Breast Cancer Update 2

Here is the next breast cancer update. First, I want to thank everyone. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, offers for help, etc.
Breast Cancer Update 2 for Young Breast Cancer Survivor
I’m home (my parent’s house) from the hospital. I had a bilateral mastectomy with the start of reconstruction surgery Monday afternoon. It was a very long (8+ hour) surgery. Unfortunately, the first few days were pretty rough. On the bright side, the pain is getting better each day. It seems to be getting a little better now. Then, we have our next appointment is Thursday. During this appointment, we’ll meet with the surgeon and go over the surgery results. At that time, they’ll have a more detailed biopsy report then. The initial report during surgery was good. The lymph nodes appeared to be clear, but they still have more testing to do to thoroughly check them.
Starting Chemo Soon
Most likely I will begin chemotherapy in a few weeks.
Exhausted
I’m very exhausted right now. They said typically after a surgery like this it takes 3-6 months to get your energy levels back. Even just taking a shower wears me out.
Yesterday, I did get out of the house for the first time. We took the boys to see Toy Story 3D.
Surgery Drainage Tubes
I still have the drainage tubes from surgery (2 on each side). Those will hopefully come out next week at some point. I’m hoping to be more comfortable once that happens.
Thanks again for your support and positive comments.
If you have any questions, want to talk, or know someone in my similar situation then please leave a comment or email me.
Rachel
Read more about my breast cancer journey from 2009 to the present here.
If you know anyone having a mastectomy or other breast surgery, these breast cancer recovery shirts are a must-have.
Rachel Belkin is an Austin, Texas blogger, entrepreneur, speaker, freelance writer, and educator. After selling her lifestyle blog for six figures in 2021, she teaches business, blogging, and influencer marketing strategies that helped her build her business on part-time hours. Bylines include MSN, HuffPost, Medium, NewsBreak, and Hometalk. She has been featured on KXAN, Studio 512, Fox 7 Austin, CBS Austin, and other news and media outlets.