekend.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpjxdHA8omksC2uk6xLkeC1CASoP8KWHTFnwJPXjn_921GkaBU9HGjMEL2JiXOE2m4owcW6-6-Yx3uQumuV_IrVCrzRtUPjw1I-GKZEcc8pi8gMybDdcI53hijknt9-SKUOyevFG1Ei_y/s1600-h/IMG_4609.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpjxdHA8omksC2uk6xLkeC1CASoP8KWHTFnwJPXjn_921GkaBU9HGjMEL2JiXOE2m4owcW6-6-Yx3uQumuV_IrVCrzRtUPjw1I-GKZEcc8pi8gMybDdcI53hijknt9-SKUOyevFG1Ei_y/s320/IMG_4609.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355562027305095586" /></a><br />They had booked the trip with Three Rivers Whitewater in The Forks, Maine. Sshhh, don't tell my old friends/co-workers at Crab Apple Whitewater that I went with another outfit! The weather for the weekend was less than ideal . . . rain, rain and more rain. Gotta love camping in that! So after the 6 hour drive north I arrived at the site to find that the girls had just finished pitching the tent . . . just in time! :) We were all very excited for our trip on the Kennebec River the next day. An 8000 cfs release is always a good time, no matter the weather!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0xqCYpw_bQZ1DJsrv1BYsWUZdcIIqURvK9OIYjH3Yv8tPcT2D6zDAXxv-kXe6zYbLb3GuCGe1r8Zlnb0f04cQmitcmnqMKVXyfVSNQz_xazqj26CBlbqAvr_uqHergjcf34z9HHiOyH0/s1600-h/TRW23.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0xqCYpw_bQZ1DJsrv1BYsWUZdcIIqURvK9OIYjH3Yv8tPcT2D6zDAXxv-kXe6zYbLb3GuCGe1r8Zlnb0f04cQmitcmnqMKVXyfVSNQz_xazqj26CBlbqAvr_uqHergjcf34z9HHiOyH0/s320/TRW23.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355562741251917634" /></a><br />Being back up there made me feel like I was 20 years old again! The adventures I had and people I met while working for Crab Apple was something I'll never forget. As we geared up I started to get a bit concerned. After all, I was only 2.5 months out of surgery . . . could I really paddle hard enough without hurting myself? Well, we were going to find out!! Cancer was NOT going to take this walk down memory lane away from me! After what was one of the scarriest rides on a rickety bus to the put-in (going so fast down a dirt road we thought we'd roll the thing, and then blowing out a tire and continuing on like nothing happened), our fun was about to begin.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLr5Qrn_clT54Ke3vhBiYt9HM_GV-sG-QaqjKKXWd28Zo1oKL7MrrhyphenhyphentqyKTtDNkWgrfQKC1YcUGqp9ibvVfS1Z5OiHDYxJcZ4TBYZq3IEP7pCWgmJLqDSFr2_teY6O_WMHSNRGMM1pHA0/s1600-h/K08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLr5Qrn_clT54Ke3vhBiYt9HM_GV-sG-QaqjKKXWd28Zo1oKL7MrrhyphenhyphentqyKTtDNkWgrfQKC1YcUGqp9ibvVfS1Z5OiHDYxJcZ4TBYZq3IEP7pCWgmJLqDSFr2_teY6O_WMHSNRGMM1pHA0/s320/K08.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355562472428970242" /></a><br />The Kennebec was all that I remembered. Just like seeing an old friend after so many years, everything comes flooding back to you . . . the stunning beauty of the gorge, the power of Cathedral Eddy, the fun to be had in rapids such as Rock Garden - Three Sisters - Big Mamma - The Alleyway - and Maytag. And no, Magic Falls didn't claim our boat that day!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckW7wS2j8D-z_wBCzeMetg5fuR9TILzGSomIiKtRBfcwTrXl0z-EQBGIhJb7Sl2AotsqIVKCiRqabadkPGyUvnCn6eGmvEXt5opdFp1e5qiwcaBPxIF5Vg4rPjsjBhPH65sKWn4kajJZi/s1600-h/TRW20.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckW7wS2j8D-z_wBCzeMetg5fuR9TILzGSomIiKtRBfcwTrXl0z-EQBGIhJb7Sl2AotsqIVKCiRqabadkPGyUvnCn6eGmvEXt5opdFp1e5qiwcaBPxIF5Vg4rPjsjBhPH65sKWn4kajJZi/s320/TRW20.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355570820757395810" /></a><br />We had a fun day on the river and were more than ready for the lobster/clam bake that was waiting for us back at the base. I was a bit sore from the surgery, but I didn't let that slow me down on the river. Some of the guides found out about my situation and were even inspired. And come to find out . . . they have a survivor guiding for them too! It was a great trip, and I'll definately be back to take the river on again!Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-89692388264715304982009-05-29T01:48:00.001-04:002009-05-29T01:48:41.859-04:00The next stepWent back to Boston to see Dr. C today. She is very happy with the way things are looking and we decided go go ahead and schedule my next surgery. So August 4th it is . . . a little nip here, a tuck there then I should be near the end of my road! I can't wait to see what my body looks like when all these little revisions are finished. The only question is . . . nipples or tattooing . . . I'm still on the fence. (I never thought that would be one of my decisions in life!)Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-75750580962040167692009-05-19T23:13:00.001-04:002009-05-19T23:46:44.592-04:00Ink before cancer . . . looking for new ink post-cancerThe first tattoo I got on my abdomen was a yin yang with fire and water instead of black and white. I got it my first year of college and when my mom saw it, she asked me if I thought about how that would look if I ever got pregnant. Aparently that didn't deter me from getting more because the next one was of Kokopelli, and the next - Japanese symbol for strength . . . in addition to piercing my navel. After she brought that to my attention the pregnancy thing was in the back of my mind . . . I thought, sure maybe a few stretch marks due to a baby . . . but never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I'd lose all my art to cancer!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLHFkZk_vi_w9FZpbtC1rOMDNEuWAVCSKU6iX0YpMUN7B6QyeGNF4hJCZvgBngqvmQ9J0hpg2qy2em14JTcN1TuAMWVoXSnHAQE1TzkR8t30grBFPz1LHewlswXFBxiWSNT6gi2dC8QhW/s1600-h/BellyPierce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLHFkZk_vi_w9FZpbtC1rOMDNEuWAVCSKU6iX0YpMUN7B6QyeGNF4hJCZvgBngqvmQ9J0hpg2qy2em14JTcN1TuAMWVoXSnHAQE1TzkR8t30grBFPz1LHewlswXFBxiWSNT6gi2dC8QhW/s320/BellyPierce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337740954979282642" /></a>This is the photo that was taken when I got my navel pierced, you can't see all three tattoos but I'm sure you can imagine the other one. For about 12 years this is what my belly looked like (give or take a few extra pounds of course!!).<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvty8XHzuyupXlZOzjriPOCiG74HbwabNdcvLlSlOpClfPi4Xe7j33PUUCujzd2qcRrTuuA8QIr3rxwNM98yg7jmbBVDeloI3ZaXUOJEIdTMYUC8QwEh3FgwgFmfbcP7rA-eimmwqwtcEq/s1600-h/IMG_1338.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvty8XHzuyupXlZOzjriPOCiG74HbwabNdcvLlSlOpClfPi4Xe7j33PUUCujzd2qcRrTuuA8QIr3rxwNM98yg7jmbBVDeloI3ZaXUOJEIdTMYUC8QwEh3FgwgFmfbcP7rA-eimmwqwtcEq/s320/IMG_1338.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337740809670508690" /></a>And now, this is what I'm starting over with. (Ok, not quite as this photo is only 5 weeks post-surgery, but it's an idea) The way I'm choosing to look at it . . . this is now a brand new canvas, a blank slate! So, after my abdomen is all healed up I'm thinking of getting another tattoo to replace the three that I lost. I've come to terms with the fact that I may never bear children of my own so I'm now not worried about stretch marks ruining my ink! I do know that I want the new one to symbolize my strength through all this and also my mom, who I lost to ovarian cancer. Problem being . . . I can't draw worth a shit! So if anyone reading this post has any ideas, fire away!!Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-14914451210787772702009-05-04T15:43:00.000-04:002009-05-04T15:59:31.848-04:003 weeks post-surgery<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4swpidHAf_Xlua1QSQT39vObqGD8t2nfmoQnwhmpn1TjgFdxRG7LI6eVak5jqO9FcZW3nx5UIovho7HvwodW73lANE1BAkfJxdv_T4NPMFhUYvKaoXIHDH1c6xTbVJewX6zS-WZs9xdf/s1600-h/IMG_1251.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4swpidHAf_Xlua1QSQT39vObqGD8t2nfmoQnwhmpn1TjgFdxRG7LI6eVak5jqO9FcZW3nx5UIovho7HvwodW73lANE1BAkfJxdv_T4NPMFhUYvKaoXIHDH1c6xTbVJewX6zS-WZs9xdf/s320/IMG_1251.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332057177105050226" /></a>"Wow, that's quite a shark bite!"<br /><br />Just one of the comments I've heard from friends when they see my donor site incision. I also got, "how many kids did you have?" when someone who didn't know me caught a glimpse of the incision. And to think, this is what the doctors and nurses consider a good looking incision!!<br /><br />The surgeon wasn't kidding when she told me that the scar would be hip to hip!! It's been 3 weeks since the surgery and I'm hoping to get the last drain out tomorrow at my appointment. I'm also looking forward to being able to sleep comfortably. Sleepless nights are becoming old, real quick! Tomorrow I'm also hoping to talk more about revisions and what to expect in the coming months. Now that my belly is flat, my sides are more noticeable! I'm hoping that she'll be able to fix that when she does the scar revisions later on. After all, I've been through a lot and I think I deserve a nice sleek midriff!! ;)Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-66393175376490698552009-04-22T13:39:00.000-04:002009-04-22T14:18:10.646-04:00Update - 9 days post-surgery<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlSUro8c1LmW7DVD9mHxP67Fpw2C1ahRxh4g-oLre7lTl5h0Syg9oEQ9KDNHLkhEyq90QC9Yjc69b7x8UitLF11MilVGSsuyq8IGOwRrZk4ot7y5y2mpYX0h4JPwn2Fuhkv3Lv5Brn9zr/s1600-h/IMG_1238.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlSUro8c1LmW7DVD9mHxP67Fpw2C1ahRxh4g-oLre7lTl5h0Syg9oEQ9KDNHLkhEyq90QC9Yjc69b7x8UitLF11MilVGSsuyq8IGOwRrZk4ot7y5y2mpYX0h4JPwn2Fuhkv3Lv5Brn9zr/s320/IMG_1238.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327580758027892370" /></a>Just a quick update on how surgery went. My surgery was scheduled for 7:30am and they got me into the OR around 8. The surgery itself took about 12 hours and I didn't wake back up and become coherent again until about 9pm. I spent the night in ICU with them monitering my incisions and checking the flaps every hour. ICU was not a fun time! They had me on oxygen (little tubes in my nose) and the smell made me want to puke! That was one of the worst parts, I had to be on the oxygen all week and it also dried out my nose. By the third day I was having nose bleeds and the saline spray they gave me didn't really help.<br /><br />I was moved out of ICU to a private room Tuesday night and Tuesday was also my first time out of bed. They moved me to a chair and I sat there for about 20 minutes before feeling like I was going to pass out. Wednesday the Physical Therapist came back and wanted to get me walking. We went for a little walk out of my room and down the hall and then got me back into a chair where they started some deep breathing exercises with me. At that time all started to go black and I got wicked lightheaded and again almost passed out. They quickly got me back into bed, I had aparently pushed it too far. The next few days got easier and I was looking forward to being released on Friday. Every day the plastics team would come by and see how I was progressing. They were very happy with the result thus far, always commenting that the incisions looked great and that it was going to produce a great result. Even one of the nurses made a comment that the incision on my belly looked better than her c-section scar.<br /><br />I was completely shocked the first time I saw my body. It wasn't at all what I had expected. The incisions were huge and not symmetrical at all. It kinda got me down. I had expected the worst after the mastectomy and was extremely happy with that result. My scars from that surgery were about the size of a dime. This . . . just picture the stitching on a baseball and transfer that to both breasts! I know that it's too soon to judge, there's surgical glue and ink from being marked up before the procedure and blood under the glue, but it was shocking! I know that there will be revisions to make them more symetrical and that the scars will fade, but it's been such a long road that I'm more than ready to be at the end.<br /><br />I left the hospital on Friday with 4 drains in place and planned on spending the week with a friend to be closer to Boston and my surgeon. Being close to the city proved to be a good idea, one of the drains became quite red and painful by Sunday night and when I called the office on Monday, they agreed that it should come out early. So Tuesday, my surgeon's nurse pulled that one and now I have 3 left. My first post-op visit with the surgeon is tomorrow. I was hoping that all 3 drains would come out, but yesterday the nurse told me not to be surprised if I went back home to Western Mass with at least 1 of the drains still in place.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu66GjgKHzFSgC5iFKdGv83oZW9W3y_j_KnDfBYvGIax-tpLdKkNZNd5JBpUx4DlI4SODfE7OOfYAKUMW9PNEY6s3Byi43jCOrwZm24znQ96dQLopsd-c5R8dJ30PNbyHx8hVRu_7DyyPM/s1600-h/IMG_1239.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 308px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu66GjgKHzFSgC5iFKdGv83oZW9W3y_j_KnDfBYvGIax-tpLdKkNZNd5JBpUx4DlI4SODfE7OOfYAKUMW9PNEY6s3Byi43jCOrwZm24znQ96dQLopsd-c5R8dJ30PNbyHx8hVRu_7DyyPM/s320/IMG_1239.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327580998064026402" /></a>This surgery was so much more difficult than I had originally anticipated! I thought that I would be able to do things on my own once I left the hospital . . . not so! I needed help with the drains, getting up, getting in the shower, putting on my sweats, everything! Thank god for my friend and her husband! They made my first week out of the hospital so much easier, I don't know what I would have done without them! Each day is getting a bit easier and I can now do simple things by myself, and am finally walking upright without pain and can get myself out of bed. It's still a long road ahead!Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-30447553601153064162009-04-12T22:01:00.000-04:002009-04-12T22:22:41.839-04:00Night before surgery<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSICDewvR67-iqyl6-LuTVpbggQovLCfkNMVlPo6UIQd4_zMJ0GO4JkhP4GLV_V8TmSco93s1u5cOC3evF-zmC8nbQvOlG8WrTZ-C-V6LAXpXMYVq4uGWCYsGxt8xpKQFT7my_RHd1gB2/s1600-h/IMG_1226.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSICDewvR67-iqyl6-LuTVpbggQovLCfkNMVlPo6UIQd4_zMJ0GO4JkhP4GLV_V8TmSco93s1u5cOC3evF-zmC8nbQvOlG8WrTZ-C-V6LAXpXMYVq4uGWCYsGxt8xpKQFT7my_RHd1gB2/s320/IMG_1226.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323990527269663890" /></a>It's the night before my surgery for breast reconstruction (DIEP flap) and I'm feeling a bit anxious. I packed up my bags today to head to a friends house who is bringing me to the hospital in the morning. I'll be in the hospital for a week and then staying with my friend for another week to be closer to the hospital in case anything happens, since I live about 2 hours away. As I was packing up my things, the dog must have somehow known that I was leaving for two weeks because normally when my brother comes over he runs to see him and follows him around the house. Not today. He was shoved right up my butt and wouldn't leave my side. He was so cute today.<br /><br />As the hours tick down to the surgery time - 7:30 am tomorrow - I'm getting more excited. I can't wait for these tissue expanders to be out of me and to have squishy boobs again. And to top it all off, I get a tummy tuck as well! That's the icing on the cake right there! But it's going to be a long, tough recovery. One that I'm NOT looking forward to. But I have a great support system behind me . . . great friends that have done so much for me already and a family that will do anything as well . . . what more could a person ask for!Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-74947924453927662602009-04-09T00:11:00.000-04:002009-04-09T00:28:01.422-04:00Getting the word out<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhNujpMyFh2HlE-3hu8ohV46IPfNFyhy1kZ_y0BvCBsx-BF08KQ0heA_E19pDqq7oHNQuSkClCDqMJQ9jEhjMxxWrvem7zsivwJTtcdtdLdmBvRtlPb98QSD179H9dx3CDejf_nxrPH9Y/s1600-h/IMG_1170.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhNujpMyFh2HlE-3hu8ohV46IPfNFyhy1kZ_y0BvCBsx-BF08KQ0heA_E19pDqq7oHNQuSkClCDqMJQ9jEhjMxxWrvem7zsivwJTtcdtdLdmBvRtlPb98QSD179H9dx3CDejf_nxrPH9Y/s320/IMG_1170.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322540092570400882" /></a>I've found that being back out on the mountain is where I feel most like myself these days. All geared up . . . riding down the slopes . . . people don't give the "poor you" look. It's like cancer never even happened!<br /><br />And, just when I'm back to feeling like myself again . . . the season comes to an abrupt end! I was able to get in some good spring riding, and even met a few new riding buddies, who of course asked about my condition but I didn't mind sharing my story. They all have women in their lives and I hoped that my story would make them realize that breast cancer is NOT an old woman's cancer. Young women do and are dying from this, and early detection is so very important!<br /><br />So to all the men out there . . . save a life, grope your wife/girlfriend/fiancée!Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-29000593556880622042009-03-21T00:41:00.000-04:002009-03-21T01:07:45.188-04:00The cancer's gone . . . how much longer until I start feeling like myself again?!?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwD3QzlzWl3jh-Q-ZuATjKVmhvsrizJgqlcG4SRYaEpKO45niA2X6fQVTCUYJYp11WzSsWZzny_aZbISLPtkowKehutPWwYavDEXS7TB0zPlafWRBGCdkSwaYXTkoPgYvcG8-5SWu97I4L/s1600-h/KellyMarcy44.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwD3QzlzWl3jh-Q-ZuATjKVmhvsrizJgqlcG4SRYaEpKO45niA2X6fQVTCUYJYp11WzSsWZzny_aZbISLPtkowKehutPWwYavDEXS7TB0zPlafWRBGCdkSwaYXTkoPgYvcG8-5SWu97I4L/s320/KellyMarcy44.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315496887576607202" /></a><br />This photo of my friend Marcy and I was taken at my most recent sitting with a professional photographer. I had the idea to document how cancer would change my body through a series of black & white photos, and then put together my "cancer portfolio".<br /><br />My friends are awesome, the photographer is awesome (she's even doing these sittings for me at no charge!), so why the f@%k can't I muster up a smile? How much longer until I start feeling like myself again? My reconstructive surgery is just a few weeks away, my hair is growing back (eyebrows are lagging behind a bit), and there's no more cancer in my body . . . WTF is wrong with me?! I don't think that I'll begin to feel like my old self again until I have my long hair back and I feel like a woman again. It was bad enough being called "sir" in the grocery store when I was going through chemo and had no hair under my caps, but now I get mistaken for a lesbian. News flash . . . not every female with short hair is a lesbian!!<br /><br />Maybe I should shave my head again . . . . on second thought, not a chance!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNGqESNCnFKNJEzdVvajFHI_fhAcu9Yx48sYIWOv9577oUipPX4rQDQ25g3tozxjW_GpzecmVNjbbz_4NiNo1VbOHUTLRY_n3IROAFMMhCxGpWf3qAR3Tm8DGyFyh7iNwI36X0N9WNYxl/s1600-h/P7130231RB&W.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNGqESNCnFKNJEzdVvajFHI_fhAcu9Yx48sYIWOv9577oUipPX4rQDQ25g3tozxjW_GpzecmVNjbbz_4NiNo1VbOHUTLRY_n3IROAFMMhCxGpWf3qAR3Tm8DGyFyh7iNwI36X0N9WNYxl/s320/P7130231RB&W.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315502627773802402" /></a>Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-75010608438379810852009-03-21T00:17:00.000-04:002009-03-21T00:33:28.871-04:00Must be rough . . .<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGv984f43SznB7t5YRSOZOsTz48nVMTZQf2GGVWE5V2wEh43HlSegbNAckvhB4r0NEllYdClg_AZz4gBLk64-njTUqfpfhFAWBxnpfyygC_ZveIUlOzGNzRz1Sp7NXKIWg5B1iySEku-YG/s1600-h/IMG_0897.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGv984f43SznB7t5YRSOZOsTz48nVMTZQf2GGVWE5V2wEh43HlSegbNAckvhB4r0NEllYdClg_AZz4gBLk64-njTUqfpfhFAWBxnpfyygC_ZveIUlOzGNzRz1Sp7NXKIWg5B1iySEku-YG/s320/IMG_0897.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315491119875065298" /></a><br /><br />As my reconstructive surgery date approaches I've noticed my anxiety level going up, which is strange because all through my diagnosis, chemo, mastectomy, and radiation I was fine. Or so I thought, maybe I was just really good at fooling myself.<br /><br />As my worries increased, I couldn't help but be jealous of my dog . . . with no care in the world all he probably thinks about is his next long walk, or a steak bone, or ride in the car with his snoot out the window taking in all the smells around him. Must be nice to have a comfy place to rest (notice that he's spoiled with a pillow as well) and plenty of love and attention. He's blissfully ignorant.<br /><br />I wish I could go back to being blissfully ignorant! In my next life I think I want to come back as a pampered dog. I think I've earned that right! :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP75avuRlRic7Xyfdgc3kPG3iAowXfMwnIE4zYaza-R5L1ufd2efuH96nghBFGyzYnGDiXt3rzdCy_wampueBZ9H_BYXs42R14748e7JKPpKvpZTr7m_yu0_tAZRLgiHg2xRZews3sjUef/s1600-h/IMG_0900.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP75avuRlRic7Xyfdgc3kPG3iAowXfMwnIE4zYaza-R5L1ufd2efuH96nghBFGyzYnGDiXt3rzdCy_wampueBZ9H_BYXs42R14748e7JKPpKvpZTr7m_yu0_tAZRLgiHg2xRZews3sjUef/s320/IMG_0900.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315493997549017762" /></a>Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-25252294946101125602009-01-29T11:12:00.000-05:002009-04-09T00:32:26.827-04:00Winter Dew Tour at Mount Snow<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1kptQlNtJH5iStCDBV6_bPZJivHIwEnPzM_gbLsUZrNt6krx5WHcK9wAYVqAQ-aOnptSqFgxN-CseA6oijFijxMoWzGOcBBdqAKXWscYknCmPjynxWr_4-aVZCGkTD_gwvH-XbnO5Htt/s1600-h/winter-dew-tour-big.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1kptQlNtJH5iStCDBV6_bPZJivHIwEnPzM_gbLsUZrNt6krx5WHcK9wAYVqAQ-aOnptSqFgxN-CseA6oijFijxMoWzGOcBBdqAKXWscYknCmPjynxWr_4-aVZCGkTD_gwvH-XbnO5Htt/s320/winter-dew-tour-big.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296757593881721570" /></a><br />January 8-11 the Winter Dew Tour came to Mount Snow, and thanks to my friend Ev, I was able to get a media pass and be right in the middle of all the action all weekend! World-class athletes, olympic gold medalists, it was all very exciting and I even got the chance to meet some of the athletes, including Shaun White, Simon Dumont and Mount Snow's own Kelly Clark!<br /><br />The weekend was filled with events in the Superpipe and Slopestyle, both snowboard and freeski. Hiking the pipe all weekend for the best vantage point was well worth the huffing and puffing! Check out some of my shots from the weekend:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQ1JwnEWuJWwD_UYQumkf3TJxfPHZ3fiQzYUBcsHxA-eRfjLp9QuBPYCZ5o8Wo0xKXlflPzmJ_b439X5zmy03aPuMgAcATzyrsPLkiHuPtegTWZHzCVHXku7GOI01tGLZMqG-gj8wOHvi/s1600-h/DewTour550.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQ1JwnEWuJWwD_UYQumkf3TJxfPHZ3fiQzYUBcsHxA-eRfjLp9QuBPYCZ5o8Wo0xKXlflPzmJ_b439X5zmy03aPuMgAcATzyrsPLkiHuPtegTWZHzCVHXku7GOI01tGLZMqG-gj8wOHvi/s200/DewTour550.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296758418576399090" /></a> <em>JF Houle</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOwTP3uw-jnx7IT6Gy9XkjMxRX_anIYPBqowmZSLfdVm9FPvHta7RhyphenhyphenRABO3B3zVeSmuxkRqeQWMCm9NsiE9xVvDAjCQeIIRe58pQ3Ny6YyXHIM7I07vblKpcf0_Y_9fT1MxKwWwe3voW/s1600-h/DewTour346.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOwTP3uw-jnx7IT6Gy9XkjMxRX_anIYPBqowmZSLfdVm9FPvHta7RhyphenhyphenRABO3B3zVeSmuxkRqeQWMCm9NsiE9xVvDAjCQeIIRe58pQ3Ny6YyXHIM7I07vblKpcf0_Y_9fT1MxKwWwe3voW/s200/DewTour346.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296754849637004226" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_W28t2m9VJJXGrGo4TnUcJdDAWMJL2Z7HQUv9zKyreYP98K9C62FfgvH8X3BQGt6uUltXvWwGT5n1jr0HqHWKc6pQNcad0Vg-0ldAkaE_-9zRLZsFfVyTpBM4x0L0Vlz7hTHBUtTR9sdX/s1600-h/DewTour077.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_W28t2m9VJJXGrGo4TnUcJdDAWMJL2Z7HQUv9zKyreYP98K9C62FfgvH8X3BQGt6uUltXvWwGT5n1jr0HqHWKc6pQNcad0Vg-0ldAkaE_-9zRLZsFfVyTpBM4x0L0Vlz7hTHBUtTR9sdX/s200/DewTour077.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296754666288459506" /></a> <em>Simon Dumont</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjha_l0H2AzbWFOhOMoshfyCGfqD9DCWw1xlUGBC_Wf6pkGFKP_eLgntWMdZr0B4eu7fQMYjXOikvnLYbCOWJA_OAgqk6yNvxtagnnE6rgGM1Hn6RdidNkteh1J_Z8rE5djucsbhXuMYWwG/s1600-h/DewTourSu159.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjha_l0H2AzbWFOhOMoshfyCGfqD9DCWw1xlUGBC_Wf6pkGFKP_eLgntWMdZr0B4eu7fQMYjXOikvnLYbCOWJA_OAgqk6yNvxtagnnE6rgGM1Hn6RdidNkteh1J_Z8rE5djucsbhXuMYWwG/s200/DewTourSu159.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296754508425826370" /></a> <em>Kelly Clark</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlChuflGrejaOi7EeE7BZeHqUVEsB04m_zl8JnKZWDx_IObgUL3v8AXUqvF1nEjaLuLBBt3F5xWAMo84EdS0C64nI7DxWV3pM6JBJA0UIwLP8XGVkJ-0Y4ZF3_7y3YKoS2aK1lvw3BQOL/s1600-h/DewTourSu095.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlChuflGrejaOi7EeE7BZeHqUVEsB04m_zl8JnKZWDx_IObgUL3v8AXUqvF1nEjaLuLBBt3F5xWAMo84EdS0C64nI7DxWV3pM6JBJA0UIwLP8XGVkJ-0Y4ZF3_7y3YKoS2aK1lvw3BQOL/s200/DewTourSu095.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296754413093881890" /></a> <em>Shaun White</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eo2K0a8rC44CbCN6ZnS0nbtGjAmJ6KngHghuMhyG900hA6ABLKva8mNpeW1rPqpnJ-xWAbP-R8ypoQQexzwiZsBmTNpO0RVJsMJt_OLoxuL6ewk3FhY_FhqGfi07VXQ_VA2f25Myf50W/s1600-h/DewTourSu415.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eo2K0a8rC44CbCN6ZnS0nbtGjAmJ6KngHghuMhyG900hA6ABLKva8mNpeW1rPqpnJ-xWAbP-R8ypoQQexzwiZsBmTNpO0RVJsMJt_OLoxuL6ewk3FhY_FhqGfi07VXQ_VA2f25Myf50W/s200/DewTourSu415.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296755202860721730" /></a> <em>Me with Shaun White</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YnWnrZQI2ogINeQ0WDoA61lT7mEz0erfk-ZoLinNiM65_9JP3BU5HMBHuzspwrBwVSRTZwerFgBcs22pzO5QZdabUnXAYp0U1Mka71KOzCbh928zKpvhB7IQmmPpE_ZExKXvgDn-GB5N/s1600-h/DewTourSu407.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YnWnrZQI2ogINeQ0WDoA61lT7mEz0erfk-ZoLinNiM65_9JP3BU5HMBHuzspwrBwVSRTZwerFgBcs22pzO5QZdabUnXAYp0U1Mka71KOzCbh928zKpvhB7IQmmPpE_ZExKXvgDn-GB5N/s200/DewTourSu407.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296755635614803906" /></a> <em>Ev interviewing Kelly Clark</em><br /><br />For the rest of the footage and interviews from the weekend, check out Ev on Real TV Films! This chick's awesome at her job . . . and one of my best friends!<br />www.realtvfilms.com/winter-dew-tour.html (interviews should be posted this weekend)Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-68122207304427378892008-12-28T17:52:00.000-05:002008-12-28T17:58:54.455-05:00With friends like these, how could a girl go wrong!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrI-n17SrWEG8IKO6osor2NjiW-Uy6vDJILkuiGOeobsMGLFCWgXkyhd0jONM66r-jXSrW1cPDgiX48OGWvfPbghwoiPLnI-2vdnQ1stCmo7cmhnrcV47gK940r1rnhdZUTEHguxm0RH0u/s1600-h/122708VT005.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrI-n17SrWEG8IKO6osor2NjiW-Uy6vDJILkuiGOeobsMGLFCWgXkyhd0jONM66r-jXSrW1cPDgiX48OGWvfPbghwoiPLnI-2vdnQ1stCmo7cmhnrcV47gK940r1rnhdZUTEHguxm0RH0u/s200/122708VT005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284977950889256754" /></a>I'm so glad I was able to get up to Vermont over the holidays to see my wonderful peeps up there! They've been so supportive through all this cancer crap! I can always count on my northern friends to cheer me up and take my mind off my situation. There's just something about Vermont that feels like home. Love you guys, and you'll be seeing much more of me on the mountain!Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-67295796509460856492008-12-22T12:50:00.000-05:002008-12-22T13:06:37.706-05:00A big thank youI want to thank everyone for the cards, gifts and messages I've received through Meaghan's Spirit Jump program. It was completely unexpected and quite moving to have things mailed to me from complete strangers! I am so glad that I've found a strong support system through my online friends. I'm so glad that I took the advice of my medical team and reached out to others facing similar struggles.<br /><br />Also, thank you to Nana's Box. I received my box a few weeks ago and love the quotes on the cards. I actually made a 2009 calendar with photos from my cancer experience and quotes for each page . . . reminding me to be strong and optimistic.<br /><br />Thank you all for your support and love!!!Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-80512891889070357422008-12-07T14:32:00.000-05:002008-12-07T15:13:27.865-05:00My story - part 5 (radiation)After the mastectomy I had about 6 weeks of healing time before they wanted me to start radiation. I was hoping that radiation was not necessary because the doctors told me that the pathology indicated "no residual cancer" in either the tissue or the lymph nodes . . . "a complete response to chemo". Excellent, I'm cancer free! The doctors were pleased with the result; however, they still felt that radiation was my best chance to avoid local recurrance. So, fine . . . they must know what they're talking about.<br /><br />I started radiation in early September and had to go 5 times a week for about 6 weeks. The radiation itself wasn't that bad, it was the driving and the fatigue that was the worst, plus I was still trying to work during this process. It would have been helpful if the hospital was close to work, but of course it was 1.5 hours away! Something had to give, I ended up taking more time off from work to concentrate on my recovery. About 4 weeks into the treatment I started to develop a burn from the radiation and I was beginning to notice some capsular contracture around the tissue expander. I was told that this was very likely with implants and radiation but I was still hoping that it wouldn't happen to me. All we could do was plug on and hope it didn't get worse. My radiation visits ended on October 9th. By that time I had a burn from my armpit to the center of my chest which was quite tender and peeling. Yuck! But from what I've seen, my burn was mild compared to some! One good thing . . . hair still doesn't grow on the armpit on the side of radiation, so I only have to shave the left! There's always an up side to everything!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqf_YtUUKPav2SM72AoZYTEIsq1GWC7L-S3zha6n10EY5OEwdjNTKerbxaBCBNlEvmrOZQy00M4tl6iMjhTdfXcIFCtwTSV7ta6QYwbGrgbxOu1aLs0h_7KDl6-g0udkaR0Mi4GO8ngtt_/s1600-h/radiation.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqf_YtUUKPav2SM72AoZYTEIsq1GWC7L-S3zha6n10EY5OEwdjNTKerbxaBCBNlEvmrOZQy00M4tl6iMjhTdfXcIFCtwTSV7ta6QYwbGrgbxOu1aLs0h_7KDl6-g0udkaR0Mi4GO8ngtt_/s200/radiation.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277143281612407490" /></a><em>Beam me up scotty!</em><br /><br />After radiation ended I went back to my plastic surgeon. He still wanted to fill the tissue expanders so that my micro surgeon in Boston would have options for my reconstructive surgery. Because of the burn he decided to wait a few weeks before doing the first fill. When it came time for the fill it was one of the weirdest experiences so far. They put 100cc in each side, it was like insta-boob! I could really notice the capsular contracture then. The right side was tighter and higher than the left. But, I just kept my mind on the fact that it wasn't forever. These would be taken out at the time of reconstruction and all would be fixed! I had one more fill about 4 weeks later, 100cc in each again. One more step down . . . now just have to head back down to Boston to meet with the surgeon and see what she thinks about reconstruction options.Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-46542503221492114002008-11-30T17:24:00.000-05:002008-12-22T13:10:20.436-05:00<center><a href="http://www.nanasboxnonprofit.blogspot.com"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_sjiIoaajj7QCFGpTMTrqw?authkey=AFfS9XA1llc"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/angelinadewey/SNvXP3duXEI/AAAAAAAABUQ/nnkQ5Jjl3nQ/s144/I%20was%20featured%20logo%20resized.jpg"/></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right"></td></tr></a></center><br />http://nanasboxnonprofit.blogspot.com/Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-19478702164324674792008-11-21T09:38:00.000-05:002008-12-07T15:15:51.186-05:00My story - part 4 (mastectomy)Making the decision to have a double mastectomy was one that I went round and round with. The cancer was only in my right breast. I went online and started gathering information on types of reconstruction options, weighing all sides. I decided that I did not want to chance it that the cancer would come back in the left breast, so I opted for a double mastectomy. Plus, the chances of a symmetrical reconstruction were better when done to two breasts, instead of trying to match the other. The surgery was scheduled for July 23rd.<br /><br />The day before, I had a bunch of appointments. Even though there was no cancer on the left the doctors wanted to do a Sentinel Node Scan to mark the "gate keeper" lymph nodes and remove them for biopsy . . . just to be sure. I got to the hospital that morning with my friend Shane, he was my photographer for the day, and they had the wrong information. They were about to inject me on the right side . . . a quick call to the doc, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">confusion</span> settled, let's proceed. They injected me with a bit of radioactive blue dye and put me under a machine with a large lead cone on my breast so they could isolate the lymph nodes. All the while, my friend there thanking his lucky stars that he was not born a woman!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUk2pVfyiIIuAOsEemzVmmLTL9L0s17htcOYqWs2aMZ1eIF7P1ddft9yX0cv6grjsAiQwDnBSBaIntFgsepgNUsccqn9wky47JVihECJdzuyk1X92z8wtAVl2edYPMEuMq4EiaPuig0Uew/s1600-h/IMG_1026.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271125614705274226" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUk2pVfyiIIuAOsEemzVmmLTL9L0s17htcOYqWs2aMZ1eIF7P1ddft9yX0cv6grjsAiQwDnBSBaIntFgsepgNUsccqn9wky47JVihECJdzuyk1X92z8wtAVl2edYPMEuMq4EiaPuig0Uew/s200/IMG_1026.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The surgery was scheduled for 7am the next day, which meant getting up at the butt-crack of dawn in order to get there by 6am. Strangely, I wasn't nervous at all. I had been through surgery before, and had come to terms with losing my breasts so it was just like any other day to me. My dad and step-mom drove me down to the hospital and the waiting game began.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FbREzYxsnMVixU1jKIgmeaMYQeWY1fpicnkZhyft4v0J26UXVsrhb4a53D8B3j2QYJRsDZr9I2iPkYNGRWvEunL9gzcx3kqmR8RJCwljzRCOdI5dM_EMofkEAMD38cm0c_4LPyzI6_iH/s1600-h/IMG_1043.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271127802112166690" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FbREzYxsnMVixU1jKIgmeaMYQeWY1fpicnkZhyft4v0J26UXVsrhb4a53D8B3j2QYJRsDZr9I2iPkYNGRWvEunL9gzcx3kqmR8RJCwljzRCOdI5dM_EMofkEAMD38cm0c_4LPyzI6_iH/s200/IMG_1043.jpg" border="0" /></a><em>With my step-mom in the waiting area.</em><br /><br />After meeting with both surgeons and the anesthesiologist they began the prep. I don't even remember being wheeled out of that prep area to the O.R. Before when I came out of surgeries I would be very emotional. This time, nothing. Must have gone in with the right mindset this time!<br /><br />I was thinking that after the surgery I would have no boobs at all. That wasn't the case, the tissue expanders they put in were filled to 300cc. When they removed the bandages to show me how to take care of the drains, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had <em>foobs</em>!<br /><br />The weeks following the surgery were painful and boring. It felt strange having foreign material in my body. I just kept telling myself . . . only for about 8 months, just until reconstruction can begin. Next step . . . radiation.Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-89628204520769235172008-10-03T15:29:00.000-04:002008-12-23T11:02:05.503-05:00My story - part 3 (chemo)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9dPVphEGlZNrU_xDSNx7_NGQQR3XXugE2ahdAJ7gcFsWXECbdsEljOydHU0CE7jpzyOdyqxnYct50jj25udQtqtcwH4J1kWdVVbieKwGF_tl_o6Iazl_OioCmLma8aKvKyd4z9jDw4K5/s1600-h/cancer_01.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9dPVphEGlZNrU_xDSNx7_NGQQR3XXugE2ahdAJ7gcFsWXECbdsEljOydHU0CE7jpzyOdyqxnYct50jj25udQtqtcwH4J1kWdVVbieKwGF_tl_o6Iazl_OioCmLma8aKvKyd4z9jDw4K5/s200/cancer_01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283016242411535250" /></a>I started chemo on March 4th. While torn with the possibility of never being able to have children, I was anxious to begin treatment, the tumor was still growing and I had developed a rash. The nurses were unable to access my port that first day and were shocked at the size of the scar that I had from it. A week prior I had gone back to Dr. O to have the port placed. He said that it was a “simple procedure” and I remembered that it was from my mother’s experience. Not so with me, apparently I have difficult anatomy. What was supposed to be a 1-1.5 inch incision turned out to be 4 inches! He couldn’t locate whatever vein he was looking for so basically went digging around and finally had to tunnel up to my jugular. So, the nurses just inserted an IV and off we went into chemo land. My dad came with me to my first treatment and I got some pretty strange looks from the other patients when I was the one to sit down in the chair and not my dad. <em>I was by far the youngest patient.</em> Shortly thereafter I fired Dr. O and got another surgeon, a breast surgeon, Dr. C.<br /><br />I felt ok after most of the treatments. The anti-nausea drugs were amazing, through all 6 cycles I never threw up once! The biggest hurdles were fatigue, muscle and joint pain, hot flashes from early menopause, some bathroom problems I'd rather not go into, and now nothing tasted normal. I was bound and determined to find something that tasted good, no such luck. I thought I was going to lose weight while going through chemo, sorely mistaken, I gained about 35 pounds! My hair started to fall out just before my second cycle. I knew that it would so I had got a shorter haircut the week before. It was now so bad that every time I ran my fingers through it I would have a handful of hair, not just a few strands, <em>a handful!</em> I decided it would be best just to shave it all off, so I called up my brother and out came the buzzers. We had a great time shaving my head. It surprised me how comfortable I was with losing my hair and hardly wore the wig I had got.<br /><br />Friends came with me to the next few treatments. We joked that I was the Samantha character from “Sex and the City”, only younger and not promiscuous. The nurses got a kick out of us. I would bring my laptop, iPod, magazines, cards and whatever else we could find to make the hours pass by quickly. I was determined to lead a semi-normal life so I was driving myself to my appointments and even went to chemo alone for the last two cycles. I worked part-time for a while but eventually just ended up taking a medical leave. I was trying to get out of the house every day, but some days I never made it off the couch.<br /><br />My whole medical team was amazed at how well I was coping with the entire situation but was afraid that the bottom might fall out. It’s very easy to fall into depression after receiving a cancer diagnosis, not to mention recently losing a parent on top of that! On many occasions I was given flyers for support groups and told to check out different breast cancer websites. I was stubborn though, what would I have in common with the people in the support group besides cancer? I was 31, single and had no children. Most of the other women in the group were much older, married and most had children – they couldn’t even begin to understand my situation! So, I dealt with it on my own for months. Then I found out about a conference for young women with breast cancer hosted by Dana-Farber and decided to go. I got so much great information and it turned me on to the whole support group idea, no matter how far I had to drive!<br /><br />I was having an excellent response to the chemo. Every few weeks I met with Dr. K and after each cycle the tumor got smaller and smaller. I’m thinking great, no mastectomy needed! I was wrong, because of the initial size and advanced stage, mastectomy was my best option to reduce the chance of recurrence. Time to find a good plastic surgeon for reconstruction, enter Dr. B. He came very highly recommended by a friend and I immediately felt comfortable with him, he was a straight shooter. We discussed my reconstruction options and fears. My biggest fear was making the wrong decision. I knew there was cancer in one breast, but what about the other? The MRI indicated a “suspicious area” but we didn’t biopsy the area, instead an ultrasound was done and showed a cyst. Should I have both breasts removed anyway? How would I feel about wearing a prosthetic if only one was removed? What should I do?! I bought books on breast reconstruction, logged into chat rooms and read blogs – anything to find out what the “right” decision was. I was leaning towards bi-lateral but was unsure if I was being too radical. I was going out of my mind and needed help before I snapped. My salvation came while standing in the middle of the health/wellness section of Barns & Noble and making a phone call to Dr. B. I asked him what I should do, if he had a daughter my age what would he advise her to do? “Remove them both” he told me, “and that’s a personal opinion, not a medical one”. Thank you so much!! I was so relieved I almost cried. Now, what reconstruction option to go with – implants or tissue transfer – shit, yet another decision, more research!<br /><br />I wasn’t too keen on the idea of having implants, especially since I would have little to no breast tissue left – the implant would be obvious. Dr. B advised me that a tissue transfer was probably the best option, it would give a more natural look. I have tattoos across my abdomen and I was concerned about them being transferred to my chest in the transfer process, I didn’t want that. He suggested doing immediate delayed reconstruction, meaning at the time of the mastectomy they would insert tissue expanders. The job of the expanders was to preserve as much of my original chest skin and would be filled with saline over time and eventually swapped out at the time of the reconstruction. I never knew how many different options for new breasts were available! I decided to go with a DIEP Flap, where they take tissue from the abdomen and move it to the chest – it’s like getting a free tummy tuck and new boobs all at once! <em>(Some light at the end of the tunnel)</em> I found a micro-surgeon in Boston at Brigham & Women's, Dr. C. I met with her and she agreed that DIEP was the way to go since I had to have radiation, but it would be a long recovery process. On top of that, they wouldn't start the reconstruction process until 6 months after radiation ends. Great, expanders for many months!<br /><br />My last chemo was June 17th. By that time I couldn't even feel the tumor. I was amazed at how squishy my boob was, it hadn't been like that since before the reduction. Before the surgery they had another MRI done and couldn't find any suspicious areas at all. Great news! My mastectomy was scheduled for July 23rd.Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-19078300077170587972008-09-10T16:48:00.000-04:002008-12-23T11:05:55.552-05:00My story - part 2 (you have cancer, now what)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnN9r0aYq2PjeE32JdTQZaHv5xqNPsl7cLJbal_yNoU2d9wL8DUWJQzzuRQ8ycsiSW83CJmGLVB1yCBNfknVXOXvpEPC4nq3yd-IVS9liXh5KH_YBuFovAZeXnc-Rxy-qYV_n4BVhljQZP/s1600-h/Cancer.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 97px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnN9r0aYq2PjeE32JdTQZaHv5xqNPsl7cLJbal_yNoU2d9wL8DUWJQzzuRQ8ycsiSW83CJmGLVB1yCBNfknVXOXvpEPC4nq3yd-IVS9liXh5KH_YBuFovAZeXnc-Rxy-qYV_n4BVhljQZP/s200/Cancer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283017418196712866" /></a>How did I find out that I have breast cancer? Well, read on . . .<br /><br />In January I noticed that my bra was not fitting anymore on the right side. I knew that the dryer didn’t shrink just half of my bras, so obviously my breast was growing - <em>but why only one?</em> Maybe it was stress. I called Dr. O back and told him what was going on and that I was ready for the biopsy. I saw him the next week, he told me that the unusual growing could be hormonal and that seeing an endocrinologist might be helpful once the results of the biopsy come back. He also suggested that since I had never had a mammogram I get one done before the biopsy. We scheduled it for January 31st and the biopsy for February 8th.<br /><br />The day of the biopsy he told me the results of the mammogram, <em>“suspect multiple cysts in the right breast”.</em> Ok I’m thinking, cysts are not scary, I can deal with that, just drain them. When I woke up in recovery and Dr. O came to talk with me there was a very different look on his face. He told me that it definitely was not a cyst because it was hard as a rock and to be extra cautious he took a large piece of it for biopsy. He made me an appointment for that next Tuesday to go over the results.<br /><br />February 12th, results day. I remember this day so clearly. Aside from some soreness from the biopsy I was feeling pretty good. I just had an awesome weekend, we got our profit sharing checks at work and I was looking forward to planning a snowboard trip out west. My appointment was first thing in the morning so I got in to see the doctor right away. I knew the moment I walked in because he had that same look on his face. <em>“I wish I had better news for you”,</em> what? Wait a minute; you’re supposed to tell me that everything was ok, just like you were saying all along! We spoke for about 20 minutes all the while tears streaming down my face and thoughts of my mother bouncing around my head. He kept telling me that he’s never had a case like this and didn't quite know what to say. His office had already made me an appointment to see an oncologist in Springfield the next day, Dr. K. What a coincidence, she was my mother’s doctor! Before leaving his office, the nurse kept offering to have someone drive me home. <em>Nope, I’m fine – I just need to be alone.</em> I sat in my car for a while thinking what now, how do I tell this to my family and friends. Most of my friends knew about my biopsy and I knew they would be wondering, I didn’t really want to talk to anyone so I sent out a mass text: <em>“Bad news, its cancer”,</em> then I called work and let them know that I wouldn’t be in for a few days. <em>Wow, 2 days before Valentines Day...this one's going to be a <strong>great</strong> one! (insert sarcasm here)</em><br /><br />A lot of cancer survivors will tell you about a freak out moment they had when they were given the news. Strangely, I never had one of those. It was just like, Ok I have cancer, how do I get rid of it, what do I need to do? Telling my dad was the worst! He asked me how the appointment went and all I could do was shake my head and cry. He went with me to my appointment the next day. Dr. K didn’t immediately recognize me when she walked into the exam room, I had only met her a few times at my mother’s appointments. Once she made the connection she was beyond words. We spoke for about an hour and after an exam she suggested a series of more tests including CT scan of chest/abdomen, MUGA scan, MRI of breasts, have a fine needle aspiration of lymph nodes to see if it had spread (which it had), get a tumor marker and port-a-cath inserted and genetic testing to see if I carry the BRCA1/BRCA2 gene mutations (considering my mom’s history). Plan of action: chemo – 8 rounds of AC/T every 14 days plus 1 year of weekly Herceptin, surgery – most likely mastectomy due to the size of the tumor (9.2 cm indicated by the MRI, and that’s after the 1.5 cm they removed for the biopsy!), radiation – 5x a week for 6-7 weeks and 5 years of hormone therapy (an estrogen blocker since my tumor was estrogen receptor positive).<br /><br />On top of all that I was told that chemo might destroy my ovaries and that I might want to think about getting them removed depending on the results of the genetic testing. <em>I don’t have any children so what about that?</em> I didn't get the best answer: probably unlikely – an estrogen spike while pregnant would increase the chance of recurrence. <em>What about freezing my eggs?</em> Not enough time, we need to start chemo soon and the hormones used to harvest eggs could cause the cancer to spread. <em>F@#k!!</em> Dr. K was great, she took the time to make sure I was clear on everything that she had said and even gave me her email and cell number in case I had any concerns that couldn’t wait until office hours. I left the office thinking, great not only do I have cancer and may have to lose my breast, now I have to think about my hypothetical children too! Do I even want kids? Do I want my ovaries removed? These are things I wasn't prepared to be thinking about.<br /><br />February was a blur. The next few weeks were filled with appointments, scans and 2nd opinions. I traveled down to Boston to go see the best: the doctors at Dana-Farber. They pretty much said the same that Dr. K had, only they suggested getting a bone scan and head CT plus the chemo drugs and regiment were different: 4 rounds of Taxotere and Carboplatin every 21 days plus Herceptin weekly, then surgery, then 4 more rounds chemo. On my way back home from Boston I called Dr. K and went over what the doctors had said. I asked if she would consider collaborating with them about the chemo and she agreed to call them the next day; I wanted to get treated closer to home and I was comfortable with her. She spoke with them and a few other doctors at Baystate; ultimately we decided on the drugs that Dana-Farber suggested with 6 rounds up front and no chemo after surgery.<br /><br />Stay tuned for my chemo experience, to be in a later post . . .Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670457751937665582.post-5927343576085368662008-09-05T13:41:00.000-04:002008-09-05T13:57:57.855-04:00My story - part 1 (background)My story is a long one, and my treatment isn't even over yet!! So, I'll be posting in segments rather than one huge article.<br /><br />I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 31, Invasive Ductal Carcinoma stage IIIA, ER+/PR-/Her2+. To accurately tell my story I have to first bring you back 2 years. I had a breast reduction in January 2006. For medical reasons I went from a cup size DD down to a C. After the surgery I had a series of follow-up appointments which were a chore in themselves. I live in MA and had my surgery in NH, 1.5 hrs away from home. <em>Winter driving in New England can be quite exciting!!</em> The surgery went well by medical standards, but if anyone has ever had a breast reduction, you know that your breasts are quite hard after the surgery, VERY ugly and misshapen. I asked if this was normal and I was told by my medical team that with time the tissue would relax and become softer and settle into a more natural shape. I was told to “massage” my breasts frequently to break down any scar tissue. <em>Um, ok.<br /></em><br />About 4 months after the surgery my left breast was just about back to “normal” but there was still a large area in my right breast that was still hard. By large I mean it was about 4" from top to bottom between the 7 and 11 o'clock positions. I called my plastic surgeon, Dr. T, to ask if this was normal. She scheduled an appointment for me to go back and see her. “Yes, that’s normal. It can take up to a year after surgery for breast tissue to settle.” Ok, nothing to worry about. She told me to check back in a year if nothing changed.<br /><br />Fast forward one year - still no change. I called the office back and they told me that Dr. T was leaving the hospital and starting a practice of her own in MA. <em>What luck, now she’s only 30 minutes from me, no 3 hr round trip drive needed!</em> I had to wait a few more months to get an appointment as the practice was not open yet. March 2007, finally get in to see her. She advises me that the area is probably just scar tissue or fibrous breast tissue, but just to be sure she wants me to see a general surgeon. By this time I’m thinking, ok I just have a lumpy boob from surgery, small price to pay for not having anymore neck or back pain as a result from my previously large breasts.<br /><br />It was October by the time I was able to see a general surgeon, work and life kept getting in the way. In July we found out that after 5 years in remission my mother’s ovarian cancer had returned, so I kept rescheduling my appointments and put her care first. When I finally got to see the surgeon, Dr. O, he backed up what Dr. T had been telling me…fibrous breast tissue or scar tissue as a result of the reduction; it was highly unlikely that it was malignant. He added that the only way to be sure was to do a biopsy but felt like that was invasive and not necessary, but ultimately it was up to me. Not too keen on the idea of being cut open yet again I opted not to have the biopsy. Two doctors have now told me that it’s nothing to worry about, case closed. My mother wanted me to have the biopsy but I was satisfied that both doctors said the same thing, so I told her not to worry.<br /><br />In December my mother lost her battle with ovarian cancer at the age of 56. The last months were hell for her, she was constantly sick from the chemo and rapidly losing weight. The doctors were not able to administer the chemo on any regular schedule because of low blood counts and so on, so that ultimately gave time for the cancer to spread throughout her entire abdomen. The tumors were so large that they were obstructing her intestines and she decided that enough was enough; she was done with being in constant pain, it was a living hell. She passed on December 9th, two weeks after stopping treatment.<br /><br />That's about all the time I have for today and feel that this is a good stopping point. I still have not dealt with the loss of my mother because cancer didn't allow me to . . . which you will read in a later post.Taylor-Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388333323938903293noreply@blogger.com2